Vicissitudes by LosingInTranslation

DATE: November 2006

AUTHOR: LosingInTranslation (AKA Jennifer, losingntrnslatn)

TITLE: Vicissitudes

DISCLAIMER: Don’t own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!

RATING: T – Teen (language and adult issues)

PAIRINGS: GSR & Yo!Bling pre-established in previous fics of this timeline.

SPOILERS: Sequel to "Displacement" and "Transitions"

SUMMARY: Everything is changing around Nick Stokes. Can he deal with it, and how it will affect him in the end?

A/N: This is my own little take on the things that drive and motivate Nick Stokes throughout his life and work. Not everyone is going to agree with me on this one, and I can accept that. This is a serious angst monster fic, so don't expect a whole lot of fluffiness in this one. However, I am still a GSRshipper, so you'll get a little breather here and there with that.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: There were many who helped with this one along the way, so my hearfelt gratitude goes out to them all. It was a long process and it found a few casualties along the way, but everyone's contributions really helped to make this an amazing experience. Thank you all for your help and support!

REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

Vicissitudes

vi·cis·si·tude
noun.

1. Mutability in life or nature (especially successive alternation from one condition to another)

2. One of the sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life, activities, or surroundings.

3. A variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something; "the project was subject to the usual vicissitudes of exploratory research."

Chapter 1

21:00 – 2006.12.03

CSI Lab: Break Room

The regular night shift crew was sitting around the table trading jokes, jibes and a general feeling of camaraderie between them. Sunday night was the start of a new week, and the team was enjoying teasing Sara about her wedding plans. They each had their own ideas of what a wedding between their two favorite geeks would be like, and no one was afraid to share with her what those were.

“I don’t know. I figured it’d be one of those quaint outdoor weddings…” Warrick shot Nick a quick wink before he continued, “…at the Body Farm.”

The howls erupted from around the table leaving Sara with her mouth hanging open in shock.

Greg decided to chime in with his defense of Sara, “C’mon guys, you know Sara wouldn’t play that way.”

Sara recovered long enough to say, “Well, thanks, Greg. At least one per-…”

“I was picturing the minister at the top of the first big drop on Grissom’s favorite coaster, and the whole wedding party in the cars behind the bride and groom.” His face betrayed his devilish intent and the laughter burst forth once again.

By the time Grissom and Catherine finally appeared at the door, it took the boys a little while to stifle their laughter.

“I’m glad to see everyone excited for work tonight,” Grissom spoke over the noise as he noticed Sara sitting with her arms crossed over her chest and looking a bit angry. “Well, almost everyone.”

Catherine felt the need to chime in once her gaze fell onto Sara. “Don’t tell me… The guys were teasing you about the wedding?” When Sara rolled her eyes to show that Catherine had hit the nail on the head the blonde only shook her head at the guys and continued, “Don’t you hyenas have anything better to do?”

Grissom sensed that they were about to erupt into another fit of laughter, and felt it was his duty to calm the storm. “Obviously not… And for the record, there will be no bugs, bodies or amusement parks involved.” He could see all of their taunts deflate instantly and relief washed over Sara’s face. “In fact, you should all be receiving your invitations any time now, according to my mother. Sara and I decided to let her plan the whole thing, since neither of us had the time, nor the inclination for such an undertaking at the moment,” Grissom explained, eliciting the desired response from everyone, as they were all shocked dumb by his admission. “But I can tell you not to make any plans for New Year’s.”

“New Year’s? Seriously?” Greg was completely surprised by this latest development.

“Why?” Grissom looked up from his clipboard, confused by Greg’s shock.

“I guess, I just figured you guys would be engaged a while, for some reason.” Greg started to chew on his index finger, his first tell that he was nervous about something. Greg was still getting used to all the changes around the lab and with his friends, but the haste of the wedding was not something he had planned on. Things were changing a little too fast for his tastes.

Warrick slapped the younger man on the back and said, “Are you kidding? You don’t think seven years is enough waiting?!”

“More like eleven, by my account,” a tired voice teased from behind them.

The night shift all turned in unison toward the door of the Break Room to find the night shift coroner standing there leaning against the door jamb with a stack of folders tucked under one arm.

“How do you figure?” Nick was the one who had asked, since he did not quite understand her frame of reference.

“Well, I was actually in that lecture hall when they met, and you’d have had to be deaf, blind and stupid not to have figured that one out.” When Catherine and Warrick struggled to restrain their smirks, Stephanie noticed that Sara and her uncle were blushing slightly. “Sorry, guys, but genius doesn’t keep you from being stupid. I was just a dumb kid, and I saw it.”

Grissom shook his head in an attempt to push the embarrassment away.

“Anyway, I’ve got reports for you guys. And I’m ready with the desert DB whenever you guys are,” she explained as she dropped the reports onto the table. Catherine picked through to find hers and then passed the rest to the next person.

When Stephanie was safely out of the room, Grissom decided it was time to get the assignments handed out if they were ever going to get through the night. “Okay, first off, we have good news. After successfully cleaning up the mess at the Body Farm, the higher ups were convinced to reinstate Greg’s Level One status.”

Greg’s whole face lit up and he asked, “Are you serious? You mean I’m not a trainee anymore?!”

Grissom smirked and said, “That’s right, but it also means that you still have to complete your final proficiencies for Level Two before you can go solo, so Catherine will be observing you on this trick roll case over at the Golden Nugget.” He handed the young man the slip, which he anxiously pulled from his supervisor’s hand.

“Warrick?” Grissom continued quickly, he was not wasting any time on assignments that night. “Hit and Run on Charleston Blvd. Vega says it’s a real mess, so you might want to bring extra coveralls.”

Warrick took the slip and nodded his head at the suggestion.

“Nick, Sara?” He had a thick folder for them, which was unusual for a new case. “Seems the weekend folks botched this one up pretty good, so we’ve been assigned to clean up the mess and take over the case.” He handed the folder to the two CSIs and then continued for everyone’s benefit, “DB, found in the Lost Gringo Mountain State Park. We’re being called in out of our jurisdiction because it was found inside the perimeter of a major research site funded, in part, by UNLV and is run by the head of the geology program there. Every courtesy is to be extended to the research team, but we need to get this case wrapped up quickly, if possible.”

Sara did not even flinch at Grissom asking them to hurry a case along, and Nick figured she must have already gotten the run down on the case. He never wanted to think that Grissom would let his personal relationship interfere with work, but the situation in which he found himself smacked of preferential treatment. Nick felt compelled to question him about his haste, “Since when do we rush the evidence, Grissom?”

Grissom looked up from his notes and was surprised to find Nick not following the logical train of thought. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because another shift screwed it up from the start. It’s in a State Park, so the Sheriff, the Mayor and the Governor are going to be all over it come morning, and because this lab doesn’t need anymore trouble between us and the staff over at UNLV.”

Nick blushed under the scrutiny and felt even more ridiculous for his false suspicion when he felt Sara kick him a little under the table.

“Now, if no one else has any questions…” Grissom looked around the table and found everyone ready to get the day going, so he decided to make his last announcement. “Good… Ah, I’ve made arrangements for everyone to have Saturday night off in order for us to have a little party.”

Greg immediately perked up and asked, “Is this a Christmas party, Boss?”

“No, Greg… But if you like, you could consider it a holiday party, of sorts.” He looked to Sara for reassurance to continue. When he found her tender smile, he had the strength. “We’d like everyone to be at our place about seven PM. It’s just a small gathering of friends, so please try to keep this to yourselves.” Suddenly feeling self conscious, he nervously flipped through his notes once more and then continued, “Okay, I believe that covers it.”

Everyone pulled out from their seats and began to shuffle out of the room quietly as they pondered the meaning behind Grissom’s little party.

Nick and Sara were the last to make their way to the exit. Grissom stopped them, “Ah, if you guys run into any trouble with the case, just give me a buzz.”

Nick was confused by Grissom’s implication that they would not be up to the task. “Why would we need any help?” he asked, his words sounding far more confrontational than Nick had intended.

“I have a bit of a background in the geology, and I just happen to have a lot more contacts at UNLV than either of you.” Grissom could not resist adding the last part, “And because I also happen to be your supervisor.”

Once they were out in the hallway, Sara gave Nick a firm punch in the arm, “Are you looking for a fight tonight?”

Grissom smirked to himself at overhearing Sara standing up for him. Once he had gathered his notes up, he tucked the clipboard under his arm and turned to escape to his office. He held out a faint hope that everyone would be too caught up in their assignments to pay his little announcement any attention. When he had made it to his office door unscathed, he sighed as he pushed into the safety of his office. His relief, however, was to be short lived. Seated in the chair in front of his desk was Catherine.

“You didn’t really think I was gonna let you slide on that one, did you?” she asked, her entire face a question.

“One can dream.” Grissom moved to close the door to his office.

“Whatever… Now park it and start talking, Mister.” Catherine demanded, never being one to mince words.

He made his way past her, around behind the desk, and sat as he worked up just the right opening for giving her one piece of the puzzle. “Well, you know how much you complain about your office?… There might just be a remedy to that dilemma.”

Chapter 2

21:45 – 2006.12.03

C.S.I. Lab: Autopsy Room

The elevator ride to the Morgue was not a pleasant one for Nick Stokes as Sara questioned his need to confront Grissom about their assignment. Nick knew that he should not have taken things as far as he did, but he had been bothered by the sinking suspicion that he had been left behind for a while. He was desperately happy that his friends had settled into their respective relationships, but there was still a part of him that felt jealous of their successes in finding happiness. And unfortunately, those feelings seemed to be leeching into his work as well. He knew in his heart that his friends would never let their personal lives destroy their professionalism, but that green-eyed monster had a powerful affect on his mind, and so the doubts remained. However, if he was truly honest with himself, he would have to admit that his feelings of inadequacy were coming from somewhere he rarely liked to dwell. He had been questioning so many things since the day he was abducted, and he was not sure he would ever be able to find the answers to his questions without truly facing those demons.

He was shaken from his inner turmoil when Sara’s words finally pierced through his contemplation. “I mean really, Nick… What’s gotten into you lately?” Sara asked one of those questions for which he had no answer as they made their way to the Autopsy Room.

“I honestly don’t know… Maybe I’m just feelin’ like the odd man out, or somethin’,” he tried to play off his unrest with a bit of humor.

Sara looked back at him and smirked as they stepped off the elevator and said, “Well, when you figure it out, will you let me know?” She put her hand firmly on his forearm before he could pass her and gave him her most dangerous grin. “Otherwise, I’m just gonna have to beat it out of you.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Got it.”

When they finally pushed through the doors to the Autopsy Room, they were both surprised to find it empty. Stephanie was usually exactly where she said she would be, so they could only assume that something had taken her away from the Morgue. Nick pulled out his phone and then said, “I’ll just call upstairs and have her p-…”

Before Nick could finish David came into the room with a body on his gurney. “Hey, guys… Can I help you with something?”

Sara smiled at the man’s pleasant demeanor and answered, “We were just looking for Steph, and our DB.”

David stopped pushing the gurney, walked over to the table near the slab and retrieved the notebook sitting there. “Well, I passed Stephanie going into the bathroom on the way in, but which DB are you looking for? I might be able to get you started until she gets back.”

Nick was able to speak first, “Ah, DB found in the Lost Grin-…”

“Lost Gringo, got it… Multiple GSWs. Unique wound patterns. Atypical signs of exposure.” He looked back up from the pad and then continued, “The body’s been prepped, so the victims effects have been removed, and I’ve already collected all the trace.” He moved across the room to a small wheeled basket, which he pushed towards to the two CSIs. “I was going to take it up as soon as I got back from the hit and run on Charleston Blvd.”

Nick gave the man a quick clap on the back and said, “We can get that for ya, Super Dave. Looks like you got your hands full tonight.” Nick gestured at the two bodies that had been present when they arrived and also the one David had just wheeled into the room.

“So, where did you say Steph was at?” Sara was curious as to why the woman was taking so long if she had only gone to the bathroom.

“Standing right behind you.”

When they both turned to face the voice, there was more than just a little surprise on their faces to see her looking a little too pale.

“Sorry, but I need to remember not to eat anything Gil gives me to snack on.” Her explanation made sense to them both, because they had each lost stomach contents to one of his “tasty protein treats.”

“After all these years, you haven’t figured that one out yet?” Sara was the first to jump at the chance to tease her about the slip up.

“I’ve always liked the freeze-dried and the deep fried ones… But he likes to sneak some fresh ones in there sometimes, and those are just…” They could visibly watch her face turn green at the mention of the disgusting bug treats that Grissom was famous for, and for a second Nick thought she was really going to puke. “Okay, let’s just not talk anymore about it.”

She swallowed hard, and as she made her way back across the room David handed her a paper cup of water to help settle her stomach. She smiled at his kindness and the two continued about their normal routines. Stephanie slipped on the headgear and switched on the microphone as she began to explain. “John Doe, approximately twenty-five to thirty. Weight: two hundred fifteen pounds; height: seventy-one inches. GSW’s to the thoracic and cranial regions, approximately thirteen entry wounds on the posterior side and seven exit wounds on the anterior side. X-Rays show three slugs lodged in the skull and one slug firmly resting between the second and third thoracic vertebrae. The remaining two slugs were retrieved when the body was prepped for autopsy and subsequently sent to Ballistics for analysis.” She stopped and clicked the button once to pause the recording. “I recognized the wound patterning, but I left the determination up to Ballistics, just to make sure they got a clean and unbiased read.”

Nick and Sara leaned in closer to examine the bullet wounds and he tried to figure out what had created that pattern when he had to ask, “So, what did you think it was?”

Stephanie never got a chance to answer as Sara said, “MAC-10, based on the shot grouping, and at pretty close range if this stippling is any indication.”

“You’ve had some experience with them?” the coroner questioned.

Sara looked up from the body and said through her smile, “Probably from the same place as you.” Her knowing look brought a grin to Nick’s face and he waited for her to elaborate. “The MAC-10’s are a favorite of the Asian gangs in San Francisco.”

“Give the lady a prize.” Both women got a good laugh at the exchange and Nick once again felt out of place. “So, if you’ll notice the mottling of the dermal tissue, and the varying degrees of lividity…” Stephanie waited for them to catch up and turn their attention back to the body before continuing. “The victim also suffered from extreme exposure, which is not really uncommon for that part of the desert, except for the bizarre items we found in the trace elements.”

Nick was ready with the question that time. “What kind of stuff?”

She shrugged as she moved across the room to the basket of evidence bags. “Well, it’s not often you find pinion matter in the desert.” She held up the bag that showed needles from a tree and small pollen pods as well.

“Makes me think it was a body dump.” Nick said as he pulled the folder from under his arm and dug through it until he found the page he was looking for and then read from it, “And the complete lack of evidence found at the scene would seem to confirm that.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.” David chose that moment to cruise through the room to find a random piece of equipment.

Nick looked up to see the coroner’s assistant walking through the room. “Wha’dya mean, Super Dave?”

“Well, they’re always getting weird stuff washing into that ravine…” He adjusted his glasses as he dug through a cabinet and once he turned away from it he concluded, “Kind of why the research team is there in the first place.”

As quickly as he had appeared, David was gone once again, leaving Nick to process what he had just said, “Yeah, so what kind of research is going on out there, anyway?”

Stephanie had the answer, “Evolution of Desert Erosion.”

Nick and Sara both gave her incredulous expressions to meet her answer.

She could only laugh at their reactions as she continued to explain, “The high desert is the easiest place to study the effects of erosion on not only soil, but also the landscape in general. Erosion is a faster process in the desert environment and greatly reduces the time it takes to evaluate its effects, which leads to more effective research.” When she could see their continued confusion, she tried to explain it further. “See, it’s like a forced experiment, but with all the variables of the real world. You can see the actual reactions of nature to the elements imposing upon it, instead of only being able to recreate specific factors of each element or natural reaction.”

Nick looked to Sara and she appeared to understand the concept, so he just nodded and hoped she could explain it to him later. He decided to steer the conversation to something that he could grasp and so he asked, “Okay… So, what’s our time of death?”

Stephanie seemed to snap back into the case at hand in an instant and pulled her face shield back down and grabbed her scalpel before answering. “I have no idea.”

That caused a laugh from the two CSI’s. “I never thought I’d hear you say that.” Nick teased and then asked, “So, why can’t you give us a TOD?”

“Too much exposure… And that’s what’s weird.” She pulled up one leg and showed them the odd mottling around the back of the left calf. “This is not the kind of thing you see purely from desert climate inversions. It’s almost like this guy was flash frozen or something. But whatever it is, it makes getting a realistic time of death impossible.” The coroner then made quick work of the Y incision before she added, “Well, for me anyway.”

“What do you mean, Steph?” Sara winced as the incision was made, but she was dealing with the sight much easier than she had in the past. Nick realized that she must have been working on her problems with autopsies in the last few months.

“Oh, well, based on the research they’re doing, and with the video and stills, I bet the research team would be able to give you a better frame of reference on time of death…” She continued about her work, not stopping to explain herself to them. “Plus they can give you some info on all the soil samples and other matter we found on the body. Hodges won’t be able to do much more than give you a generic type of soil, but I bet their people can tell you where it came from, and maybe even help you find the primary scene.”

Nick shook his head at the idea and asked, “How could they do that if we’re dealing with a body dump?”

Stephanie looked up from her work and gestured for them to look at the victim’s back as she pulled the body up to its side, “Right here… Do you see the plant matter in the wound?” They both found what she was referring to and realized that the wound did contain a small amount of what appeared to be pine needles and bark. “According to David, that park also has some mountain areas, which include some stretches of pinion. Might be your primary scene, but either way, it’s worth a good look.”

Looking to each other, Sara and Nick had to agree that she was right. “Before you put the body back down…” Sara reached for a pair of tweezers from the tray beside the slab and asked, “Can I get a sample of that to take to trace?”

“Beat you to it…” She pointed in the direction of the basket and said, “Collected pieces from each wound and sealed them up. I also made sure David took pictures of each wound, since the previous team didn’t get much in the way of evidence collection in any phase of this case.”

“Yeah, we heard that already.” Sara took the folder from Nick and started looking for something else. “So, is there contact info for the professor in charge of this research team?”

Having already gone back to work, Stephanie answered her off the cuff, “Just call the main number and ask for the head of the geology program. And I’d be prepared for some fun over there.”

Nick was intrigued by her comment and asked, “Why’s that?”

Shrugging at the question, she responded, “I’ve just heard some real horror stories about those people. Real hard nosed, no nonsense, and a little caustic from all accounts.”

Sara shook her head and asked, “Don’t you ever have good news anymore?”

Chapter 4

11:00 – 2006.12.04

UNLV Earth Sciences Building: Laboratories

Nick stormed through the corridors of the UNLV Earth Sciences Building like a man on a mission. He had a cellphone up to his ear as he walked and proceeded to carry on an exceptionally animated conversation with the person on the other end of the line.

