Title: Cliche
By: sarcasticsra
Summary: Public enemies, private lovers. How cliche.
Pairing: Ecklie/Grissom
Rating: PG
A/N: Thanks to Kelly for the uh, read-through? =P

Conrad Ecklie wasn't exactly sure when it started. All he remembered was one day, he was at a bar, having a drink, alone, and then all of a sudden, Gil Grissom was sitting across from him. It had been a little weird, as if they were different people away from the lab. It ended up turning into a weekly thing - whenever their days off overlapped.

They were enemies, always clashing, got along like a house on fire - everyone knew that. What, exactly, was it that had brought them together, sitting in near silence, wondering, drinking, and surprisingly, enjoying the company?

Maybe it was the need to sit with someone who didn't have any attachment, someone who didn't care enough to pry. At least, that was how it started it out. It had developed into more.

Here they were, Conrad Ecklie and Gil Grissom, both middle-aged men, Assistant Director and supervisor of the graveyard shift to one of the best damn crime labs in the country, respectively, carrying on a secret affair. It was laughable.

They kept up their facade at work - it wouldn't do for anyone to get suspicious - but their dynamic had clearly changed.

Public enemies, private lovers.

Ecklie smirked. How cliche. And yet, he enjoyed it. The act in front of their co-workers was fun, and they had mellowed in their disagreements after what was called "the incident" between Conrad and Gil. Ecklie and Grissom didn't talk about it. They were still enemies.

Someday, Conrad knew he would tire of the charade. One day, he would want to be able to tell Grissom how Ecklie really felt about him - and in public, too. There would be a time when he wouldn't want to play a role, or hold up an act. But for now, it was all right. For now, it was fun, and it made him feel, dare he think it, young again.

For now, he was content. They both were.

And that's what mattered.

-End