“Look, I don’t give a crap about university politics, the color of the sun or how much quartz surrounds the average gold mine, and at this point I don’t care if I ever find this gnarled up old professor, but if one more person sends me on a wild goose chase today, I’m gonna lose it, Sara!” He threw his arm in the air as he spoke, even though Sara would not be able to see the gesture. “No, I understand that we can’t get anywhere on this case without this clown, but I am past the point of carin’… I’m tired, I’m frustrated and dangit I just want a straight answer outta someone ‘round here!”

He stopped in his tracks and hung his head as he waited for his partner to finish talking. “Yeah, I know, and I should have let you come over here, but I figured it wouldn’t take me but a few minutes… Okay, but you don’t gotta gloat… You’re already home, aren’t you?” Nick shook his head and swore silently in the empty hallway. “Awright, I’ll try one more time to find this guy and then I’m calling it a day… Yeah, best smile and all… Thanks… Did you have any luck with that stuff?... Great!... Looks like we’re battin’ a thousand on this POS case… Yeah, will do… See ya tonight.”

Closing up his phone, Nick looked up to the ceiling with his eyes closed, took in a deep breath of air and let it out slowly as he tried to calm himself before going to the tenth place he had been sent that morning. However, despite his efforts, he still felt frustrated from his experience on the college campus. Some of that frustration was showing in his body language as he pushed through the doors to the lab he had been directed to by the last person he had found.

He looked around the room, hoping to catch sight of someone who could point him in the right direction for the professor in charge of the research site. But, the only person he found was a young woman in the back corner of the room. As he rounded a series of counters, he could see her more clearly, and that was when he noticed that she was sitting on one of those electric scooters for the handicapped. Clearing his throat as he approached the woman, he continued to walk towards her and when she looked up from her work he spoke. “Hey… I’m Nick Stokes-…”

“I’m right in the middle of something…” She interrupted him and then returned her attention to the laptop at her side. “All the classes are full for next semester, and we don’t have a ‘rocks for jocks’ class in the curriculum. Try the Life Sciences Building.”

Nick could not help but feel like he was being dismissed without a second glance. And he was also a little ticked that she had pegged him as a jock. “I think you have me confused with someone else. I’m with the-…”

“Not really interested… I’ve got things to do, so if you don’t min-…”

“I do mind… Quite a bit, actually. So, if you can spare me about thirty seconds of your supposedly precious time, I need to find the head of the geology department and someone downstairs said I could find him up here.” Nick had finally reached his breaking point and decided to unleash his ire on this incredibly rude woman.

She looked up from her work once more, took her glasses off and let them hang from the beaded cord that draped around her neck. She fixed him with an icy gaze and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

“A Dr. R.J.,” Nick gave a pained and stilted pronunciation of the last name in his notes, “Dis-my-sox?”

The woman shook her head in disgust and Nick thought he saw a white line that trailed along her jaw, but her loosely hung, raven hair obscured most of his view. “How many times have you said that name like that?”

Her question shook him out of his anger for a moment, and he wondered why she would have chosen that as the question to ask him. “I don’t know… Feels like I’ve been shuffled around by about fifty differnt people this mornin’ tryin’ to find this guy.”

“Next time, try learning how to say someone’s name before you go about butchering the shit out of it.” Her candor had him reeling a little. Even after working with Catherine for years, he was still thrown whenever he heard a woman use obscenities. When she put her glasses back on and began to type something into the laptop, he thought for sure he heard her mumble, “What a jackass.”

“Look, however you say the name, I need to talk to this guy, even if I have to get a subpoena to make the guy come out from whatever rock he’s crawled under.” When she looked back at him from over the top of her glasses, he actually felt a little chill running down his spine. Her glare was practically spitting nails at him, but he was not about to back down. “I’m with the Las Vegas Crime Lab, and I have official business to conduct with the professor.”

“Day-may-zo.”

He had no idea what she had said and had to ask what she meant by it, “What?”

“You’re supposed to pronounce it ‘Day-may-zo.’” She sat back in her seat and crossed her left arm over her middle to catch the right one, which was lying on her lap. “What did you need?”

“I have to talk to the doctor about something that happened out at his research site recently.” When the woman began to give him another look of disgust and shook her head, he fought to understand what he had said that she seemed to find so offensive.

Before Nick could challenge her physical response to his question, there was a voice calling out from behind him. “Hey, Doc!”

Nick did a double take between the young man speaking behind him and the woman seated before him. “I got the rest of that footage from the canyon cams downloaded to disk for that detective guy. I also got a hold of the ranger station, and Byron and Danny said they’d be sure to do a daily quick check of the cabin until we can go back out there.”

Horrifying realization spread over Nick’s panicked face, as he finally understood why the woman was being so hostile towards him; she was the doctor.

“Oh yeah! Before I forget, Sandi FINALLY got that bastard at NOAA to give up those satellite images of the Mohave. She said she’d have ‘em for you when she gets done with your one o’clock lecture period.” The young man nearly walked right into Nick and then looked up to find him standing there. “Dude! Sorry, I didn’t see you there, man.”

Nick just nodded and the man walked around him to hand the professor a disk case and some folders before moving through the other doors and into another room.

Nick slammed his eyes shut and tried to push out the anger as his embarrassment welled up to the surface. He struggled to come up with something clever to say, but it just was not there, so he went with a little old fashioned groveling. “Look, I am really sorry… It’s late and I’ve been shuffled all over the place for the last hou-…”

“I’m not interested in your excuses, Mr. Stokes.” She once again returned her attention to the computer screen. “I have work to do, so if you don’t mind?”

Nick’s embarrassment was quickly replaced with anger at the woman’s dismissal of him and his questions. “Look, Miss… I’m investigating a homicide here, and I think that you can spare a few minutes over a man’s life.” She looked up from her computer once again, but Nick did not give her the chance to rebuke him once more. “I have some soil samples from the victim that need to be identified and I was told you and your people are the only ones who can do that… I also have some problems with the time of death and was informed your research might help us get that information as well. So, if I can get you to take a look at these, the people of Las Vegas would appreciate your time.”

“I’m curious…” He watched as she set her jaw and he could once again make out that faint line over her face. “You come in here, butcher the shit out of my name, assume that because I run the project I must be a man, rudely interrupt a delicate experiment, and then take up my valuable time, with which I am trying to save millions of lives, and then you have the fucking nerve to be indignant with ME?! You son of a bitch! Who the fuck do you think you are?!”

The young man who had exited the room suddenly poked his head back in and asked, “Ah, is everything okay in here?”

Nick instantly felt like an amazing ass, but before he could do anything the doctor threw the disk case across the table with her left hand and spoke again. “No, it’s not… Would you like to escort this asshole out of my lab? NOW!”

The man quickly moved to show Nick out the door and looked something like a scared rabbit for a second.

Once they were out in the corridor and out of the line of sight for the doctor he spoke, “Hey, dude… Don’t sweat it. You just caught her on a bad day, man.” He handed Nick the disk case he had grabbed off the table top and then explained, “Here’s the video your detectives asked for, and if you need us to look over anything, just leave it with me, dude.”

The man seemed to be genuinely concerned with what had happened in there and Nick felt comfortable asking him what he did not understand. “So, is that typical behavior, or do I just bring it out in her?”

The younger man laughed out loud with his question and then answered, “Nah, dude… There’s a reason Doc works with rocks… It’s ‘cause they don’t care how much she yells and cusses at ‘em. And the rest of us are just used to it.” He gestured at the folder Nick had tucked under his arm. “Wha’cha got there, man?”

“Oh!” he pulled the folder out and said, “We found a bunch of soil samples on the victim and we were hopin’ you guys could help us out on identifyin’ them.”

He took the folder and then held out his hand to shake Nick’s, “I’m Boone, by the way. I run the field unit for the Doc and I’m the resident climatologist for the team.”

“Nick Stokes, Crime Lab.” Nick returned the gesture and they shook hands. “Hey, we’re havin’ trouble determinin’ the time of death and our coroner thinks that you guys can help out with that, too.”

The man screwed up his mouth to one side and said, “Well, that would be Doc’s area, since I don’t even think Sandi could pull that one off. But let me see what I can do.” He flipped through the pages as though he was searching for something. “You got a card in here so we can reach you after she cools down?”

Nick started patting himself down to look for one of his cards when he finally remembered that he had a few in his wallet. He pulled out the wallet and thanked the young man, “Hey, thanks, man… I appreciate it, really.”

From the lab they could hear the woman hollering about something and Nick shook the guy’s hand once more. “Good luck with that… And sorry for kickin’ up the tempest for ya.”

Boone only shook his head and turned back to the lab saying, “If it wasn’t you, it would’ve been somebody else… At least this was a new variable.”

Chapter 5

20:00 – 2006.12.04

C.S.I. Lab: Processing Room

“Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrgggghhhhhh,” Nick’s exclamation was only matched in a display of frustration by his posture, with his fists planted into the counter and his shoulders hunched over.

“No wonder this got pulled to nights,” Sara said as she flopped the folder she had been looking through onto the counter top beside Nick. “Did they do even one thing right out there?” She shook her head in disgust at the mess they had been entrusted to clean up and said, “We’ve got no choice… We have to go back out there and hope we get lucky.”

Though it would have seemed impossible, Nick’s shoulders slumped even more. “I hate it when you’re right.”

Sara nudged him with her elbow and teased, “C’mon… It can’t be that bad.”

Nick rolled his eyes at her comment and then set his jaw when he answered her challenge. “Trust me… It can.”

Her face became a question when she sat down on the stool with her arms crossed over her chest and asked, “You mean there is someone else on this planet immune to your charms?”

When he grabbed at the bridge of his nose, in a gesture she knew marked his frustration, she reached for another folder and flipped to a specific page. “So, I take it this Dr. Desmaiseaux is not a pleasant person?” The name practically sang when Sara said it.

Nick looked up at her with surprise and asked, “How’d you do that?”

She was taken aback by his question and had to ask for clarification. “Do what?”

“You said her name perfectly. How’d you know how it was pronounced?” Nick was impressed that Sara understood the complicated name so easily.

“Four years of French in college for the elective language credits… I’d already taken Latin in high school.” Nick laughed at her answer, because he could not think of another person who would have chosen Latin over French for their language requirements in high school, and then turned around and taken it as an elective in college. “And besides, I think there was an obscure French writer with that name… I’m pretty sure Grissom has some of his works at home.”

Except Grissom, of course, he thought with a smirk.

Before either of them could continue the discussion Judy poked her head in the doorway. “Do you think you guys could start picking up your messages when you come in the door, please? I am not a messenger service, ya know.” The diminutive woman was attempting to chastise them for their error, but Nick always had a hard time taking anything Judy said seriously. Hard to be afraid of a pixie, he thought.

Sara reached out and took the two stacks of messages from the woman and apologized, “Sorry, Judy… We were just trying to get a jump on our case… Must have slipped our minds.”

The look Judy gave her showed that she was not buying the excuse, not one bit. However, her annoyed expression still looked a little too cute to be effective and she simply left the room before Sara’s smirk turned into a laugh.

“Am I the only who finds it hard to keep a straight face when the ‘Lolipop Guild’ is trying to stare you down?” Sara’s question was the first bright spot of his day and he could not contain the laugh that sprang forth.

Nick chuckled at her attempt at humor, but he was too far down inside his own head to really enjoy her joke.

With another devilish smirk on her face, she looked down at the report and asked Nick about the latest gossip in the lab. “So, have you talked to Greg about his big trick roll case yet?”

Nick shook his head and said, “Nah… He tried ramblin’ on about somethin’, but I wasn’t really payin’ attention.”

“Haven’t you noticed how quiet it is over in Trace?” Sara was determined to get him out of his funk.

“Yeah, didn’t Hodges just have a vacation? How can he be out again?” Nick looked up and noticed Sara’s sideways grin. “Wait a sec… Are you tryin’ to tell me…” He looked around to see who might have been listening and then leaned in to whisper in a conspiratorial manner, “Hodges was the trick roll?”

Sara nodded and gave him a raised eyebrow. “Cuffed, jellied and all.”

Nick dropped onto one of the stools and cut loose with a hearty fit of laughter before he leaned back and let out a big sigh. “Thanks, Sar… I needed that.”

Sara tried to appear nonchalant by flipping through her messages when she asked, “So, are you ready to talk about what’s eating you yet?”

He dropped his chin at her mention of his recent unease, but he really was not ready to go into it, so he tried to deflect her attention. “Right now? I’m still a little ticked off about this mornin’.”

Her face returned to its questioning appearance and she asked, “What? You mean getting the run around at the-” She stopped mid-question when she came across a message from the assistant lead from the research site about her request to visit the site. “Well, looks like we gotta get the Doc’s permission to head back to the crime scene.”

Nick looked up with dismay and said, “You’re kidding right?”

Sara knotted her brow and asked, “No… Why is that a problem?”

He winced and explained, “Well, let’s just say that things did not end well over at UNLV this mornin’.” Her scowl told him that he had better elaborate. “I sorta screwed up.”

She slammed her eyes shut before she looked for a better answer. “Screwed up how?”

“Well, first off… She’s not a gnarled up old man… Though after our interaction, I’m still holding to the gnarled up description.” He tried to find a good way to spin it to his side of things, but even he knew that he was in the wrong on that one. “And she’s got a mouth like a trucker.”

“Sometimes… It’s the only appropriate way to speak to some people.” She put her hand on her hip to emphasize her next question. “So, besides insulting her by automatically thinking she was a man and obviously butchering her name, what else did you do?”

He winced as he said, “I might’ve said somethin’ about getting a subpoena to make her talk to us, and maybe I got a little hot under the collar and said somethin’ about this bein’ about a man’s life and she should have some respect…or somethin’.”

Sara’s hands went to her face and drug them down over her cheeks as she said, “Damnit, Nick!”

“Look, I know I screwed up… I already said that, but-”

“But nothing!” Her arms were thrown out in a gesture of extreme irritation that Nick instantly recognized. “Do you have any ide-” She was interrupted by her pager going off, she looked down at the message, and then shut her eyes against the information contained there.

“What?” Nick’s voice betrayed his worry.

“Well, here’s your chance to fix this mess.” She threw the pager at him, gathered up their notes on the case so far, and started for the door.

Nick looked down at the screen and his whole body cringed when he read the message:

Rock Doc is here… & U Btr HURRY B4 she jets!

Nick swore to himself and ran out of the room to catch up with Sara at the door to the stairs. There was no time for him to come up with anything eloquent to say to Dr. Desmaiseaux, so once again his only option was groveling.

As they raced down the steps, he hoped to be able to muster the nerve he needed to get through his next encounter with the bristly geologist. But that hope was short lived when they reached the doors to the Autopsy Room and he felt his stomach turn to lead at the look his arrival had elicited from the woman. Her expression made it painfully obvious to him that she was still fuming from their previous meeting.

Fortunately for him, he had Sara and Stephanie to act as buffers this time around. At least, that was what he hoped would happen. When Sara started talking, he breathed a little sigh of relief.

“Dr. Desmaiseaux?” The woman gave a slight nod and Sara continued, “I’m really sorry, but I wasn’t aware you were stopping by.”

“Well, it wasn’t really my intention, but I was flipping through your lab report and something caught my attention.” With her left hand, she opened the folder and turned to the page she was referring to and then continued, “The plant matter found in the man’s clothing was unusual.”

Sara moved closer to examine the page she had turned to and said, “Yeah, we’re thinking that the body may have been dumped at your sight an-”

“Not likely, since the site is so remote… No, it’s more likely that it washed into the ravine from somewhere else.” She bent over stiffly, retrieved the leather briefcase from the scooter basket, placed it on the table and struggled to remove another folder from it with her left hand. When she brought her right hand up to the steady the folder pouch as she dug into it, they could not help but notice its mangled appearance. “If you’d have found that stuff in his shoes, I’d get it, but stuck in his clothes would be highly improbable.”

She handed Sara a vegetation report for the Lost Gringo Mountain Recreation Area and upon skimming through it, she realized the woman was right. The pollen pods they had found were from a variety of tree that carried the pods at the tops of its height, as they were what made up the canopy of a pinion forest.

“Are you suggesting this guy came through the canopy?” Sara asked processing the information.

The doctor shrugged with her left shoulder and asked, “Well, they did find him with a harness… Which is what didn’t make sense in your report…” She pointed to the inventory list of personal effects and asked, “My field supervisor told me the guy had on a ripped jumpsuit and a pretty serious harness rigging, but there’s no mention of it here.”

Sara’s shock must have been obvious to everyone in the room because Stephanie felt compelled to ask her about it. “What is it, Sara?”

“What harness? There’s nothing in the report about a harness.” She started flipping through their notes and Nick tried scanning through his mind about the case. They both came up empty in regards to a harness on the body. “Was there a harness when he got here?”

Stephanie picked up her own report and skimmed over the inventory of items that had been removed from the corpse. When she found nothing, she went to her office and started looking through a binder on the file cabinet. The next thing they heard was her own brand of exclamation with the slamming of the binder. “Son of a motherless sheep!”

When the coroner re-entered the room, the scowl on her face was enough of an indication that her humor had turned off, but when she picked up the phone it was confirmed in her voice. “Judy?... Would you please get that worthless excuse for a human being, Talbot, back here ASAP. And then get Doc Robbins on the horn for me, please?”

Sara watched her with apprehension as Stephanie grabbed at the back of her neck and stretched her chin up in the air in an attempt to ease the tension that had obviously landed there. “Problem?”

“Yeah, bonehead Talbot cut the thing off and dumped it in the waste bin for incineration. Didn’t want the decomp smell in the room.” Stephanie’s head shook with her frustration, “Luckily, Ricky noted it in the inventory register.”

The doctor seemed somewhat amused and hazarded a comment about the situation. “Do things always run this smoothly around here?”

Stephanie’s half-hearted smile was almost feral when she said, “Only on the weekends… For now.” Her last remark was dripping with the threat of danger. And since she had become, by default of attrition, the second most senior coroner in the morgue, that danger was very real.

Sara took that as her opening for their request and she jumped in head first. “So, as you can see… We are dealing with a serious learning curve because of the previous team’s deficiencies. And we were really hoping to be able to get back out to the scene to try and salvage this case.”

“And you already heard from my assistant that the sight was closed and you’d need my express permission to go out there, right?” The woman was quick and to the point.

“Yeah, and look I know that this is a huge imposition for your team, but we really need to get this one closed. So any help you could provid-”

“No need to beg… My assistant and I are planning a trip out there for Wednesday morning to repair some of the equipment that was damaged in that last storm, and to fix the mess left by your people.” She added her last comment with a dark look that she fixed on Nick.

Nick had purposely remained silent through the entire exchange, in an attempt to keep from getting on the woman’s bad side any further. However, with her pointed look in his direction, he knew that had failed completely and it was time to come clean. “We’d be happy to assist in any way we coul-”

“Highly doubtful, but you are both welcome to ride out there with us to get what you need.” She withdrew a card from her jacket pocket and handed it to Sara with her left hand. “Be there no later than seven AM, and dress appropriately. It’s rough terrain and we’ll be out of range of most everything out there, especially cell service.” She returned the briefcase to the scooter’s basket and then had another thought, so she added, “And we don’t have the capacity to pack out invalids. That’s what the rangers are for.” Her gaze was squarely set on Nick as she spoke that last line and he felt the chill of her words.

He listened, with his head down, as the scooter whined out of the Autopsy Room.

Stephanie was the first one to speak, after she heard the familiar bell of the elevator doors closing, “Damn! I know it’s the morgue and all… But THAT was cold.”

“Right,” Nick had no snappy comeback for Stephanie’s analysis of the situation and chose to leave it at that.

Thankfully, Sara came to his rescue. “So, did she have any other insights into the case before we got here?”

Stephanie seemed to be shocked back into reality with a start and she immediately grabbed for her notebook. “Yeah, in fact she thought that your primary is probably about two hundred feet up from the base of the ravine, based on the plant matter we found in the vics wounds. And the soil samples seemed to confirm it as well.”

Sara took the notebook from Stephanie and looked over the notes the coroner had made. When she came to something of interest she handed it to Nick while pointing at the item. “What’s this about the mottling from the exposure?”

“Oh yeah.” Stephanie slapped her forehead in an all too familiar gesture. “She said that based on their data, there’s no way there would have been such a significant risk of exposure, based on the presentation on the body. It would have required substantially lower temperatures to have caused the mottling we saw on the extremities.”

“What data are they using?” Nick had finally recovered enough to participate in the conversation.

Stephanie handed him a printout showing temperature, barometer, dew point and wind direction and velocity readings from six different weather stations. “They have a bunch of weather stations set up in the area surrounding the site to gauge what really happens over the course of their research in terms of weather. And from their data, there weren’t any temperatures coming even a little close to being able to cause the kinds of exposure damage to the tissue on this body.”

Sara was looking over Nick’s shoulder to see the data in question. “So, what you found in the autopsy shows a more drastic form of exposure?”

“Yeah,” she reached over the table and removed a folder to hand to her before continuing. “I found indications of third degree frostbite along the extremities, and that there was enough time for thawing to begin before the TOD.”

They both looked through the coroner’s notes, but Nick was still a little confused. “How can you tell this guy had started to thaw?”

The coroner walked closer to the two CSIs and turned the pages of her report to a series of photographs detailing the area of frostbite. “You can see here that the swelling and hemorrhagic bullae had already begun to form in places.” Stephanie then turned to another page and said, “And then there’s the opacification of the corneas.”

Nick was shaking his head at that symptom and commented, “Yeah, but that happens when the body has been out there for so many da-”

“Completely different pathology… This is the kind of thing that happens during exposure to extreme temperatures while the heart is still pumping, and not the simple clouding that occurs post-mortem.” Stephanie was quick to shoot him down on his supposition.

“Well, the only thing this is accomplishing, is giving us something to work with once we have some kind of idea what the hell happened out there.” Sara grabbed up all the reports and turned back to thank the coroner. “Thanks for calling us down and this,” she held up the autopsy report, “but it looks like me and Nick have a lot of video and trace to wade through tonight.”

Sara and Nick were already walking out of the room when Stephanie called back to the pair. “Glad I could help.” They were about to push through the doors when she turned back and said, “Hey, do I need to bring anything Saturday night?”

“You’re still making the dessert right?” Sara turned back to face the woman with her question as Nick watched the exchange with interest.

“Yeah, Linds is coming by Friday to help me, and to stay out of trouble. But I’ve gotta work some Saturday, so I wanted to make sure Thomas knew what to have ready before he picks me up.”

When she spoke, Sara noticed that Stephanie seemed even more tired than she did up in the Break Room earlier, so she made a mental note to bring it up to her later. “Nah, I think we’ve got everything else under control, since we still have your serving platters from the last time.”

Stephanie laughed and said, “Yeah, and obviously I’ve really missed ‘em, since I hadn’t even thought about ‘em since I loaned them out.”

“Awright… I’ve got sisters and I know where this conversation is goin’, so I’m outta here.” Nick pushed through the door and left Sara and Stephanie laughing at his parting remark.

“I better follow him, see ya later.” Sara finally left the room and Stephanie took a seat on the stool by the table and got back to work.

She sat there for a few moments, until the silence became too much. “Okay enough with that nonsense.” She picked up the remote control beside her on the table and the room was suddenly filled with the sounds of Bizet’s Carmen. “Should’ve figured it out when I always liked the murder scene best.”

Chapter 6

16:00 – 2006.12.05

Grissom/Sidle Home

Sitting cross-legged on the couch, completely surrounded by printouts, brochures, flyers, pictures, folders and a couple of notepads, Sara Sidle tried to make her way through the wealth of information before her. She chewed on the end of a pencil for several minutes as her eyes scanned through the specifics of one location. When that one had been determined inadequate for their needs, she dumped it into the “no” pile within the trash can at the end of the couch, and moved on to the next location.

As her frustration level started to rise she let out a sharp breath before she called out to the room’s other inhabitant. “Gil?” She chose not to wait for a verbal acknowledgement and went on, “Are you sure we should be looking in Summerlin? I mean, it’s just so, so plain.”

Without taking his attention away from the computer screen, he casually called out his answer. “Well, the neighborhoods are safe and the houses have all the amenities we agreed on, so yes, we should.”

“Okay, but why aren’t we looking outside of town again?” She moved another location into the circular file.

“Because neither of us wanted to spend all of our time commuting into the city every day.” He shook his head at her question, but not because of the question itself, only that he had now answered that same question about six times already.

“So, why is it that I am over here doing this by myself again?” The slightly annoyed tone in her voice was crystal clear.

That got his attention and he chuckled as he stood up from the desk. “Because I was just getting my grant letter in order, so that I might give you my undivided attention.”

He crossed the room to the couch and found her looking up at him as he leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips. “And now that I am here, what would like me to look at?”

She pointed at the small pile of maybes at the end of the coffee table near his easy chair, “Those over there are the maybes.”

Gil maneuvered around the land mines of piles spread around her to take his seat in the recliner after grabbing up the maybe pile. As he sat back, he noticed a pile sitting under her shoe. “What are those?”

She leaned over the edge of the couch to follow where he was pointing on the floor and noticed the pile of rejects she had placed under her shoes. When she answered her shoulders shrugged, “Those are the asshole realtors I wouldn’t buy something from if my life depended on it.”

He smirked at her response, but felt a need to remind her of the use of foul language. “Was that really necessary?”

“Yes, it was… If you’d talked to them, you’d understand.” She dropped another packet into the “no” pile before adding, “And if you so much as breathe on anything from the Rockford Agency, I’ll be looking for an apartment, alone.”

He was shocked by her comment and felt compelled to ask, “And this would be for…”

“For telling me not to worry my pretty little head about the asking price and that he would only talk figures with my husband just before he tried to grab my ass in his office.”

“Excuse me?!” That time it was Gil’s tone that was unmistakable; he was beyond angry.

Sara, however, was still dealing with her own anger over the incident. “If I so much as get wind that he’s involved in a property we look at, I’m gonna be out of there so fast…”

“Sara, when did this happen?” he spoke through a clenched jaw.

His voice finally pierced through her own rage and she realized that he was quickly turning red. “It was this morning, and I’ve already dealt with it, so don’t get all worked up.”

“How did you- What did you-” He was struggling to work through his rage and his words would not come out easily. “Who wa-”

He was stopped from saying anything else when he felt her hand underneath his chin as she lifted his gaze up. “I took care of it, and I’m fine.”

He was still angry, but the reassurance he found in her eyes helped him to push it aside, for now.

He sat back in the chair and she moved his arm out of the way to take a seat in his lap. “Is this protective thing going to get better or worse when we aren’t working together anymore?”

With that simple question, his anger was immediately turned into embarrassment and he dropped his chin to his chest, “Sorry.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his to ask, “Should we talk about this now?”

“I suppose we’ve put it off long enough,” he said as he released the breath he had been holding since being caught. “Unfortunately, I am always going to worry about you.”

She smiled and held him a little closer. “And that’s what makes you great… I just don’t want it to get so bad that it creates problems for us.”

“Tell you what… If you can promise me to always be careful and not take unnecessary risks, then I will do my level best not to be an overprotective Neanderthal… Deal?” He could feel the smile that spread over her face as she pressed her cheek into his and held him just a little bit tighter.

“I think I can live with those terms… But only if you promise me not to get so caught up in your experiments that you forget I am living in the same house with you.”

With that, the battle of the promises was on. “Agreed, but you have to promise that the days of the triple shift are over.”

“Okay, but you can’t take off on a moment’s notice to consult on some bug case without talking to me first.”

“Fine, but that means you will be running out of vacation time before the end of each year in order to travel with me from time to time.”

“Sounds good to me, but you have to swear that we take at least one real vacation a year; no cases, lectures, experiments or consults involved.”

That one concerned him a little and he raised his eyebrow to show his concern. “Does that inclu-”

“No, we can still see bugs, just so long as they aren’t on a corpse.” Once again, they were thinking on the same wavelength, and he smiled. She took that as the sign that their discussion was over and kissed him on the lips to seal the deal. “All done?”

“With the big stuff,” he commented.

His answer did not bring her any comfort and she fixed him with a questioning glare, but his attention seemed to be far off. “Gil? What is it?”

He took in a deep breath and decided that there would probably never be the perfect time to bring up the topic, so he made his choice and forged ahead. “There is one thing we still haven’t finished clearing up.”

She looked closely at him, trying to figure out what he was referring to, and when she was unable to come up with an answer she asked, “And that would be?”

“Children.” For such a simple word, its utterance caused all of the air in the room to stop moving in an instant. Her silence told him what he already knew, that she had not thought anymore about the topic since the conversation they had after Stephanie had first brought it up to them. “We still haven’t resolved that one.”

She fought against the shock and the nervousness to find her voice again, but it was not an easy feat. Eventually, she was able to swallow back the lump that was closing off her throat and managed to squeak out, “I guess not.”

He watched as she began to wring her hands and it made his heart sink that he had caused her pain again. Gil wrapped his arms around Sara and pulled her closer to him. “Sara, I’m not just making these changes for me… I’m doing this for us and for our future.”

She heaved a deep sigh and said, “I know, and believe me when I tell you how much it’s meant to me. It’s jus-” Her voice failed her again, and his heart clenched at the sound of the sob she struggled to keep inside.

“I’ll drop this, for now… I just need you to promise me one thing.”

She nuzzled down into the crook of neck and whispered, “What’s that?”

He leaned his head against hers and asked, “That you’ll start thinking about it, and we’ll talk about it again soon?”

As she rested against his chest, he could feel her tension ease a bit and then she simply said, “Yeah, that’s fair enough.” And his own tension began to melt away with her agreement.

They sat that way for several minutes, until an urgent message from Gil’s stomach reverberated throughout the room. “Well, I guess we better figure out something to eat, huh?”

His face warmed with his embarrassment as she slid off of his lap and stood up. “Yeah, so I’ll get started on the food…” He looked around the room at the mess and asked, “What should we do with all of this?”

She blew out a full breath of air and then turned to help him out of the chair, “I’ll get this cleaned up, and sort through it all later…”

He came to his feet and then wrapped his arms around her. “Are you sure you don’t want some help?”

Draping her arms around his neck, she smiled and said, “I’ve been thinking… Maybe we’re doing too much all at once. I mean, what with the new job, my shift change, the holidays, your mother, the wedding and dealing with the team this weekend.” She leaned her forehead into his cheek and continued, “I just think we’d be moving beyond the overachiever range and into insanity mode if we try to find a house during all this.”

Gil craned his head back to get a good look at her face and then he smiled at her expression. “As seems to be a trend lately, you’re probably right.” He was rewarded with the sparkle in her eyes and the crooked smirk on her lips. “Besides, once I get back from D.C. next month, I’ll have a lot more time to devote for a proper search.” He fixed her with a salacious tilt of his eyebrow when he made his next comment, “Among other things.”

Her lips pursed, as she tried to suppress the full out smile that was threatening to emerge. “For some reason, that thought both excites me and scares me to no end.”

Gil was having a hard time understanding her comment and his face showed his confusion when he asked, “How is my searching for our house excit-… Oh…” The reason finally made it through his thought process and he blushed at her suggestion.

Deciding that their current line of conversation would likely lead to them being late for work and very hungry, he chose to change the subject quickly. “So, food?”

She inhaled sharply, sensing his decision to calm things down, she kissed him on the cheek and turned out of his arms with her request, “Sounds good… Something light though. I’ve still gotta make it into that dress in a few weeks.”

He gave her a disapproving glare and said, “Sara, I seriously doubt that will ever be an issue for you.”

She smirked at his assessment of her dietary habits as she started cleaning up the all the real estate information. Sara was actually relieved to have been able to shelf the house hunting for the time being, and not just because of the idiot she had dealt with that morning. There were just so many changes coming about in their lives, and she was fairly certain the stress and strain of finding, buying and then moving into a new house was a recipe for disaster by adding it to everything else.

As she was shoveling the last of the brochures into a banker’s box she had a question on her mind. She called back into the kitchen, “Hey, Steph wanted to know if we needed anything for Saturday night.”

“We still have her serving dishes, so I can’t think of anything.”

Slapping the lid down on the box, Sara stood up to admire her work and gave a crooked smile. However, the smile was short lived when her mind moved ahead to Saturday night. “So, how do you think everyone will take the news?”

She watched as he blew out a heavy breath in response to her question, and she had worked her way towards to kitchen when he finally spoke. “Well, Catherine already knows about the whole business with Ecklie.”

Sara sat down on the stool closest to him and pressed her eyebrows together when she asked, “And how did that go over?”

He shrugged as he turned to toss a few egg shells into the trash. “Better than expected… But I suspect the full impact hasn’t hit her yet.”

“Do you really think Burdick and the Mayor will take your recommendation?”

“They really don’t have a choice with my supposed leave of absence happening at the same time.” His hands were vigorously beating the eggs in the bowl as they continued their conversation.

“Did any of them question your decision to take so much time off?” She was chewing on her lip with her nervousness.

“Ecklie has been rather determined to interrogate me on the matter, but I’ve managed to slip through all of his traps.” He had a devilish sneer on his face with his admission, and Sara had to admit that it was also a very sexy look for him.

“Well, my requests have been accepted, too…” She swatted him on the backside playfully, “Thanks to my terribly understanding supervisor.”

He gave her a crooked smirk and then asked, “So, did you have any trouble with the new day shift guy?”

“Not at all.” She reached onto the cutting board he had brought out and stole one of the mushrooms when he had his back turned. “Seems like a real decent guy and he agreed to keep it quiet until the transfer is complete.” When she popped the mushroom into her mouth, he gave her a sideways glance and shook his head. “He also said that he already has someone wanting to move to nights, so it came at just the right time. And he has a new person starting the first, so he won’t be short-handed while we’re gone either.”

“Do you ever feel like timing is on our side…for a change?” Sara laughed out loud at his question and he managed a quick chuckle as he worked at chopping up the veggies for their omelets before she had stolen them all to eat.

“We’ll see how we feel about that when you go out to D.C. for a couple weeks without me.” She had meant it as a joke, but when she saw him drop the knife to the cutting board and his shoulders drooped, she knew it was weighing heavily on his thoughts.

She stood up from the stool and moved closer to him. Standing directly behind him, she wrapped her arms around his midsection and rested her chin atop his shoulder. “Sorry.”

He patted her clasped hands where they rested over his shrinking belly and then leaned his head to hers as he spoke, “I suppose I’ve been trying to forget about that aspect of our new life.”

She took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly before she said, “Hey, we’ve gotten bigger things sorted out already… This is just one more puzzle for us to figure out…together.”

He smiled so broadly that she could feel it as they stood there together in the kitchen, and they both knew that everything would be just fine.

Chapter 7

06:55 – 2006.12.06

UNLV Earth Science Building: Parking Lot

Nick had intended on getting there earlier, but both he and Sara had gotten stuck in a little impromptu safety meeting courtesy of their favorite assistant director, Conrad Ecklie. The man really did have the worst possible timing.

The whole ride over to the campus, Nick had pushed the bounds of safe driving, and even managed to garner a few choice words from Sara about his future inability to give her any grief about her driving. It was nearly seven in the morning, and Nick was doing his level best to be onsite and out of the car by the prescribed time, even if it killed him.

They practically screeched into the parking lot at exactly five minutes before the hour and he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. However, upon seeing the Doc sitting in the passenger seat of a UNLV pickup, glancing at her watch impatiently, the burden had quickly been dropped back down squarely onto his shoulders once again.

As Sara stepped out onto the asphalt to speak with the Doc and her assistant, Nick tried to distract himself by taking a look at the trailer hooked up to the university truck. There were three, dusty and well used, red ATV’s strapped down to the equally dirty flatbed trailer. He also noted there were several metal cases tied down in the space where a fourth ATV would have rested.

He watched as Sara began a rather animated conversation with the Doc’s assistant. Eventually, his curiosity got the better of him and he stepped out of the vehicle to join them and to take his lashes for his earlier behavior.

Sara turned to see his approach and gestured for the assistant to turn as well before she said, “Hey, Nick… Did you know Sandi was the Doc’s research assistant?”

Nick tried to search his mind for the woman’s face and name, but he was coming up short of an answer when the woman removed her large floppy hat to reveal a head full of very long, reddish orange hair and said, “Does that help?”

That was when it dawned on him. “Super Dave’s fiancé?!”

She shook her head at Sara and just laughed, “Why is it no one recognizes me without the hair?”

The voice from inside the truck answered for her, “Because it’s hard to see anything else.”

Sandi shrugged, realizing that it was a rather obvious physical trait. “Anyway, I was just explaining to Sara about those boneheads you guys had come out to the site when we found the body. I felt like I was watching the Keystone Cops, or something.”

Nick switched straight into investigator mode. “So, you found the body?”

She pulled her hair back up into the hat and put it back on her head before answering, “Ah, no… That was Boone. I was still at the cabin getting the data readings ready to cart back to the lab when he radioed in about the body.”

“But, you were there when the crime scene crew showed up?” Nick started taking down some notes on his pad.

“Well-”

She was cut off by the obviously irritated voice of the professor. “Do you think we could do the interrogation after we get to the site? It’s already getting late.”

Nick sucked it up and prepared to make his apologies. “I’m sorry, Dr. D-”

“Whatever… Sandi, we need to get that meter fixed and we need to get back here before my meeting, so let’s go.” Sandi grimaced when she turned to the CSIs as she tried to play off the professor’s rudeness.

Nick walked away, clenching his jaw and desperately tried to hold his tongue as Sara and Sandi made apologies for their respective traveling companions. When Sara reached their truck, Nick was already inside and turning red with his anger.

“We’re gonna follow them out, so stick close.” He nodded, and she could not help but add, “We can’t afford to lose ‘em, ‘cause I’m not sure they’d wait for us.”

He put the car into gear and followed closely behind the university vehicle, but he was unable to keep his tongue any longer. “I can’t believe that woman… I mean, really… Was what I did so bad? Really?”

Sara was not going to answer him, thinking it was a rhetorical question, but when she found him staring at her, she figured she had been wrong. “Well, let’s review… You were pissed off after getting the run around, and we both know how charming you can be when that happens.” Nick grimaced at her assessment, but motioned for her to continue.

“And of course there was the whole name butchering incident, followed immediately by the sexist assumption she was a man.”

Nick had to stop her there, “I am not a sexist!”

“All evidence to the contrary.” Sara had meant it offhandedly, but she also knew there was a little truth in that statement. Nick had very specific ideas about the female of the species, even if he did try his best not to show it, most of the time.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Nick looked genuinely shocked at her remark.

“You want a list?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Fine.” Sara set her jaw and got started, “The hooker, the pyro, the whistle, the nurse-”

He stopped her before she went any further, “Wait, wait… What about the nurse? And which one?”

Sighing, Sara rolled her eyes and answered, “Does it really matter? You treat beautiful women one way and all the rest differently. You have a different way of acting towards me, that you would never do with Warrick. You see Catherine as subordinate to Grissom, even though they are BOTH your supervisors.” Nick was having a real tough time stomaching her assessment of his personality. “Face it, Nick… It may not go all the way to discriminatory, but you ARE a sexist.”

Searching for a response to her statement, he was at a complete loss for words, because he was totally unable to deny any of her declarations. The only thing that his mind could register was that he probably owed her an apology. “Sara, I’m s-”

She held up her hand to stop him, “There’s no need to apologize. It’s just who you are. It’s just that other people may not be able to see past it the way I do.”

That confused him, so he asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re not a pig… It’s just that you have your mind on a certain bent; that women should be different than men. I don’t know, maybe it’s just a Texas thing, but you aren’t doing it out of some macho power trip. You just seem to have some warped view of what women are, I guess. I know you mean well, but sometimes it can piss me off. But when it’s all said and done, I know your heart’s in the right place, and I can look past the stuff that bugs me because we’re friends.”

“And if we weren’t friends?” He was not sure he wanted to know the answer, but he had to ask.

“Then…” She fixed him with one of those dangerous looks and said, “I’d probably have left your butt back in that lot and road out with them alone.”

Nick smiled uneasily and kept right on driving, but his friend’s words weighed heavy on his mind for the rest of the trip.

Chapter 8

08:00 – 2006.12.06

Lost Gringo Mtn. State Rec. Area: UNLV/EPA Desert Erosion Research Site

When Nick watched the university truck pull off onto a large clearing at the side of the park service road his whole body stiffened. He was about to have to deal with the professor face to face once more, and he just knew it was not going to be good.

Sara immediately jumped from his truck and went to where the professor’s assistant was standing at the back of the trailer. They were obviously hitting it off well, and he assumed it had something to do with her friendship with David. Nick had always been fond of the coroner’s assistant, but they had never really struck up any kind of real friendship. As he watched the two women laughing and unstrapping equipment, he tried to prepare himself for a morning with the professor.

Opening the door to his truck, he carefully slid out onto the hard scrabble ground below and kicked up a little dust in the process. He ambled over to the trailer and laid a hand on the upright ramp at the back of the trailer.

He was about to ask what he could do when the professor limped around the side of the other truck. “Careful leaning on that ramp… The catch isn’t always tight.”

Nick immediately took his hand off of the ramp and stared at it like he had been snake bit, but the professor seemed to pay him little mind. He took one more steeling breath before asking, “So, what can I do to help?”

The professor hollered, “Stand back,” as she dropped the lever that had been holding the ramps upright and they came crashing down onto the ground.

They all jumped away from the trailer in an instant, but before anyone else could say something Sandi took the initiative. “Christ, Doc! Would you quit that?!”

Nick had originally thought the trick was being played on him, but Sandi’s outburst and what he thought was a smile from the professor made him realize it must have been a running gag. She cast another look at Sandi and said with a careful grin on her face, “I guess the catch is working today.”

“Whatever… It wasn’t funny the first twenty times you did it, what makes you think it would get better with repetition?” Sandi hauled the large metal case off the front of the trailer and dropped it onto the ATV with the short-bed on the back.

“Watch it… That meter costs more than your hatchback.” The professor shot over her shoulder as she slowly made her way back to the front of the truck.

Nick took the time to more closely examine the ATV’s. All three were different, with one being the standard one person recreation vehicle he had used back home. The one Sandi was loading up with equipment looked like a scaled down, short-bed, four wheel drive pickup, but it still was only good for one person to ride. The third one, however, was rigged with an odd looking seat on the back end of it. It appeared to be air-cushioned with some kind of shock absorber along with an interesting harness. He deduced that it was probably for the professor, since he found it difficult to believe she could operate one of the ATVs with that bad leg of hers.

While he was sizing up their transportation for the day, he failed to notice that Sandi had come up behind him until she put a hand on his arm and said, “Hey, Nick… You want to unload the first two ATVs for me, please?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I can do that.”

Nick climbed up onto the trailer when Sandi had another thought, “Ah, you have used an ATV before, right?”

“Oh yeah… We got a bunch of ‘em out at my folks place.” Nick climbed onto the short-bed ATV and cranked it up.

The professor came back around the truck carrying a series of radios and looked up in time to find Nick sitting atop the short-bed carrying her precious piece of equipment and he could tell instantly that she worried about the logic of having him operate the vehicle. He smiled and revved the engine quickly to drown out any attempt she might have made to dissuade him from moving the ATV and then slowly backed it down the ramp onto the desert floor in one smooth motion, without so much as rocking the equipment strapped onto the bed. He parked it, and left it to sit there idling as he moved to next ATV.

As he jumped up onto the trailer again the professor asked, “So, you’ve used these before?” Nick only smiled as he kicked on the modified ATV and revved the engine to keep it going. The professor dropped her gaze and he could tell she was suppressing the desire to make a rude comment. He had to wonder, as she moved back to where Sara was standing, if she and Sandi had not also had an interesting discussion about behavior patterns on their way to the site.

Once all the ATV’s were ready to go, and all the equipment loaded up, Sandi handed out helmets to each person. As Nick was about to slip his helmet on the professor stopped him and said, “You might want to plug in your radio first.”

Nick looked down into the helmet and found that there was a headset inside the padding there. He looked around the side and found the jack for the radio unit and plugged it in as he examined the controls for the radio. Not seeing a talk button, he had to assume they were voice activated and then he found the microphone tucked up into the face shield of the helmet.

Having gotten everything on the short-bed adjusted for his comfort, Nick looked up and noticed Sara having a little trouble with her helmet. So, he walked over to her and asked if she needed any help. While he was readjusting the headset inside of her helmet he watched the professor getting up onto the modified ATV with only a little balancing help from Sandi.

He observed as she leaned back onto the ATV from the air-cushioned seat and pulled herself up into the seat using her left arm and hoisting herself into position by gripping what looked like a handbar welded to the side. It was an interesting maneuver, but it seemed to do the trick. During the whole thing, he noticed that Sandi did not balance the professor with her right arm, but instead keeping a hold on her side. When he saw her tuck the right arm into her overshirt and pull the shoulder harness strap over it he suddenly realized that there was something wrong with the arm.

Before it was over, Sandi had placed the professor’s right leg into an odd looking stirrup and tightened a webbed harness over her lap as well. He had to wonder why she would go through so much trouble just to go out to a field research site, since it obviously took a great deal of effort only to get her there. Out in the desert, with nothing around for miles, he also had to wonder about the sanity of having someone with so many physical limitations on the field research team at all. The whole thing just seemed far too dangerous for his comfort, but he was currently in no position to voice his concerns.

Sara noticed that his attention had been closely attuned to the professor’s actions and she nudged him with his elbow. “Didn’t your mother teach you not to stare?”

Nick whipped his focus back to Sara and said, “Huh?... Oh yeah, sorry... I was ju-… Nothin’.”

Sara smirked and then whispered, “Let me guess, you were wondering why she even bothers if it’s that much trouble?”

His face immediately betrayed his shock at having been caught, and a blush flagrantly passed over his cheeks. “I’ll give you a hint… Because guys like you think like that.”

Their exchange went no further when Sandi walked up to inspect the device attached to the back of Sara’s single person ATV. As she was checking to make sure it was securely fastened to the back Nick became curious as to why it looked like they had attached a road grater to the vehicle.

“Hey, Sandi… Are we plowing roads with that thing?”

His question was met with a condescending laugh from the professor. “Not hardly… Soil compaction is a huge factor in changing the face of the desert landscape. So, we do our best to keep the soil at existing compaction densities by only heading out single file and trailing the grate on the last vehicle. We also use two alternating routes to reach the site.”

“So, compacting the soil… From like trucks and stuff?” Nick was really trying to understand the work they were doing out there.

“Various land use practices that involve trampling or off-road vehicular use can cause soil compaction and results in decreased rates of water infiltration and increased soil erosion rates. We’re experimenting with this area for a recoverability practice, since it demonstrates a controlled zone in which there is little to no moisture present through the flats here. In some places, fifty years later, a single incursion of a vehicle continues to impact the area it has left, making it devoid of even lichen growth. This is just one way we’re trying to reverse the effects of improper land use.” The professor obviously knew her stuff, and Nick had to admit he was impressed with her dedication to not only studying the desert environment, but also working to correct damage already done.

“And I wish I could say that will be the end of the lesson today… But I’ve taken this trip with her too many times to even hope.” Sandi winked at Sara and Nick as she made her way back to her ATV and then called over her shoulder. “And just like the lady said; single file, Sara in the rear. We’ve got just over four miles to the site and I really don’t want to have to listen to Doc if she misses her meeting today, so let’s get going.”

They all mounted up and did a quick radio check before motoring off to the West of the roadside pulloff. The terrain was a little smoother than Nick had anticipated, but looking ahead he could tell that it was not likely to stay that way.

They had been going for a good twenty minutes when they started to approach an arroyo and he heard the radio crackle in his ear. It would appear that the lesson was just beginning.

“Those are dry stream beds, commonly called arroyos. They’re typically formed by the violent storms that flood the desert environment: sometimes sending thousands of liters of liquid through a single arroyo in a matter of minutes. Actually, more people die in the desert from drowning than from heat exposure or dehydration. Those flash floods are quite common out here because the water really has nowhere to go but out, and in a hurry.”

The next few minutes were quiet again, but then Nick noticed a strange sight off to their right. At first glance he thought it was some kind of NASA probe, but he decided it would be a good way to make points with the professor by noticing. “Is that some kind of reading station off to the right?”

His headset crackled again with her response, “Good catch… It’s actually one of the eleven climatology stations we operate onsite that feed data to the USGS. They work off solar power and transmit wind direction and speed, precipitation, humidity, air and soil temp, as well as barometric pressure via that antenna linked to the GOES-4. The USGS has these stations all over the country in an attempt to better catalogue U.S. climatology data. There are a few privately held stations as well… Run mostly by amateur climatologists and quite a few environmental activists. However, the USGS prefers to use their own station readings, in order to prevent any possible political bias in regards to the actual data reported. But so far, even the private data is sticking to the official record as well and telling a fairly compelling story.”

The scenery was all starting to blend together for Nick and he was having trouble following along any longer, so he was really glad when Sara decided to pipe up with a question of her own. “Hey, what’s the significance of the soil changes at the base of the watersheds, but not beyond that?”

Without fail, the professor had an answer for that as well when the radio popped off again. “It’s called an alluvial fan and they’re pretty common to the Mojave Desert and the California portions of the Sonoran Desert. They’re formed through geologic time where an arroyo or wash drains a mountain, depositing the detritus in a semicircle at the canyon's mouth. Much of it’s been washed down during torrential summer downpours. In the Southwest these detritus skirts or pediments are frequently called bajadas. The substrate is coarser, with larger rocks on the upper bajada and then the finer ones are found at the lower elevations.”

Nick was getting a forced crash course in desert geology, but he was beginning to find the information somewhat relevant to his work. He had been a surprised a few years back when he had found a woman in the desert; the victim of drowning. Nick and the detective had a tough time grasping the fact that anyone could die of drowning in the desert. At the time, Greg had given him a quick lesson in rainfall around the Vegas area. He racked through his brain trying to figure out what that term was that Greg had used, because he figured it would help him not sound so much like an idiot. “Hey, I had another case a while back and we were talking about something called the ‘mountain shadow effect.’ What exactly is that?”

“I think you’re referring to rain shadow deserts…” Nick was wrong, because he was yet again proven a fool. “Rain shadow deserts are formed because tall mountain ranges prevent moisture-rich clouds from the reaching areas on the lee, or protected side, of the range. As the air rises over the mountain, the water’s precipitated and the air loses its moisture content. A desert is formed in the leeside, or shadow, of the range. And yes, this area is the prime example of a rain shadow desert.”

It was Sara’s turn again when Nick heard her voice over the radio, “So, if there’s little or no precipitation in this area, what kind of erosion are you studying? Wind?”

“Well, while little rain does fall in the deserts, they do receive runoff from ephemeral, or short-lived, streams fed by rain and snow from adjacent highlands. These streams fill the channel with a slurry of mud and commonly transport considerable quantities of sediment for a day or two. That phenomenon is very similar to what happens with man-made erosion, and by studying the natural process of sedimentary erosion, we’re able to predict the patterns of man-made wastewater disposal erosion and then we can prevent much of the damage that’s been done to our country’s waterways and aquifers.”

Nick was finally starting to understand just why the professor’s work seemed so important. She was trying to preserve the environment in a real and effective manner, using the principles of erosion she was studying in a controlled, but natural setting. And the fact that someone had turned her site into a crime scene actually made his stomach turn.

For the rest of the ride to the site, Nick listened to the various snippets of conversation, but his mind was occupied with other things. And he had to wonder if Sara had picked up on his mood change, because she seemed to take over the question side of things at about the same time. Of course, she could just be interested in the professor’s work. She is just a science nerd after all.

Chapter 9

08:45 – 2006.12.06

Lost Gringo Mtn. State Rec. Area: UNLV/EPA Desert Erosion Research Site

After what was probably the roughest four and a quarter miles of Nick’s life, they finally arrived at the research field site. There was a solid, walled shelter that looked like it was sitting up on a series of milk crates. He imagined it had to be a sweat box for anyone working inside there. He also spotted various weighted tripods throughout the small canyon, on top of which, he assumed, were a series of still and video cameras. Nick noticed a few more of those reading stations at different points throughout the canyon. All in all, it looked like a fairly high-tech research site.

“Surprised by all the gadgets, Mr. Stokes?” The professor called from the shelter as she reached up to remove the padlock, with her crutch dangling from her left arm.

“A little, I guess… Just seems like you’d be worried about leaving all this stuff lyin’ around.” He walked around the back of the short-bed and started removing the straps from the equipment as he spoke.

The professor laughed at his suggestion that the equipment would be stolen. “Well, first off, you saw how hard it is to get in here… Plus, the stuff is on twenty-four seven, so they’d be caught on video, since all this stuff transmits straight into the shack and then to a satellite uplink. And then…” She dropped the crutch back down and leaned against it as she pointed up at the structure off in the distance on the east face of the mountain bordering the canyon. Nick noticed that her right hand was covered in jagged scars as she pointed west, and then she said, “That Ranger Lookout Station is pretty visible to the site. Rangers are there quite a bit, plus that’s where the radio relay station sits for this area.”

Nick realized he had just caught her in a lie, “So, that whole bit about this place being out of reach was something of a stretch?”

Her half of a grin was pinched and she shook her head when she said, “Only when we’re onsite… That four and a quarter mile stretch is completely blind. And if something’s gonna happen, that’s where it’ll be.”

“Fair enough… So, where do you want this thing?” Nick patted the piece of equipment on the back of the short-bed.

“Just leave it.” The professor looked over her shoulder and called to Sandi. “Sandi! Why don’t you take them to the site and show them the way up the ridge?”

“Gotcha! Lemme just finish with this thing.” Sandi was busy pulling some brush out of the front end of the modified ATV.

“Leave it… I’ll get it when I’m done.” At the professor’s word Sandi stopped and began to stride over to the short-bed with Sara following close behind.

“I left the grips on the fender,” Sandi said as she reached the shelter. She stretched her hand up to grab the bar the professor had just unlocked and pulled it out, which caused the whole sidewall to drop to the ground with a horrendous metallic crash. Nick and Sara were both clutching their hearts and ears from the shock, but Sandi and the professor only had their heads turned with a finger in one ear.

Without missing a moment, the professor started up the ramp created by the fallen wall and called over her shoulder to Sandi again. “Just make sure you take the bunny slope up… I don’t want any mishaps out here.”

Nick grimaced when he saw Dr. Desmaiseaux looking directly at him when she had spoken that last line and he had to turn away to hide his frustration. He watched as Sandi grabbed a pack off the back of the short bed and motioned for him and Sara to follow her to the ridge.

Nick trailed behind the other two women as they made their way through the small canyon. He had been shut down twice in the same day by the same woman, and for a guy who prided himself on his charm and chivalry, Nick Stokes was feeling beaten.

When they reached a cut in the slope of the canyon wall Sandi stopped them and asked, “Okay, make sure your shoes are on tight, your packs are balanced and anything you might need on the trek up is in your pockets and not the pack. This trail’s not really a trail, so much as a string of footholds along a rock face.” Sandi was checking her own boots and pack as she spoke and Sara followed her lead.

Nick took a moment to look up along the cut and then had to ask, “So, this is the bunny slope?”

Sandi laughed at his question and said, “Oh yeah… The only other way up is hanging from a rope and dodging falling rock from the person over you.” Sandi moved over to check Sara’s pack for balance and then added, “Don’t mind, Doc… She’s got a lot going on and so a sparkling personality isn’t really high on her list of priorities.”

Nick looked up from where he had leaned over to re-tie his boots and asked, “Sparkling?”

A broad smirk crossed Sandi’s face before she responded, “Okay, so she’s a raging bitch most of the time, but it does serve a purpose.” The look in Sandi’s eyes as she explained further made Nick nervous. “At least she doesn’t throw things anymore… I’ll take the occasional string of expletives over the sailing of another laptop into the rocks any day.”

Sara was not able to contain her own laughter at Sandi’s statement. “I sure hope you’re kidding.”

“Not hardly… I think you can still find pieces of it behind the shelter over there.” Sandi continued her casual inspections by checking Nick’s pack as he stood up and looked over towards the shelter where Dr. Desmaiseaux was pulling equipment off the short-bed. “Thank God David was able to salvage my hard drive.”

“Wait… It was your laptop?” Sara was shocked with the revelation.

“Oh yeah… But in her defense, I was about to replace it because it had gotten so temperamental. And besides, after David spent a whole week working to save the data I had in that hard drive, I knew he was a keeper.” Sandi winked at Sara when she added that part, causing the other woman chuckle.

Sandi looked satisfied that everyone was finally ready to make the trek up the canyon wall. She slapped her hands together and said, “Okay, enough mush… You guys ready to go?” She found a pair of anxious expressions and she smiled. “Okay then, one foot in front of the other, single file…” She pulled out a length of rope and tied hand holds in it, handing it to each of them as she walked to the front of the cut trail. “Hold on to this and use the rest of us to counter-balance if you lose your footing.”

“Ah, where did you guys find the body?” Nick worried they were forgetting why they were out there.

“I’ll stop when we get there… He was wedged into one of the crevices about half way up.” Sandi spoke as she made her first steps into the cut.

Sara followed right behind her and Nick pulled up the rear. The footing was tricky and he found himself staring at the ground more than looking ahead, just to make sure he did not trip and take all three of them down with him. He could not imagine that thin as a rail Sara or the lanky Sandi had enough substance to hold him back from falling if it happened. He also did not need another incident for the professor hold against him.

He had been so busy watching his own feet that he failed to notice the two women had come to a stop and he came face to backpack with Sara. “Whoa there, cowboy.”

Nick caught himself before he fell backwards and blushed immediately. “God! I’m sorry, Sar.”

Sara just turned to him and smiled, which instantly put his fears to rest. Without saying another word to him, she turned her attention back to Sandi and asked, “Which way?”

“Over there on your left, about ten meters… You’ll be able to see all the scuffs from the litter and all the footprints.” Nick’s face showed his disappointment and Sandi added, “Sorry, but they were already lifting him out by the time I got here. But, I did make sure Boone took some pictures before they got there. Should be on that disk you got from him.”

Sara and Nick walked the ten meters to the body site, made a quick scan of the area, took some reference shots for their scene sketches, and basically came back to the trail with nothing more than they had arrived with that day. It was very disheartening for both of them and Sandi could see it in their expressions as they returned to the trail.

“So, I gotta re-set a seismometer up top on the ridge… You guys want to come up with me and look around?” Nick could tell that Sandi was trying to give them anything she could and he had to admit that he was curious if they would find anything.

He smiled at the young woman and said, “Yeah, that would be great… Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky.” He was glad to have a chance to look around some more, but if Nick was completely honest with himself, he just did not want to go back down into the canyon, alone, with the professor.

They were on their way up the trail once more and Nick continued to focus on his steps, but also on the distance between himself and Sara so he did not make the same mistake again. The time seemed to get away from him, because before he knew it they had cleared the trail and were now standing atop the ridge enjoying a quick drink of water.

Sandi immediately set to work on her seismometer adjustments as Nick surveyed the ridge and Sara applied some additional sunblock to her face and ears. Nick gave her a sideways grin as he watched her slather on more of the cream.

“Laugh all you want, but I don’t tan, and I am not about to be sunburnt at my own wedding.” Sara continued her work as he laughed outright.

He moved to stand beside her and put a hand on her shoulder when he said, “Don’t worry, Sara… I’m sure you’ll have already peeled by then.”

“Don’t even joke about that, Stokes.” The glare she shot him only made him laugh again, and he started walking along a grove in the ridge top.

“Joke about what?” Sandi had quickly rejoined them.

“Nothing…” The look Sara shot him told him all he needed to know. “Hey, Sandi… All kidding aside, what’s going on out here that’s got the Doc all worked up?”

Sandi blew out a sharp and exaggerated breath and then she said, “Where do we start?” It was obviously a rhetorical question as she began to answer it herself. “Ah, we’ve got the Dean of Science trying to muscle in on her grant money, the annual progress reports for the federal service, Boone’s masters being put on hold because of some bogus departmental political garbage, rehab from the last surgery, running a major research project as a second job, and oh yeah, a dead body in her research area. So, why would she be on edge?”

“Sounds like fun… What kind of surgery?” Nick noticed that Sara was staring at him with a surprised expression, but he had no idea why.

“Nothing major… Doc just has a bad habit of wearing out her spare parts. Woman’s got more metal in her than my hybrid. And I wish I was exaggerating.” Sandi laughed at her own joke and Sara tried to join her, but she was still giving Nick a look.

“Spare parts?”

“Huh?” Sandi was crouched down and digging through her pack as she answered him. “Oh yeah, Doc’s pretty much held together through the grace of Dow Chemical, Alcoa Aluminum and God almighty. Of course, after getting bounced off a semi-truck, she’s lucky to even be drawing breath.”

“Bounced off a what?” Sara and Nick were both shocked at her offhand remark, but it was Sara who spoke up.

“Ah, Doc was in a pretty nasty motorcycle accident with a semi about ten years ago; before I knew her actually. End of my freshman year I was looking for an internship and my advisor had worked with her before the accident, so he recommended me for her project. Haven’t left yet, and she’s even my sponsor for my Ph.D. That accident did a number on her in a lot of ways though. I mean, she was always confrontational, but afterwards it was like she lost all patience.” Sandi started securing her pack again as she spoke. “I saw it in her field notes, but the best way to see it is the tapes.”

Nick was transfixed with the story and felt compelled to know more. “What tapes?”

Sandi shrugged and said, “Research tapes… You deal with a bunch of college punks all the time and you have to spend some time editing out the antics from your research tapes. Before the accident, Doc and her fiancé were the biggest of the pranksters, but afterwards, Doc’s sense of humor got really dark.”

Sara took another drink and remarked, “I didn’t know the Doc was married.”

Nick watched as Sandi blanched with Sara’s comment. “Ah… Um… The Doc’s not married.” Sara’s gaze shot up to Sandi’s and Nick watched as the woman practically whispered her next words. “He ah, he was…he didn’t sur-…survive the accident.” She shook her head sternly at the pair beside her and said, “And if you value your life, I’d forget all about him.”

They both took the warning for the solemn truth and dropped the issue. Nick decided to look around the area again, hoping to get his mind off of the information he had just been given. As he cast his gaze toward the trees off in the distance, something caught his attention.

“Ah, Sandi?”

She looked up from her water bottle. “What’s up?”

“How much foot traffic does this ridge get?” He was walking slowly towards the item that caught his eye as he spoke, careful not to miss anything along the way.

“God… None really.” She looked around the area and watched as Nick stalked off towards the trees. “It’s been month’s since I was up here, and I think Boone had to reset the weather station system a few weeks ago, but nothing else has been logged since the last time I was up here.”

Nick was nearly to the item when Sandi spoke the last words. Bending down to examine the piece of torn material, he had not realized that Sara was right behind him until she handed him the camera over his shoulder. He looked back to find her digging for her forceps. “Thanks, Sara.”

He clicked off a few shots after dropping the marker down and when he turned back, Sara was reaching for the camera and handing him the forceps and a bindle. He reached out and grabbed the material, holding it up for both of them to see.

“Looks like ripstop material… Like a running suit maybe.” Sara was dead on with that analysis.

“Yeah…” He sealed the bindle and started scanning the area further ahead.

Sara beat him to the next piece. “Over here!”

He walked the ten meters over to where she had wandered along a strange looking path on the ground. “More material?”

“No, looks like some plastic, but it’s not melted or very degraded at all, so it couldn’t have been out here long,” she said as she snapped off her reference pictures before she tucked the camera back into the side of her pack and then went for the forceps. As she was digging, Nick walked up beside her and handed them back to her. “Oh, yeah.” Her casual smile reminded him just how much he enjoyed working a scene with Sara. They might be competitive, but it had never really been a bad thing, even during that whole promotion nonsense.

Nick looked back down at the ground again and was trying to make out what it was they were following. “What do you think this is?”

“What?” Sara tried to see what he was referring to, but only found him looking at the ground. “You mean the ground?”

“Yeah, it looks like some kind of trail… See the disturbance in the rock patterns?” He was gesturing at the disheveled rocks and dirt when Sandi came silently up behind them.

“Probably the wash path of your body.” Both CSIs nearly jumped out of their skins when she spoke. “Sorry, too much time in the desert.” She tapped at the smooth and supple rock hound shoes she was wearing using her opposite foot. “I’m stealthy.”

They both shook their heads at the joke, and the three of them began to follow the swath in the dirt to see if they came across anything else. As they were walking, a warm breeze began to waft down from the treeline. Sara and Nick continued their forward march towards the trees and closing the distance quickly, but Sandi stopped and started looking across the sky.

Nick suddenly found something glinting off in the trees and was about to mention it when Sara pointed in the same direction to show that she had seen it as well. Sandi, however, looked preoccupied as she scanned the distant horizon. As the two CSI’s were about to inform her of their discovery, a signal flare exploded overhead.

“Crap!” Sandi turned to Nick and Sara with a terrified look on her face. “Whatever you have is all you’re gonna get. Make a run for the edge… NOW!”

Sandi took off at a dead run, but Sara and Nick were standing there in confusion until Sara caught the scent of ozone in her nostrils at about the same moment that Nick did and they both took off in the same direction Sandi had.

When they all got to the canyon’s edge, Sandi made Nick take the lead and she took up the rear, telling them to stay low and be very careful with their footing. She then added that while speed was important, so was getting them all down there in one, unbruised and unbattered piece.

When they finally made it down the slope, Nick was surprised to find out how quickly they had made their descent. But then he looked back up at the top of the canyon to find some very angry clouds moving in quick.

His other two companions were calling to him from fifteen meters away to hurry it up and he wisely took their advice. Once they reached the ATVs and the shelter, he realized that all three ATV’s had been packed up and were idling as they arrived.

“All right. Saddle up and get the hell out of here… The barometer is dancing like a drunken Irishman, so we’re in for a good one.” The professor took the pack off of Sandi’s back with her left hand and tossed it into the shelter.

Nick and Sara strapped on their helmets and tightened up their own packs as they prepared to jump on the ATVs. As they got ready to light out of there, they noticed Sandi and the professor arguing about something.

“You ladies think we can save that for when we get back to the trucks?” Nick thought he was being funny, but the look he got from Dr. Desmaiseaux let him know she was not of the same opinion.

“Why don’t you just worry about keeping up when you haul ass out of this canyon.” Sandi shook her head at Dr. Desmaiseaux’s comment and started putting her helmet on as she walked away from the professor.

Nick and Sara exchanged concerned looks as Sandi climbed up on the modified ATV alone and the professor started towards the equipment shelter. “Ah, what’s going on?”

“You’re getting the hell out of this canyon before the floodgates open up.” Her face told him she was not kidding, but he was not able to comprehend what was really happening.

“And you-”

“Can take care of myself until the storm clears… Now get moving.”

He simply could not help himself when he exclaimed, “No way!”

Sandi tried to explain, “Nick, it’s really not-”

He immediately jumped off the short-bed ATV and ripped his helmet off, cutting her off with, “We all came out here and there’s no way I leave anybody behind, so what’s the problem?” Looking around at the ATV’s he could see that they were carting out a lot more stuff than they came in with, but that was still no excuse in his mind for leaving someone to fight off the elements: certainly not someone in her position.

“That equipment needs to be packed out safely, and I can ride out the storm in the shelter so there’s no need for you to get all n-”

“No way I’m leaving you here in that sweat box with that monster storm barreling in.” Nick was not about to back down from his position.

Dr. Desmaiseaux’s face began to fill with rage as she spoke, “Since when do you have any say in what happens on my fucking site?”

“This is my investigation and I’m responsible for everyone here and I am not leaving anyone here under these circumstances! Especially someone who can’t fend for themselves.”

The professor’s expression sailed straight past rage and right into full blown fury. “Fuck you! I’m better off out here than you any day of the week! Now, get your ass on that ATV and get the hell out of here before you put everyone in danger, you moronic son of a bitch!”

“Cuss me out all you want… I am not leaving you out here.” Nick took his back pack off and began to cram some of the things from the short-bed into it until he ran out of room and called for Sara to toss him her pack. She hopped down from her ATV, handed it to him and put his pack on her shoulders.

By the time he had cleared a large section from the short-bed he pulled the tarp off of the gear that it had been covering and laid it out in the back of the ATV to act as a cushion and then walked over to the professor.

He looked over at the professor and said, “Let’s go.”

“I am perfectly capable of staying out h-”

“Do you have what you need?” He saw she had a bag slung over her shoulder and decided that he was not going to wait for her to answer. “Well, you can come back for anything else.”

“GO!” She plopped down onto the edge of the shelter ramp and made her intentions to stay well known.

“Fine… We do this the hard way.” He handed Dr. Desmaiseaux her helmet and then leaned over and picked her up, gently putting her over his shoulder and striding over to the ATV with a string of colorful expletives trailing behind him.

“Get your fucking gorilla hands off me you goddamn bastard! I will not be manhandled by a retarded, piece of shit, fuckwitted asshat! Now put me the fuck down!”

Reaching the ATV, he complied with her last request as he carefully dropped her onto the tarp so that she was resting just behind his seat and her legs were sitting next to each other, but slightly hanging off to the side of the bed. He reached down and tucked her feet into the side of the bed and removed his jacket to act as another cushion. She continued to insult his parentage, intelligence and manhood as he secured her to the ATV.

Once he was satisfied that she would not get loose with the straps and cords he had fashioned he jumped back onto the ATV and then turned to her and said, “If you turn to the left a little you can hold on to my worthless piece of horseflesh to keep from bouncing around too much.” His last remarks were heard quite clearly by the other two people present, since it had gone out over the radio. They both had to suppress their laughter as they watched the professor putting her own helmet on just as they all peeled out of the site.

Chapter 11

21:00 – 2006.12.06

C.S.I. Lab: Breakroom – Assignments

Nick was busy nursing his third cup of coffee since he dragged himself out of bed that night, when everyone else began to descend upon the Breakroom. Warrick and Sara were busy talking as she tried to explain to him about some math equation that Lindsey had been struggling with, but it was so far over his head Nick felt like his eyes were glazing over. Greg was deep in conversation with Catherine, and he figured it had to do with their case, since Greg was supposed to be presenting it to the team during assignments. Nick was still having a hard time keeping the images of Hodges trussed up in a hotel room out of his head, so he pushed the sounds of that conversation out as well.

By the time Grissom finally arrived for the night’s briefing, the caffeine had finally started coursing appropriately through his veins and his mind.

“All right, let me get a run down of where everyone is at, please?” Grissom carefully sat down in the seat at the end of the table. “Warrick… Where do we stand on the sex assault in Sunrise Manor?”

Warrick shrugged him off and said, “Slam dunk… DNA on epithelials, blood and semen was a match, witness statements have him running off, photos show the bruising and the arresting officers got his clothes from the trash in the alley… And the final three pointer? Her DNA on him at the time of arrest. Dumb ass hadn’t even taken a shower yet.”

Sara shot him a disgusted look and said, “Wish they were all that easy.”

“Tell me about it…Makes me sick thinkin’ about those guys runnin’ the streets with regular folks.” Everyone in the room gave their own audible agreement to his statement.

“Okay then… Nick, Sara… We’re getting some real pressure from the Governor’s office to get this DB in the desert case closed before the press gets involved. Where are you at?”

Sara looked over at him, and he knew that meant she was letting him take the lead. While he was grateful for her confidence in him, he wished she would have taken control and saved him the embarrassment. Clearing his throat, he forged ahead, “Ah, well, Trace is backed up right now, so… We’re ah, waitin’ on the analysis of the materials we found at the site. We’re definitely looking at a dumpsite instead of a crime scene, but the elements have probably destroyed any hopes of finding the original site. As it was we almost got washed away ourselves.”

Grissom cocked his eyebrow and shot Nick a dangerous look. “I heard about that.” Nick stiffened at the implication he had put them in danger, but Grissom let him off the hook. “And I heard you did quite a number taking control of the situation… Don’t worry, Nicky. I’m fairly certain that any of us would have done the same thing.”

Nick knew there was a but in that statement, so he just waited for it. “Though I would hope it could have been done with a touch more sensitivity.”

Nick shrunk down in his seat a little when he answered, “Got it.”

“So, what’s your next step?”

“Well, we planned on going through our notes and putting all the photo evidence together in the hopes we can get a general direction for the primary crime scene.” Sara gave him a firm nod and held up the additional disk she had obtained from Sandi as he explained.

“That’s only going to get you so far, since neither of you are familiar with the area. And you’re going to hate this…” Grissom gave him a worried expression as he continued, “You are going to have to make peace with Dr. Desmaiseaux, since she is the only person able to help you with that.”

Nick visibly grimaced and asked, “Can’t I just go down to the USGS and talk to them?”

Grissom chuckled, took his glasses off and then smirked, “That would work… If she hadn’t been the person who surveyed that park before it was to be commissioned.”

“You’ve GOT to be kidding me?!” Everyone in the room laughed at Nick’s reaction.

Once their laughter subsided and Nick buried his head in his arms on the table, Grissom continued. “And now… For the moment we’ve all been waiting for… Greg, what about your case?”

“FINALLY!!!” Greg’s enthusiasm was a plus on this case, and everyone had been dying to find out what really happened on his “trick roll.”

“Calmly, Greg… While your second first case, might be thrilling, we need to give the victim the proper respect.” The giggles spread out over the room, because everyone knew who he was referring to in this case.

“Fine… Okay, our trick roll, wasn’t really a trick roll, after all… Seems the victim, had acquired the assistance of a certain professional and while their arrangements were being carried out the victim made an unwelcome overture and she bailed on him, mid-act, and thus leaving him incapable of removing himself from the room in time. The housekeeping staff called PD upon finding the victim, and since they spoke little English, the victim was unable to enlist their assistance before they called PD. All charges have been dropped.” Greg was practically vibrating after giving his official statement.

Grissom was not about to let him suffer, so he gave him leave. “Okay, now that the official report is out of the way… How about the real story?”

“THANK YOU!!!” Greg was practically bubbling over with enthusiasm by that point. “So, looks like Hodges hired a pro to indulge in some jam-slash-leather-slash-bondage fetish he’s got. Paid her five hundred bucks to truss him up and pour the stuff all over him, and then some. I guess she laid out some ground rules before hand, about no funny business. Like THIS didn’t count?! Anyway, I guess he crossed the line and she totally bailed! But, she left him with his wallet and all his personals AND the keys to the cuffs!” Greg was laughing right along with everyone else at that point, so it took him a moment to recover long enough to finish. “Anyway, seems he could’ve reached the keys himself, IF he’d have been paying attention. Instead he waited there like a bonehead until housekeeping showed… Insult to injury, when Sofia got there, she called the locksmith, because she didn’t see the keys either! So, when Catherine and I got there we spotted them right when this great, big, burly locksmith guy got there. He wasn't exactly happy being called out that late. But when he found out he wasn't even needed, that’s when he really let loose. It was SO AWESOME to see that weeney get taken down a few pegs!”

Warrick chose that moment to make his own interjection, “Or at least down from the wall.” And his comment got their laughter going all the more.

They were just starting to get back to normal when someone poked their head in the room carrying a report. “Nick, they said this material was a rush…”

As soon as they heard the voice, the stifled laughter was too much for anyone not to notice. “Yeah, so you’ll ah, have it tomorrow.” And with that, Hodges quickly left the room, just as the laughter erupted again.

“Okay, on to business, please?” Grissom waited for the last vestiges of the laughter to die down. “It’s not a busy night, but looks to be a logistical nightmare.” Grissom was running his hand over his chin and Nick knew that signaled there was something frustrating him.

“Don’t worry, Gil…” Catherine held out her hand for the slip in his hands and said, “I’ll take the aggravated assault out near Nellis. That should put me far enough away from the Pike for everyone’s comfort.”

Grissom gave her the slip and looked at her from over the top of his glasses, “Thanks, Catherine…” He flipped through to the next slip and said, “Warrick, you’re going to have the B&E in Henderson. Sara and Nick, you’ve still got your case to work, and Greg…” The youngest member of the team looked up with hope. “You’re with me tonight.” Shrinking away from the thought, Grissom looked quite pleased at having changed the mood. “Suspicious circs at the Pike.” Grissom handed Greg the slip and got up from the table.

“Oh, and one more thing…” Once he was sure he had everyone’s attention he continued, “Let’s try to keep things on an even keel around here, please? I know there will be a great pull towards certain jokes and pranks being played, but we do still have to work together, so try your best, please.” Grissom turned and left the room with his last words.

With him safely out of the room, Sara took the initiative to say, “Well, he didn’t say we couldn’t do anything, right?” The evil glint in her eye was enough to make everyone start laughing again as they headed out for the night.

Warrick shook his head with a sly grin on his face and said, “Girl, you been spendin’ way too much time around Steph.”

Chapter 13

23:00 – 2006.12.07

CSI Morgue: Dr. O’Halloran’s Office

Nick was still beating his brains trying to get an angle on his case as he made his way down to the morgue. He was hoping he could go back over the body and find some different answers, but mostly he was just trying to delay the inevitable; having to meet with Dr. Desmaiseaux for another slam session.

Sara was still working on the videos and photos from the research team, and he had already seen more angles of that desert canyon than he had ever thought possible, so he went off in search of a different view. He thought that he might try to pick Stephanie’s brain about the body and maybe get her opinion about what to do in regards to the professor.

When he pushed through the doors of the morgue, he noticed that Stephanie was not working on a body at the time. As he thought about it, he realized it had been a slow week for DBs, and knowing Stephanie’s normal speed, he assumed she had finished with everything already.

He noticed some movement over in the office and made his way across the room when he heard her voice call out from the other side of the doorway. “If you’ve got a body, get out.”

Nick poked his head in and found her lying down on the couch with her arm thrown over her eyes and her legs hanging off the opposite arm of the small couch. He had to chuckle at the sight, which caused her to peek out from the crook of her arm. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Well, that’s the kinda greetin’ every man dreams of.” He stood in the doorway with his hands on his waist and smiled.

“Save it for the girls at the club, cowboy.” Her voice was filled with fatigue, and Nick grew a little concerned, since he had not heard her like that since her brush with death earlier that year.

As he looked around the office, the office he once had to process in a hazmat suit, a shiver ran down his spine. “Hey… You okay?”

She moved her arm off of her face and rubbed at her eyes over the bridge of her nose. “Yeah, I’m fine… Just not sleeping very well.” She gave him a weak grin and asked, “So, what did you need?”

“I don’t wanna bug you if you’re no-”

She dropped her feet to the floor and brought herself up into a sitting position as she cut him off, “Look, I’m here, you’re here, and you obviously need something. What’s up?”

“My DB from the desert…” Nick shifted a little uncomfortably in the doorway under her slightly aggravated gaze. “We keep running into dead ends, and I was thinking about maybe taking another look at the body… Maybe I mis-”

“Didn’t miss anything… And I just got the final report back from the copy service.” She was about to get up from the couch when Nick stopped her.

“I’ll get it, where is it?” Nick looked for his cue from her, but instead she stood up and went to her desk to retrieve the CSI copy of the report.

She turned and handed it to him, “Here.” Then she crossed in front of him and dropped back onto the couch.

He looked down at the report in his hands and away from her gaze when he mumbled, “I could’ve gotten that for you.”

“And I can get it for myself, too… You think I need you rummaging around on my desk?”

That was the last straw for Nick. “Sheesh! Do I have something tattooed on my forehead making everyone jump down my throat this week, or what?!”

Stephanie leaned back at his sudden outburst with a shocked expression on her face. “Whoa there, big fella… Who peed in your Post Toasties this morning?”

Nick cringed when he realized what he had done and squeezed his eyebrows together with his hand. “I’m sorry… I ju-”

“Why don’t you try explaining where the hell that came from, instead of some half-assed apology?” Nick looked at her with his mouth hanging open.

He was surprised at his snap at her, but her response had really shocked him.

“Have a seat and spill it… Obviously bottling it up isn’t helping.” She had a point, and with resignation playing over his face he grabbed one of the chairs and sat down.

“I really didn’t mean to jump on your case… It just seems like every time I turn around this week, someone is rippin’ me a new one and I can’t figure out exactly why.”

“Wouldn’t have anything to with your new friend, the professor, would it?” Nick was starting to think his thoughts were either transparent, or she was psychic. “And before you go thinking I have some great insight here… I heard about what happened at the field site.”

That was at least a little relief, because he thought Sara had probably told her about the incident. And then he got nervous, because that also meant she had probably told Grissom about it as well.

“Yeah, we had dinner with David and Sandi before shift, and she said it was not exactly a pleasant experience for all.”

Nick visibly relaxed at her explanation. However, his curiosity was getting the better of him and so he asked, “What did she have to say?”

“The highlights? Something about you almost being late, getting caught in a real blower and then…” She gave him one of those sarcastic looks and continued, “there was the part about you going caveman and throwing the Doc over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”

Nick groaned at her description of the incident and banged his head back against the wall. “Man!” He expelled a lung full of air and then said, “I don’t even know why I did it, ya know?”

“Male bravado?” Stephanie commented as she laid back down on the couch.

“Why would you say that?” Nick was genuinely curious as to her opinion of him and the situation.

“Because it’s who you are, I guess.” She threw her arm over her eyes again as she spoke.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He was beginning to think everyone he knew thought he was a sexist jackass.

“It means you have a different set of rules for different people.” She paused for a moment and tried to formulate the rest of her response. “Like with the report… You decided I must be ill, and since I’m a girl, you felt a need to look after me for some reason… I’m not ill and I have never bought into the delicate female myth. Maybe that works where you come from, but not me.”

“That’s so not fair! I have five older sisters, and there is no way I could have survived if I had been even a little sexist. And my mother’s a lawyer for cryin’ out loud.” Nick was getting riled up at the inference.

“Were you told to always get the door?”

“Yeah.”

“Were you taught to always take care of a woman?

“Of course.” Nick shrugged that one off like it meant nothing.

“Then by default, you think a woman can’t take care of herself in any situation.” Nick was shaking his head at her deduction of his beliefs. “Just give me a second to explain… My folks, they got married late in life, and my Mom had been on her own since she started college. She had to fight for everything she got and she made sure she had all the skills she needed to succeed in a man’s world. My Pop, he was orphaned as a kid, and spent his first years in a Catholic children’s home, until his sister was adopted by another family. When they found out she had a little brother, they took him home, too. His adopted mother was a business woman, and her husband had a private law practice that he operated out of their home. So, he grew up around not only a strong woman, but also a man willing to care for his children.” Nick thought about how Stephanie maneuvered through life and the difficult world of forensic pathology and he understood a lot more about her because of her family history.

“I was exposed to a family model that showed me the power a woman could wield and the caring nature of men. But at the same time, I saw that my father was also a powerful man, and my mother was just as caring. They were equals, and I never had to question that. I also never had to question who was in charge, or try to work one against the other, or which one cared about me more, or which one liked me more.” Stephanie hit on something that struck a nerve with Nick.

“So, who was the disciplinarian in your family?” Nick was using his own family model for parental roles.

“Disciplinarian?” Stephanie removed her arm and cast a puzzled glance at him.

“Ya know… When you got in trouble, who nailed you for it?” Nick was having trouble understanding why she was asking that question.

“In trouble? I don’t know that I ever really got in trouble… Well, not any real trouble anyway. But Uncle Gil was the one who usually had long talks with me when he’d find out I had been causing mischief at school.” Stephanie winked at him and then said, “Of course I was a pretty weird kid, and the only people who ever raised their voices to me were my teachers when I would question what they were saying… I was hell in Sunday school class.” Nick had to laugh at her joke, and it helped to lighten the mood a little.

“Maybe I should have come to your house to stay, then I wouldn’t be catchin’ so much hell right now just for actin’ like a gentleman.” Nick chuckled at his own joke, but when he looked at Stephanie she was not laughing.

“You think hauling someone off against their will is being a gentleman?” Nick was shocked at her question and he blushed when he realized the impact of what she had said. “No wonder you only date Barbie Dolls.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know… The sex pot-slash-brainless Betty Crocker types I’ve seen you with: all style and no substance.” Even lying down, Nick could tell she was shrugging off his question.

“C’mon… That’s not true.” Nick was shaking his head again.

“Let’s see, there was that flight attendant, the blackjack dealer, the nurse from the respiratory wing when I was in the hospital, that meter maid from traffic, the other nurse from God knows where… Was she really a nurse, or did she just have the clothes for some reason?” Her loaded question made Nick’s jaw drop in total shock. “And that’s just since I’ve been in town… I hear you had some more colorful dates before I got here.”

“Okay, obviously my personal life is everyone’s fodder around here.”

“Please, this building is worse than ‘Peyton Place,’ and you know it.” There was no argument for that one, and Nick knew it as well as anyone.

“Well, if I’m such a sexist asshole, then why do you even bother?” His tone was sharper than he had intended.

“Because you aren’t an asshole, you’re just deluded.” That gave Nick a chuckle, and so she continued, “Look, I don’t think you’re a bad guy, the whistle incident aside, I just think you’ve got some pretty outdated opinions about how women should be treated. And I think you date women who are not as keyed in to the feminist mind on purpose.”

With his head shaking again he had to ask, “I don’t understand that… What d’you mean?”

“Well, you date these bimbo types; not usually educated, no strong personalities, pretty on the outside and not much going on besides that. They’re never gonna threaten your motives, and they play into your condescension as a way to wiggle into your life, somehow.”

Nick could not help himself, he had only one thing to say, “Wow…”

“Sorry, man… I just call it like I see it.” She sat up on the couch again and then said, “I mean, it’s not like it makes you a bad guy, Nick… It just makes you a guy I would never have gotten to know if we didn’t work together, and because I did get to know you, I can see past those things that piss me off.”

Nick chuffed at her comment and remarked, “Sara said almost the same thing to me this week.”

Stephanie gave him a sly grin and said, “So, if two of the smartest women you know say something, don’t you think you should pay attention?”

Nick winked and then said, “Could just mean I work with a couple rabid feminists…” Nick got up to leave at his final remark and was glad to have at least ended his conversation with Stephanie on a friendly note. But he had a lot of things to think about.

Chapter 14

23:55 – 2006.12.07

CSI Lab: A/V Lab

“Aaaaaarrrgggghhh!”

Nick entered the A/V Lab with a sideways grin at hearing Sara’s verbalized frustration. “That bad?”

She turned quickly and fixed him with a steely glare. “Hey, don’t shoot the delivery boy.” Nick handed her a cup of coffee as he took the seat beside her.

Sara sniffed over the top of the cup and made a disgusted face. “Eww… No coffee for me.”

He reared back in amusement over her response and asked, “Since when?”

She shook her head and took a swig from her water bottle before answering. “Trying to cut down on the caffeine.” There was the faint trace of a smirk playing on her face as she answered him, but Nick decided he had enough on his plate to worry about without whatever it was she had going on.

“Whatever… It’s your funeral.” He pulled up to the terminal and leaned in close. “So, have we gotten anywhere?”

“We have been scanning video all night, while you have been shooting the breeze with Steph.” Her pursed smile let him know she was only kidding. “So, did she have anything new for us?”

“Just the final autopsy report.” He handed her the copy he had been given and watched as she started leafing through it. “She did determine that the exposure noted on the body couldn’t have been caused by the nights out in the desert. Her theory’s that the level of exposure is consistent with the high altitude exposure found with rogue skydivers from time to time.”

“Skydivers? Well, that would explain the material we found on the ridge.” Nick gave her a questioning glare and she explained, “Hodges was just in here… That material is most commonly used in drop suits.” She got a devilish look on her face, and then added, “And Hodges is allergic to strawberries, so you lost the pool.”

“Damn! I was countin’ on that one, too.” Nick shook his head in disgust, but he quickly moved back into the case. “So, I guess we have PD track down some leads at some area Skydiving schools?”

Sara shrugged and turned back to her video, “I’ve already got Vega calling around in the morning.”

Nick was frustrated at his lack of participation in the case and had to ask, “Is there anything I can do here, besides piss people off?”

She cast a sideways look at him and smiled when she replied, “Well, you’re not bad to look at.”

“Thanks, Sara… That’s a real big help.” He slumped back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest in resignation.

“Okay…” Sara pushed back from the console and regarded him with an angry expression. “What the hell happened in the morgue to have you looking so morose now?”

“Nuthin… Not really.”

“Right.”

He shook his head and said, “It’s nothin’ really… Just that Steph said some things I wasn’t real happy about, but I can’t really say she was wrong either.” He looked up into her eyes and realized he was not getting out of there without spilling his guts. “She just seems to agree with the rest of the world that I’m a jackass.”

“’Cause you’re just such an unlikeable guy.” She made a noise that signaled her sarcasm and then added, “Please, Nick… No one has ever thought you were a jackass.”

“The professor?”

“Yeah, well, she doesn’t count… She has her own issues, and she strikes me as one of those people that never takes the time to look past her first impressions anyway. You either meet her on her grounds right out of the gate, or she doesn’t waste the time.” Nick looked at Sara in complete shock and she noticed his expression. “What?”

Shaking his head to clear the fog, he answered, “I just thought you liked her.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t… I happen to think she’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, but that doesn’t mean she’s perfect by any stretch.” Sara shrugged off his disbelief as though it were nothing.

“So, what I did out there, you don’t have a problem with it?”

“Are you kidding? The Neanderthal approach is never my first choice.” He looked a little defeated at her response and she continued, “I know why you did it, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it, especially since we have to work with her. You’ve put us all in a bind because you decided she threatened your manhood.”

“Wait a minute… I did not think she was threatenin’ anything, except her own safety.”

“And you were qualified to make that decision, how? By virtue of your gender?”

“Ouch…” Nick tried to take the slam in stride, but it cut him deep. “Does everyone around here think I’m a sexist?”

“Haven’t we already had this conversation?” Sara was trying to figure out where he was going with the conversation and that was when it dawned on her. “Stephanie called you on it, too… Didn’t she?”

“Yeah… And somethin’ else about my datin’ preferences.” His shoulders were drooping down with his mood.

“You mean your Barbie Doll fetish?”

His eyes shot up and he jumped to his feat with his anger. “What? Are you two runnin’ some kind of tag team on me? What is this, slam Nick week?!”

“Whoa… Where the hell did that come from?” Sara was surprised at his display of anger.

He slammed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw, trying to get a grip on his anger before he spoke again. “Sorry… It’s just… She used the exact same term when we were talkin’.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised… I bet we took the same gender studies class with Dr. Hainline at Berkeley.” Nick’s embarrassment flooded his face as she explained the commonality between the two women.

“Man… I never even thought about that. I’m sorry, Sara.”

“Don’t sweat it… I think everyone forgets that I had a life before CSI.” She chuckled at the notion, and Nick tried to join her, but he was still reeling from the fact that his friends saw these things in him.

“Look, no one thinks you’re a bad guy, Nick. I think most people just chalk it up as a cultural thing, and in some ways it is, I guess.” She laid a hand over his shoulder and tried to offer him some comfort. “But in the end, you don’t think any less of me just because I’m a woman. I just sometimes think you have three classifications for women: the ones you date, the ones you admire and the ones you pity.”

“Wow… That makes me sound like such a…”

“Guy?” Sara cast a sideways grin at him and he had to chuckle at her analysis. The laughter kept him from letting it sink in too deeply. There would be time for that later.

“Now, help me chart the progress and document the times so we can try to narrow the timeline down a little more. Archie’s already cut together a single video showing the body itself.” She nudged him a little with her shoulder and he smiled cautiously before nodding his head.

Chapter 15

08:00 – 2006.12.08

UNLV Earth Science Building: Geology Lab

Striding up to the geology laboratory door, Gil knocked quietly on it. When he looked up a young woman with a mass of striking, reddish blonde hair waved him inside.

“Dr. Grissom! I didn’t know you were stopping by.” Her warm and inviting smile was a welcome treat after a long shift.

“Well, I had another meeting on campus and I phoned Dr. Desmaiseaux to see if I could get a preview of her newest report.” They exchanged a quick handshake and Sandi gestured for him to follow her into the next room. “It’s good to see you again, Sandi… Stephanie tells me the wedding plans are going according to schedule.”

“As long as my dissertation is approved next month, I should be presenting in February and FINALLY have my Ph.D.” She walked him through the lab as they spoke. “And I’m starting to think David is more excited about it than I am.”

“Well, that’s because he has more riding on it.” Dr. Desmaiseaux spoke from the other side of the lab as she heard the pair enter the room. “Dr. Grissom…” She rose from her stool and began to cross the room using her crutch. “I’m glad you had some extra time this morning.”

“Well, I have to admit, I am anxious to read about your findings on climate differentials in the Sonoran Desert.” As the two began speaking, Sandi quietly slipped back out of the room. “I have a sneaking suspicion your conclusions are going to change a great many things in my own field.”

“Improvements, not changes, Dr. Grissom, only improvements. It should give you the opportunity to date things with much more precision in the future, IF they approve my findings.” She remained guarded about her research, and Gil found that to be refreshing, when so many in the research field tried to bully their theories onto others.

“Judging from your previous field work… I have no doubts in regards to its veracity.”

They walked into the next room where there was a table and some chairs, and two copies of an official report waiting for them. Being his normal self, he pulled out a chair for her and then waited for her to be seated before taking his own seat.

“Thank you.” He could sense a slight bristling in her speech in reference to his gesture, but he had a reputation for his genteel behavior. However, his greater reputation came from his equal treatment of all people, so she was able to accept his gesture without any outwards signs of irritation.

“I also wanted to stop by and thank you for your assistance while we work the case from your research site. You’ve certainly upped the learning curve for my team and I think that knowledge will be of great value to them in the future.” Gil was laying it on thick, but he knew that sometimes you had to play to a person’s ego in order to achieve a goal. In this case, his goal was more cooperation between the university and the crime lab.

“Yes, well, they do appear dedicated to their work. And obviously Ms. Sidle has been taking lessons from you in how to engage a scientist and play to their egos.” She gave him a sly grin and he held his hands up in mock surrender.

“You caught me… But seriously, Sara is actually quite an accomplished scientist herself. She was close to finishing her doctoral work in theoretical physics when she was bit with the forensics bug.” He tried to take some of the beaming pride out of his description of Sara, but it was difficult for him under any circumstance.

“You and those puns… Good to see you’ve managed to keep your sense of humor in such a demanding and draining field, Dr. Grissom.” Dr. Desmaiseaux obviously had an immense amount of respect for the man.

“Recently re-discovered, actually… Had a bad patch there for a while, but I managed to find it again, with a little help.” His look became wistful as he spoke, and he knew exactly where that help had come from.

“Yes, well good luck to you both.” Gil looked at her with a questioning glare and she replied, “Sandi told me about your impending marriage.”

“Oh right… Hadn’t considered that angle…” He nodded his head to show his understanding. “Yes, just a few more weeks now, but thankfully someone else is handling all the arrangements, and all I have to do is show up.”

“Best way, really… Are you having it here in Vegas?”

Her expression was slightly pinched and Gil understood the reasons for it so he worked quickly to change the subject. “Ah yes, no sense having it anywhere else, really… So, I hope we can count on your further assistance with the case, because the timeline and the original scene are still a mystery to us.”

She sat up a little straighter and said, “Yes, well I have the data and photos from your people, and I was just finishing up this report before I went over them. We’ll probably go over them at the site this weekend… Get the whole team’s input.”

“Sounds like a solid strategy and thank you for the time you’ve given to this. I know it may not seem important on the surface, but your expertise is invaluable in this kind of investigation. Plus, there is the added benefit of expanding forensic science into the realm of geology and climatology.” Gil was doing his best to make the prospect worthwhile to the woman.

“Definitely… And besides, if the entomologists and the geologists can’t get along, there’s no hope for the rest of science.” She gave him a sideways grin and he chuckled.

“That reminds me of the one about the Dung Beetle that was carrying around a dirt clod…”

“Oh God! That one always cracks me up.” They were both laughing heartily as she began to explain the findings in her report. Reassuring them both that there was always hope for science.

Chapter 17

08:55 – 2006.12.08

UNLV Administration Building: President’s Office

As Grissom walked into the austere furnishings of the UNLV President’s office he was greeted with the smiling face of the man’s secretary. “Dr. Grissom?”

He nodded and said, “Yes, I’m here for a nine o’clock appointment with Dr. Daeke.”

The woman smiled a little broader and said, “Of course, Dr. Daeke is expecting you. If you don’t mind taking a seat a moment, I’ll let him know you’ve arrived.”

Grissom nodded, but as she disappeared into the private office he remained standing. If she was just going to come right back out and get him, he was not about to sit down into the low-rise, leather sofa. And he was right, as she immediately returned to the outer office and motioned for him to go inside. He smiled and proceeded through the door.

He was greeted by the booming voice of the university’s president. “Dr. Grissom! I am so thrilled you were available for a meeting.”

The sprightly, older looking gentleman met him midway through the office with an enthusiastic handshake. “I cannot tell you how excited I was to hear that you were finally joining us in academia, Dr. Grissom.”

Grissom was hoping he still had an arm when the man was finished, because at the current rate he was likely to shake it off and start beating him with it at any moment. “Thank you, Dr. Dae-”

“Please, please… Call me Donald.” Grissom nodded and the man finally released his death grip from around his hand and gestured for him to take a seat.

Once Grissom was firmly seated, the older man had a question, “Is there anything I can get you, Dr. Grissom? Coffee, water, tea? Anything at all?”

“No, I’m just fine, thank you.” If there was one thing Gil Grissom detested, it was the ridiculous fawning that people in positions of authority perpetrated as they attempted to win a new prize. It was even worse now that he appeared to be the prize.

He listened patiently as the man droned on and on extolling the virtues of a life spent in academia and all the fine things the University of Nevada: Las Vegas had to offer him, but his mind was not truly focused on the obviously prepared speech. No, he was thinking about the rather emotional conversation he had with Sara about the offer he had received from the Jeffersonian a few months back. He thought about how he had to convince her that people were always trying to lure him away from field work, or to their own labs and that he had routinely turned down offers on a nearly monthly basis for numerous years.

And now, as he sat there pretending to listen to the university’s best pitch man sell him on a tenure within their system, he realized that for the first time in his career, in his life, that his reputation was a benefit, instead of a burden. He had worked long and hard, and sacrificed so much of his life and happiness to achieve this status, and now he was going to use it for all it was worth. He now had a reason to change his life. He had a purpose to his life that extended beyond science, and for the first time he was ready to place happiness over all other things. However, unlike most men reaching his station in life, it was not only his happiness he was concerned with, and for the first time in his life he was putting the needs and hopes and dreams of another over and above his own, gladly.

For all of his espoused brilliance, the man really was a slow learner, since it took him fifty years to finally figure out what made him happy. True, he had always found joy in the work, but it did not keep him warm at night, or chase the nightmares away, or fill him with such an empowering feeling of happiness just by staring into its eyes. No, he had found his key into the kingdom of lasting happiness, and it had come in the guise of a tall, lithe, brown-eyed beauty of a woman who loved him with all of her heart. And she made sitting there in that office listening to the overzealous administrator blathering on about the things he could do for UNLV and the things they could do for him worth every single excruciating second.

Eventually the man began to wind down, and Grissom’s attention turned outward again. “But I’ve rambled on long enough, Dr. Grissom… Please, tell me what we can do to convince you to head up our new forensic science graduate program?”

The side of his mouth turned up into half of a grin and said, “Before we go into that… May I ask how you heard I was leaving the lab?”

“Oh! Of course… I was in Washington for a conference and had lunch with an old pupil of mine, Dr. Goodwin from the Jeffersonian Institute. When I told him of our plans for a forensic science program, he of course wished to gloat about having acquired your talents for his organization’s work.” The man gave a woeful expression when he added, “Had we known you were considering a career change, I can assure you I would have been on your doorstep in a moment. May I ask what has changed your perspective?”

The smirk appeared on his face subconsciously as he answered, “My life, actually… I’m about to be married and it has been the impetus for a great many things of late. However, I’ve also grown disillusioned with the slightly skewed political nature forensic work has taken on in recent history, and I thought my knowledge would be better served helping to develop new techniques and perhaps in training a new breed of forensic scientists in the process.”

“And that was precisely the reasoning behind the development of a graduate program in forensics here at UNLV.” The man was practically beaming at having found a perfect segue way into his pitch again. “So, again I ask, what can we do to convince you to join us?”

Grissom took in a deep breath and pursed his lips into a contemplative gesture. “First, it would have to be a position of limited involvement at the administrative level. I am not an administrator.”

“Oh, but of course! What we are looking for is someone to develop this program, help it to grow, tend to its research and advise students along the way.” The man was becoming a little more excited than Grissom was comfortable with, but he continued with his requirements.

“I also would not be willing to walk away from my fellowship at the Jeffersonian.”

“Most certainly… It will be a great privilege for us to have one of their fellows on our staff as well.”

“And I would need a great deal of flexibility for my lecture and consultation schedule.”

“Absolutely! Having a touring member of our staff is an amazing recruiting tool.”

“If I were to house my lab here at the university, the school would have to fully fund it, and that includes any grant writing and administration of that lab. One of the main reasons I am leaving the crime lab is my distaste for administration.”

“We have the appropriate people for that type of thing, and you could conduct your experiments without ever having to worry about all of that.”

“But probably the most important, I would need complete and utter autonomy from the university system. That includes all research, curriculum and degree granting through this program… Nothing that I develop in this time will ever be the sole property of the university. I would, of course, grant the school rights of co-publication and full reference to the location of the work, but it still belongs to me.” Grissom knew his final condition would be the deal breaker for sure, so he fully expected the meeting to be over quickly at that point.

“Hmmm…” The man rubbed a finger over his temple as he worked through the specifics of Grissom’s terms. “It might take some coaxing from a few of the board members, but I honestly believe we could pull it off. If I can do it, will we have a deal?”

Grissom sat there in complete and utter shock. He never expected them to agree to even half of his demands, and here they were nearly resolved to each of those deciding factors. Grissom struggled to retain his composure and forced the only answer he could come up with. “I’ll, ah, have to discuss it with my better half before I can commit to anything, of course.”

The man rose from his seat and put his hand out for Grissom to take as he said, “Well, then I won’t keep you any longer…” Grissom stood and they shook hands with his parting words. “I’ll let you get home and I have a board meeting to put together.” He led Grissom to the door and then asked, “Now, you’ll let me know as soon as you and your bride have made a decision?”

“Yes, of course… And thank you for the consideration.”

“Oh, the pleasure has been all mine, Dr. Grissom… All mine.”

Chapter 18

16:00 – 2006.12.08

Willows/Brown Home

Catherine walked in through the garage door and was instantly knocked over with the aromas of a home cooked meal being prepared in her kitchen. She smiled when she realized that this was just one of the benefits of her new life. Before her mind could drift to those other benefits, she called out to alert the house’s other inhabitants of her return.

“I’m Home!” She dropped her purse and the DVD’s onto the counter as she yelled.

“You don’t have to yell.” Lindsey was suddenly standing right beside her and moving towards the stove.

Catherine was clutching her heart with her fright, “Jesus, Lindsey… Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

The teenager laughed at her mother’s reaction and then turned to pick up a spoon and stir the concoction on the stove. “Sorry, Mom… But it was kinda funny.”

“Yeah, a real laugh riot… You only took two years off my life. Hey, I thought you were gonna be at Steph’s today.”

“Yeah, me and Tiffany helped her with the dessert and then we bailed, because Steph wanted to get some sleep.” When Catherine leaned over her shoulder to get a look at what she was doing, Lindsey bumped into her with her hip.

Catherine swatted at her daughter, who seemed to be in a rare good mood. She was going to have to investigate that one further but first… “Where’s Warrick?”

Lindsey gestured over her shoulder with her chin towards the bedroom. “He wanted to jump in the shower before dinner.” She glanced down at her watch and then said, “Probably done by now… Mr. ‘It doesn’t take more than twenty minutes to take a shower, ever.’”

Catherine chuckled at her daughter’s jibe as she walked down the hall towards their bedroom. She was eternally grateful that her daughter had been so accepting and accommodating of Warrick’s addition to their little family. The only one who had balked at the relationship had been her father, but she understood that he would always be uncertain of her choices in men, given her track record. However, once he saw how happy she was, and how Warrick looked after “his girls” Sam had finally come around.

When she entered the bedroom, he was standing in the doorway to their bathroom toweling off his head. Bare feet and wearing only a pair of workout pants, she stopped for a moment to admire the view as she leaned against the wall next to the door and leered for a moment longer. For many years, that was the only view of paradise she had the privilege of seeing, and seeing it now reminded her of all that wasted time. As she studied the well sculpted lines of the muscles across his back, she involuntarily sighed at the vision, causing him to turn and notice her welcome presence.

“Hey, that was fast.” He smiled at her and the warmth of that small gesture touched her all the way to her core. Tossing the towel into the hamper he walked to where she was standing and wrapped his arms around her before kissing her sweetly on the cheek. “No traffic?”

She returned the embrace, pulling him even closer so that she could feel the heat of his bare skin as it pressed into her. “Nah… I just used the lights and sirens.” He looked down at her with a disbelieving glare and she cracked a smile. “No… There wasn’t any traffic, but I took the side streets, too.”

He smiled at her admission and said, “Three times the mileage, half the time to get there. Ain’t that a shame?” He was shaking his head as he finished, then he turned her away from the closet she was beside, kissed her again (that time on the lips), winked and reached into the closet for a shirt.

She could have watched him dress, but decided the bed needed to be straightened up instead. As she was pulling the comforter back up to the head of the bed, she wondered how they had so quickly moved into such a comfortable and domestic relationship. She was leaning over into the middle of the king size bed, struggling to put the pillows into the right position, when she felt his hands close around her hips.

“Need a little help?”

When she turned around to see his expression, she had to laugh. “You keep that up, and it’ll ruin all this work I just did.” She stood back up and turned in his grasp so that she was facing him.

Before they could get any farther, there was someone else standing in the doorway, “Hey guys… Oh god… Can’t you at least wait until I leave?”

The looked at each other a moment longer and both of them mouthed, Teenagers.

“What did you need, Linds?” Catherine was the first to turn away and glare at her daughter.

“Just wanted to let you know Tiffany and her Mom are on their way, so I’m gonna bail on dinner, if that’s okay with you guys.” Catherine could see that Lindsey already had her backpack thrown over her shoulder.

She immediately turned to Warrick to find out what had changed about their quiet night. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender and said, “Sorry, I forgot… When they dropped her off this afternoon her Mom asked if Linds could spend the weekend with them out at the lake.”

“And I did my homework, except for some reading, but I’m taking that with me. Besides, Tiff and I are in the same English class and we were gonna get through it together, because we have a test on Monday.” Lindsey was practically begging by that point. “Plus, Warrick already told me that I can’t get into trouble, no boys without Mrs. Taylor around, and he has a friend with the park rangers so he’ll check in on me if he even THINKS I’m doing something wrong. Mom… He even called the guy this afternoon to tell him to watch out for me… Can you believe that?!” Lindsey was talking with the speed of light and Catherine struggled to keep up when they all heard the honking of a car horn.

Warrick used her confusion to leave her side and walk over to Lindsey as he grabbed his wallet off the nightstand. When he reached in to grab a couple of bills, Lindsey immediately tried to snag them from him, but he held it up and out of her reach. “Remember, this just is a loan against your allowance… So, don’t go gettin’ any bright ideas, Missy.”

He started to bring his hand down again, but when she reached for it he quickly raised it again, eliciting a standard teenage eye-roll for his efforts. “Okay, okay… Slave labor for a week, I get it.” She grabbed for the cash as soon as he brought it down within her reach and then she lurched at her mother to plant a quick kiss on her mother’s cheek. “Thanks Mom! Thanks ‘Rick!” She was halfway to the front door when she hollered back, “See ya Sunday night!”

Catherine was still in a state of shock at the scene she had just witnessed as Warrick leaned over to get an eye to eye look at her face. “Hey… You okay with this?”

Her mouth was hanging slightly agape when she finally came back to her senses. Shaking her head to clear away the last of the fog, she huffed and said, “I have no idea what just happened.” She looked up and saw apprehension on Warrick’s face and she had to admit that it only endeared him to her even more. “Did you just do what I think you did?”

“I went too far, huh?” He ran his hand over the side of his head and groaned. “I’m sorry, Cath, but the woman was there and I guess she thought I coul-”

Catherine reached up and put a finger over his lips to stop him from continuing. “Shhh…” She pressed her palms into his stomach and looked up into his eyes saying, “You did fine… Really.” Leaning her forehead into his chest she sighed and then said, “I’m just not used to having this, I guess.”

Warrick wrapped his heavy arms around her shoulders, pulling her in tightly and kissed the top of her head. “Having what?”

She smiled, turned her head to rest her cheek against his chest and sighed, “A partner?” They both chuckled at the statement within a question. “I’ve been doing this by myself for so long, Warrick… Even when Eddie and I were still together it was just me. So this…” She moved her hands over his chest, down his sides and wrapped her arms around his waist to hold him to her, “is all new to me.”

Slowly bringing his right hand across her back to her shoulder and then sliding it up her neck to her chin he pulled her gaze up to his. “Well, then I guess we both better get used to it, because I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

They would have stayed locked in the kiss that followed for some time, had the phone not started ringing. Catherine wound her arms up around his neck and said, “Let the machine get it.” And he smiled at her insinuation until they both heard Lindsey’s voice calling out from the answering machine.

“DON’T FORGET THE STOVE, YOU SEX MANIACS!”

Warrick squinted his eyes shut and grimaced as he turned away and went for the kitchen muttering, “Definitely your daughter.” Catherine was too busy falling back onto the bed in a fit of laughter as he trudged into the kitchen to say anything.

Chapter 19

19:30 – 2006.12.08

Grissom/Sidle Home

Consciousness was battering around inside his brain as he fought to stay asleep, but eventually Gil knew it was of no use when his bladder also started making its intentions known. As he painfully extricated himself from the soft and warm bed he noticed that there was not even a flicker of light coming through the window, which meant he at least got a decent amount of sleep for a change.

His mind was only vaguely aware of the actions of his body as he made his way into the bathroom without switching on a single light. Movement coming from pure instinct he made it through the motions and quickly dispensed with his most pressing physical needs.

Not even bothering to put on his robe and slippers, he shuffled out towards the kitchen in his pajamas and bare feet. The moment his feet came into contact with the cool, stone tile floor, Gil realized his error and had to fight the shiver that ran up his legs and into his back. That shiver managed to shake loose a yawn that overtook him and he had to rub his face with one hand to make the tingles go away.

That yawn had brought him fully into the land of the living and that was when he heard a soft, melancholy, acoustic melody wafting into the hallway from the living room. He stopped to try and identify it by the music, but then his ears picked up a wavering voice delivering the tender lyrics.

Words are flying out like
endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
are drifting through my open mind
Possessing and caressing me.

A sleepy smile played over his face as he listened to the Beatles sing the chorus. He smiled, because he had not wanted to get the “Let It Be… Naked” album, for fear it would tarnish his beloved memories of their music. But, as was often the case, Sara had led the way and purchased it for his last birthday, promising him that he would not regret it. And as was also a frequent occurrence, she was right. The stripped down tracks, straight from the recording studio had revealed a much different album, and though he may not have appreciated it in his youth, it was fast becoming his favorite now.

The words were so much crisper in this alternate version, and he also enjoyed that fact that he could share this music with Sara. She had remarked that she had bought it for him, but it was also to replace the disk she had worn out in her car from overuse and the Nevada heat.

When the next verse began, his smile widened as he realized how true those words were to his life at that moment.

Sounds of laughter, shades of life
are ringing through my open ears
exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe.

Making his way to the couch, he found Sara engrossed in a journal and softly murmuring the words of the song to herself, lit only by a single lamp. She was leaning her back against the arm of the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest as she read, and she was completely oblivious to his entrance. Or so he thought.

As he leaned down over her head to lay a kiss there, she looked up and smiled. Completely taken over in the moment, he kissed those smiling lips through their combined smiles.

“Mmmmm…” She wriggled up her nose a bit and added, “Morning breath.”

In another life, he might have taken offense to her comment, but in this one he knew she was just giving him grief. She dropped her feet to the floor as she turned to look at him. “And still in your pajamas?”

“Yes,” he turned and trudged into the kitchen for his coffee. “There is an order that must be maintained.”

She giggled at his comment, and the way he moved across the cold floor in his bare feet. “And that order would be?”

“Bathroom, Sara, coffee,” he poured the cup of waiting coffee and started his way back to the couch with the cup to his lips as he tried to bring on the day. He sat down beside her, he put an arm over her shoulders and then continued, “Sara, food, Sara, shower, and…”

“So, that makes me the intermission attraction in this routine?” She cocked her eyebrow as she snuggled into his shoulder.

“No, you’re pretty much the attraction all the time… But the human body cannot live on Sara alone.” She lifted her face to his and gave him a stronger kiss than their first one of the day. When she finally pulled away, his face morphed into a devilish glint. “But I might be convinced to test that theory.” He was rewarded with her own salacious grin.

“I take it you slept well?”

“Almost didn’t want to wake up, but…” He held her to his side a little tighter and said, “it was a little chilly in there.”

“Wait a minute, you were the one battling me over turning the thermost-” She was stopped in her tirade by the look on his face telling her that he was not referring to the temperature of the room, so much as the temperature of their bed. “Oh.” She blushed furiously and he felt a warmth spreading through his chest. It delighted him that he could still cause the blush to rise into her cheeks with his words and looks. “Well, you haven’t been sleeping well all week, so I thought I would let you sleep today.”

“Which I appreciate, but we have so much left to do before tomorrow that you should’ve gotten me up before now.”

She shrugged him off and reached out for the forensics journal on the coffee table and then leaned her back into his side to continue reading. “I already did the shopping.”

“What?” He was shocked at her initiative, but he also wondered just how late she had let him sleep. Squinting at the clock on the VCR and seeing that it was half past seven, he was relieved to know he had not slept the entire day away, but that raised another question. “How long have you been awake?”

She glanced at her watch and shrugged again, “Since two… I had an appointment this afternoon and I did the shopping when I got done. Picked up your package from the post office, put the groceries away and then I went to the gym with Warrick. Got back here a little before six, took a shower, fixed something to eat and then parked it on the couch until you showed up.”

The warmth that had started to spread through his chest grew as he listened to her recount the events of her day. He had never imagined that domesticity would agree with him in such a way, but that was just one of the many beautiful things he had come to love about his life with Sara. He took another sip from his coffee when a thought entered his mind. “Package?”

She chuckled at the boyish tone of his voice that came out with this question. “Yeah, from Amazon, so I hope they finally got you your latest werewolf DJ book, so you’ll stop whining about it.”

“Hey! I ordered it a month ago, and it still hadn’t gotten here and I’ve been dying to know what happens next.” Before he realized it he was sitting on the couch with a ridiculous pout on his face and Sara was laughing at him.

He put the coffee cup down on the table and got up from the couch in a flurry, dropping Sara onto her back with a THWUMP. “Hey!”

He quickly shuffled over to the breakfast bar, but he did not see the package and he turned to her. “Where is it?”

She was belly laughing by that point and he walked quickly back to the couch, nearly stubbing his toes on the coffee table as he launched at her. “Where is it?!” His hands were tickling at her sides and she was thrashing around atop the couch and giggling madly, gasping for air.

“Gil, stop, please HAHAHAHAHAHA, no stop, HEHEHEHEHE, oh god stop! HAHAHAHA I GIVE! UNCLE!!!” He stood up from the couch and looked down to see she was completely flushed from the tickle torture, her breathing coming in heaving gasps. When she started to calm down and had still not given him the location of the package he brought his hands up in a menacing gesture. “Nonononono… It’s right here.” He watched as she retrieved a small, wrapped rectangle from between the cushions of the couch.

She yelped as he snatched it from her grasp and then ripped through the wrapping before dropping back onto the couch. Seeing the book, he knew it was the one he had been waiting on, but ever the detective he wondered how it had gotten wrapped, since he surely had not ordered it gift wrapped for himself. “Sara?”

“Look inside.” She smiled in that way that always made him feel like a melted puddle of goo and he turned to the first page of the book; nothing. “Keep going.” He turned the next one and found the title page, but this time he noticed some writing just above the author’s name. When he looked over at her again, she was holding his glasses in her hand. “Go ahead… Read it.”

He put the glasses on and looked down upon the title page. Hand written above the author’s name was the following inscription:

Gil-

You must be a big fan to have someone

go to so much trouble to get my signature.

Enjoy it in good health!

Her signature followed the inscription and he nearly ruined the whole thing when a tear fell down his cheek onto the page. Fortunately it landed below the signature and he was able to dab it up. When he looked up at her that time, she placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. “I hope you aren’t mad… But I cancelled that order on Amazon.”

“I don’t u…”

“When I was talking to Thomas about trying to find out if there were any signings, he called a friend from college. Turns out he works at that publisher’s office, and he called in a couple favors to get her to sign it.” He drew her up into his embrace, and after a while, she managed to choke out. “I guess this means I’m forgiven for canceling the order?”

Pulling back, he nodded his head and said, “Something like that.”

“Oh , and Stephanie says ‘thanks a lot’ for getting her hooked on ‘em now, too.”

He laughed at the thought of Stephanie reading anything about werewolves, since the girl had long held an unnatural fear of canines almost since birth. “Now, THAT is funny.”

“Yeah, Thomas said it was pretty ironic, what with her not even able to be in the same room with a tea cup poodle.” He could feel her chuckling into his neck as she nuzzled in his embrace. Resting his chin on top of her head, he was not ready for her sudden jerk away from him. “So, if the aforementioned schedule holds true to form, then you are in need of some food?”

Taken aback by the speed of her actions, it took him a moment to respond. “Ah, yeah… Yes, that would be the next thing on the list.”

She jumped up from the couch and started towards the kitchen. “So, what are you in the mood for?”

“Oh, well… I’m not sure I really want any-” His mouth stopped working the moment he looked up to find her standing at the edge of the kitchen holding a very familiar white box and a delightful smile playing across her face. “Well, now that you mention it… I could go for one of those muffins.”

“More coffee?” The look on her face told him this was going to be a very good day off.

“Yes, please.”

When she reached the couch she had the carafe of coffee and the box of muffins from their favorite European bakery. After she set them down on the coffee table, she had her back to him and he was unable to resist the temptation it offered. Pulling her back onto the couch and into his arms, she yelped in surprise, but it was quickly stifled by his passion filled kiss.

“Mmmm… According to the list, food was supposed to come before that.” Her smile beamed up at him and he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. Sara was the only woman ever able to cause that particular reaction in him and he loved her all the more for it.

“Yes, well, I’m trying not to be so stuffy… Someone told me I had too many routines.” He winked at her and she laughed at his playful expression.

They settled in for a pleasant breakfast, as they leaned into each other and read from their respective materials. It was one of those quiet moments that they both appeared to enjoy whenever they could. Sara would lean her back into his side, usually with her knees drawn up to her chest, sideways on the couch as she read. He had been surprised by what a voracious reader she was, going through one or two books a week, in addition to at least a dozen different professional journals and three newspapers. It seemed that she was determined to never be behind the curve when it came to current events or her field.

However, there were two things that shocked him about her reading materials. One was the fact that she had never stopped her interest in theoretical physics, as she routinely corresponded with her old professor at Berkeley about a series of equations he was still working on. Of course, he also remembered the day he thought he would stump her by giving her a mathematical problem involving the melting time of a pile ice shaved from a hockey rink. When she worked the entire thing out, in her head, as they were standing in front of the pile shocked silence was all he could offer. The other item that he found intriguing was her wealth of knowledge when it came to the realm of prose. She seemed to know many of the French poets he had long admired, and gave him the names of a few others. She knew all the classics and showed him the world of the American Romantic Poets, but especially Edna St. Vincent Millay. He had, of course, come across some of her work in the past, but when she took down the woman’s biography from her bookshelf he was shown the vast and decadent world of the arts in the United States during the twenties and thirties and the one woman who seemed to always be in the center of that world. When he began to read her poetry again, it held new meanings for him and became unbelievably powerful. It was just one of the many wonders they had shared with one another during the course of their relationship.

With the muffins eaten, and after he had drained the last of the coffee from the carafe, his mind began to drift to their week. Normally, they would spend their last waking moments at the start of their weekend decompressing from the week, but he was late getting home because of his meeting and Sara had been through a very long week, so she had simply fallen asleep the moment she got home. Unconsciously, as he thought about the week, he heaved a deep sigh.

Sara closed up the journal she was reading and tossed it onto to the coffee table. When she scooted down the couch and threw her legs over the arm, he looked down to find her head lying in his lap and lips pursing into that quirky smile of hers. He gave her a sideways grin and set his book down on the couch. “Yes?”

“Don’t give me that… You’re the one who gave the ‘let’s talk’ signal.” Her quirky smiled moved straight into a smirk as Gil bowed his head at her observation.

“Am I really that transparent?”

“Only for someone that can see through you… So, what would you like to talk about?” He smiled that time, and laid his left arm over her midsection as his right hand involuntarily moved to stroke her hair.

“Well, I had that meeting yesterday…”

“And?”

“They caved on every single item.” He delighted in seeing the surprised look on her face with his statement.

“Even the ownership stuff?!”

He tilted his head to side and shrugged, “Essentially… Though he did say he would have to convince the board of trustees on that point, but he was very positive it could be done.” He smiled to himself with the memory of his meeting.

“Wow! So, we wouldn’t have to keep all your critters at the house after all?!”

He chuffed at her conclusion, “Is that all you care about?”

“No, of course not.” She took his hand into hers and held it up as she laced her thin fingers through his meaty ones. It looked as though she was comparing the differences in them, turning his hand over to see it from all angles. “I was just hoping to keep work and home from being the same place, ya know.” She looked up at him with a smirk, “I kinda like having you all to myself when we’re at home.”

He could not help smiling back at her, and then pulled his hand up to take hers to his lips. “Then I guess it’s settled… If they agree to all the terms, then we take it?”

Sara quickly sat up and whirled around to face him as she asked, “Since when do I get to make those kinds of decisions?!”

He laughed at her shock and reached out for her left hand, bringing it to his lips once again. “Since you put that on.” He watched as the blush rose up on her face with his suggestion.

“Well then, in this case… I’m going to defer to your judgment.”

He gave her the raise of his eyebrow as he said, “That would be setting a dangerous precedent.”

She leaned forward and then ducked to the side of his face, saying, “Oh yeah,” before sucking his earlobe into her mouth for a moment.

The sensation was enough to make him realize he was in a lot of trouble in the future.

“Huh?” He was rewarded with her giggle in the same ear and then she pulled away with a smile on her face.

She got up off the couch and took the breakfast items off of the coffee table, walking towards the kitchen she called over her shoulder, “So, what all did they offer you?”

“Writing the graduate program curriculum, associate selection, office, fully funded laboratory, and lots of little minions to do my bidding… Pretty much the brass ring.” He realized he was actually pleased with himself over the whole situation. He was about to be an accredited fellow of the Jeffersonian, a tenured academic and a pure scientist. It was like heaven on earth for a man like he used to be. And the man he had become was happy that he could continue his work and still stay close to his family. It truly was the best of both worlds.

Hearing the water running in the kitchen snapped him out of his musings and he chuckled as he looked at his watch. “I think that has to be a record or something.”

She called out from the kitchen, “What?”

“You made it almost a whole hour before you had to put those dishes in the dishwasher.”

When she spun around to glare at him from the kitchen, he knew he had gotten her. “Hush you.”

He got to his feet, looked down, and realized he was still in his pajamas. “Shaking his head he thought, What would my mother say? That thought reminded him of something. “I forgot to tell you… I talked to my mother this morning, and she is not going to be here for two weeks, like she planned.”

“Why not?”

He walked towards the kitchen to stop the hollering through the expansive room. “She had forgotten about a gallery show that she had arranged for this month, and so she won’t be here until Christmas Eve.”

“That sucks… I was hoping she could look at a few of those neighborhoods we were thinking about.” He moved even closer, as he stood directly behind her at the counter. “Since we won’t have all the creepy crawlies around, we might actually be able to convince her to stay with us in the near future.” She rocked her hips and bumped into him with her backside to tease him a little further.

“I still don’t understand that one… I had them all when I was a boy and she never said a word.” Gil moved to the side as she nudged him out of the way while she wiped down the sink and counters.

“I’m sure there was more to it, Gil… I mean, it was probably quieter at Steph and Thomas’ place.”

His face turned into a question as he looked for the answer to that comment, “I don’t understand how that could be tr-” He stopped when he saw the raised eyebrow on her face and then it suddenly dawned on him. “Oh… Right, quieter.” His cheeks felt warm and he had to look down at the floor, which was when he remembered he was not only in his pajamas, but he his feet were bare. In response to being seen, his toes wiggled up into the air to greet him.

“So, how was your week?”

Sara shrugged and let out a sigh as she answered, “For me? It wasn’t so bad, but I’m a little worried about Nicky.”

“Yeah, I got the distinct impression that he had not smoothed things over with Dr. Desmaiseaux when I saw her this morning.”

“I didn’t know you were meeting with her, too.” Sara continued her tidying up as she spoke.

“Yeah, she’s about to publish a report that I’ve been keen on getting a look at, and she was kind enough to offer me a preview and a glimpse of her source data.” He scooted up to the top of the counter when she came at his feet with the Swiffer. “It’s fairly compelling stuff, in terms of its consequences to the field of entomology and anthropology. My colleague in D.C. told me about the work when I asked her about the good doctor.”

“Did she say anything about the scene with Nick?”

“No… In fact, there was a conspicuous lack of even mentioning his presence, even when she commented about you. Which, by the way, she was very impressed with you, my dear.” His smirk told her that he felt a certain amount of pride in that knowledge.

“Well, I am an impressive woman.” There was a dangerous glint in her eyes as she spoke.

“No arguments here.” He winked at her and she went back to cleaning the floor. “Anyway, she was going to take your report out to the site this weekend and go over it to see if she could shed some light on your primary.”

“Oh good… I forget to even ask Nick what she had said when he went back out there. I got so wrapped up in the maps and video last night.” Sara was removing the cleaning pad from the floor mop as she spoke.

“Well, hopefully she’ll have something for you on Monday.” Gil leaned back against the cabinet and thought about what he still had to do that week. “And since neither of us has brought it up yet… What do we have left to do for tomorrow?”

“Well, I’ve already cleaned up, Thomas and Carter are bringing over the table thing and the chairs, and I did the shopping this afternoon…” She looked around to see if it would give her any clues about any additional cleaning there, but she found none. “So, other than getting up early and cooking, the only thing left is to drop the bombs and hope to hell the nuclear winter doesn’t take too long… Oh! And you need to go get the dry cleaning… I didn’t get to that today.”

He laughed and shook his head at the jumble of details she had offered up to him. “So, you left me the easy stuff?”

“Hey, I’ve already had to traipse around the desert and break it to Nick that he’s a sexist and a bimbo junkie, I think the least you can do is handle the rest.” She sank back into the door of the fridge with her last statement.

“Well, it was about time someone did.” Sara shrugged at his offhand comment. “I just can’t believe no one has really called him on it before.”

“Steph, but that’s just how she is, I guess.”

“True, but he still managed to charm his way out of that one, mostly.” Gil shook his head in disgust. “I suppose I can’t really fault him, it was the way he was brought up, and he doesn’t do anything overtly sexist with malice, but I can see where someone like Dr. Desmaiseaux would bristle at his behaviors. And though he has come a long way, he still has some work to do if he’s going to get away from his past.”

The smirk on Sara’s face as she shook her head intrigued him. “What’s that about?”

“Oh nothing… I was just thinking, how bizarre it is that we both think so much of Nick, even with his faults.”

“It is the mark of true friendship… Otherwise, you’d have given up on me a long time ago.” The corners of her mouth turned up at his remark and he had to look down at his dangling, bare feet to break the trance. “So…” He hopped down from the counter, “Since I have to get the dry cleaning, I suppose I should put on something other than pajamas, and perhaps take a shower.”

“That might be a good idea.”

As he was about to pass her on his way out of the kitchen, he leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. Walking away, he glanced at the calendar on the side of the fridge and noted the date which reminded him of something. “Do you need me to pick up your prescription when I grab the dry cleaning?”

Sara had already moved on to tidying the dining room when she asked, “What prescription?”

He stopped his path down the hall and turned to respond, “Well, the drugstore is right next to the cleaners and since Sunday will be the tenth, don’t you need your monthly refill.”

Sara regarded him with scrunched up eyebrows. “I’m lost. I don’t have a prescription due.”

“Sara… Your birth control?” He was a little agitated that she had somehow forgotten.

“OH!” She had a funny look on her face, and then screwed up her smile when she said, “I thought I told you… I had an appointment this afternoon.”

He felt slightly embarrassed by her answer, knowing that he had obviously not been paying enough attention to her when he woke up. “I’m sorry… So, you have something else? Did you tell me you were switching?”

She reached for a small bag that had been sitting on top of the refrigerator and placed it behind her back as she sauntered over to him with a salacious expression over her face. “Well, actually, I think you were the one who’s been suggesting the change.”

“Okay, now I am confused, because I honestly do not recall-” He stopped talking when she reached him at the entrance to the hallway, and raised her eyebrow as she brought the paper bag to the front to hand it to him.

He held it a moment, almost afraid to look inside, but he had no idea why. She smiled and said, “Though, I may have to go back to the store, since your mother isn’t going to be here as long.” That comment sent his curiosity soaring well over his apprehension and he opened the bag to view the contents.

Not being able to believe his eyes, he blinked twice, and then looked back up into Sara’s waiting gaze. She tipped her head down to peer inside the bag and then looked back into his eyes. Gil shook his head and asked, “I don’t understand… Are you okay?”

She smiled brightly and it looked like she was trying to stifle a giggle. “Oh yeah, perfectly fine: head to toe.” When his face began to wrinkle up with his lack of understanding she finally burst with a laugh. “Oh, don’t worry so much, the doctor said we only had to do that for a month or so, until all the other stuff works its way out of my system.”

He reached into the bag and pulled out one of the boxes of condoms and said, “So, why these?”

Sara gave him a look of obviously mock surprise and said, “Oh, I’m sorry… I thought you were the one who wanted to start this thing… But if you’ve changed your mind, I can just stay on the pill and we’ll forget all about kids.” Sara grabbed the bag away from him with a devilish grin on her face and turned as she pretended to walk away.

His mind exploded with understanding in that instant and he grabbed for her and the bag, at the same time. “Oh, no you don’t!” He had her wrapped into his arms as she was laughing and smiling so brightly he thought there was a sun in his grasp. Turning her around, he was so overcome with joy he was incapable of speech in that moment. This was just the thing that was going to make the next day worth it all. His future was now as bright as the smile he was attempting to kiss off her face, and he knew his routine was completely shot for the day as they staggered back to the bedroom.