Title: The Day Before You
Author: msmaggs
Pairing: Nick/Greg & Gil/Sara & Catherine/Warrick
Rating: R
Summary: In a lab full of rats and investigative geniuses, it's hard to keep a secret. They all think they know the truth, but does anyone really have ALL the answers?
***
Chapter 1: Family MattersWalking into the grocery store with his partner, Nick said, "This was a good call stoppin' here. I'm beat, and once we get home, I won't want to leave, but I know we don't have any food."
Greg patted his belly. "I ate a ton at dinner, but I'm starving again. I guess I'm still in a calorie-deficit from kayaking, hiking and sex. I bet I lost five pounds this week."
"You're already too skinny," Nick remarked while grabbing a cart. Moving close, he joked, "Lose any more and I won't have anything to grab when I'm behind ya."
"It's good that you're joking around and still feeling comfortable with me even though we're back in Vegas. I was afraid you'd panic as soon as we crossed the state line and go back to your old denial-filled self, making me stay ten feet away at all times."
"No PDAs, but I'm cool talkin' to each other about stuff in public…as long as we're not near anyone we know."
"Hey, how do we want to handle the money situation now that we're a couple?"
"Yeah, I guess we have to think about that," Nick remarked as he strolled for the condom aisle to stock up on their favorites.
"I'm not just your roomie anymore, so I don't want to pay you rent and keep our food separate. We should just make it easy and split everything fifty-fifty."
"Yeah, but I can't have you payin' half my mortgage without havin' any ownership. What if somethin' happened to me? You'd have no rights to the place even though you've been payin' in. It would go to my parents the way I have it set up now." Stopping in front of the prophylactic display, Nick scratched his head. "I'm gonna have to change the paperwork and stuff."
"Hey, maybe we should just buy a new place together. I have that money from my dad. If I don't invest a chunk of it, I'll get killed on taxes. We could sell your place and buy a nice house together, one with a private backyard and a Jacuzzi, so we could hot tub naked after work." Tossing jumbo packs of Trojan Twisted Pleasure into their cart, Greg enthused, "I think it's a great idea, what about you, Cletus?"
"I love the idea, G, especially the naked hot tubbing." Nick threw four bottles of lube into the cart. "But how the hell are we gonna explain buyin' a house together when we're not together?"
Greg's excitement faded. "I guess it would look kind of weird."
Pushing the cart toward the frozen food section, Nick pondered the problem.
"We could refinance your mortgage with me matching your investment, so it's fifty-fifty ownership on the townhouse. It would also drastically reduce the monthly payment too, so we'd both have a lot more of our paychecks left over."
"Yeah, but we're still losin' out on the naked hot tubbing. And all joking aside, I like the idea of havin' a private backyard, because then we could get a dog…or a Cambodian orphan," he laughed.
"Hold up."
"I was kiddin' about the Cambodian orphan." Nick stopped in front of the ice cream section to clarify his thoughts. "I thought you liked dogs though."
"I do. Honestly, I might even like a Cambodian orphan or some other kind of kid in the very distant future."
"Really?" Nick remarked in surprise. "I didn't think you wanted kids. I guess we've never talked about it for real, so..."
"That's my point here!" Sweetly laughing, Greg pointed to his bracelet. "Of course we haven't talked about this stuff in great detail. We've officially been together for less than a week and we had a lot of catching up to do in the sack. There was no time for talking. I figured the serious talking would come after we got over the new relationship hyper-sexual phase, which I'm personally not planning to get over for at least three or four months, because I'm still pent up from my prolonged hard-up phase." He put it in Nick terms, "All I'm saying is, I didn't think we'd be expanding our family so soon after getting engaged."
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Nick leaned in and quietly said, "The truth is, couples are supposed to talk about this stuff before they get engaged. Because how can they get engaged to be married without knowin' they have the same picture of the future?"
"Wow…is that thirty-sixth birthday on the horizon making your biological clock tick all of a sudden?" When Greg saw his partner fluster, he grabbed a gallon of frigid ice cream and handed it over. "Chill out, cowboy. I'm on the same page, but I'm in no rush to get there and I don't think the frozen food section of Albertson's is a good setting for a serious conversation. For the record though, I'm totally cool with getting a dog soon."
"Are you sure? Because we can't divide a dog if things don't work out and I get real attached to pets."
"I'll have my Dad's lawyer draw up a pre-nuptial pet custody agreement granting you sole custody if..."
Nick stuffed his hands on his hips in frustration. "Why are you bein' such a smart ass about this? It's serious."
Greg heatedly whispered, "Because I'm not worried, that's why! I know I want to be with you today and twenty years from now, so I don't need a frickin' pet custody agreement. In my head, the damn dog that we don't even have yet, is going to die while we're still together."
"Oh."
"What's wrong now, Cletus?" Greg sighed, when he saw his partner grow more distraught instead of less.
"I'm sad that our dog is gonna die."
"The dog we don't have yet?"
Nick cleared the emotion from his throat. "Yeah."
"Holy shit. I so totally love you," Greg confessed as his eyes lit up. "I mean I knew that, but…wow. We're getting a dog. And our dog is going to die while we're together and our daughters Chanthavy and Sokhanya are going to cry and want to bury him in the backyard."
Cracking a huge grin, Nick said, "Chanthavy and Sokhanya?"
"They mean 'beautiful moon angel' and 'peaceful lady' in Cambodian. My mother told me that when she yanked my chain earlier showing me photographs of her prospective grandkids." Greg laughed, "At least I think she was kidding, but she also gave me a brochure on Rosie's gay family cruise, so maybe not."
After a shared laugh, Nick said, "Wanna buy a house together, G? So we can get a dog soon and maybe somethin' else a few years from now?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I do." The warmth of Greg's smile thawed the frozen food around him. "I'll come up with a good story to tell everyone."
"Okay." Nick felt the last drop of tension leave his body. "I'll spend my two weeks off workin' with a realtor."
"Great." Reaching out, Greg patted his cheek. "You looked a little pale there for a minute. Are you feelin' better?""
"Much." The crisis of confidence suddenly felt silly. "Thanks for puttin' up with my stupid panic attacks."
"It's not…shit." Greg yanked his hand off Nick's cheek and straightened up. "Mandy at nine o'clock."
"Dammit!"
"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment and forgot where we were."
"Do you think she saw you touchin' me?"
"I don't know." Greg whispered, "Just follow my lead."
"Hey, you two!" Mandy hid the pack of Energizer batteries she was holding and forced a cheery tone. "I'm just here to get some Chunky Monkey. Pretty pathetic on a Saturday night, huh? Yeah, just me and a pint of ice cream. I was hanging out with Wendy earlier, but she had a date…everyone has a date, but me apparently." She felt her cheeks flush. "I knew you saw me, so I didn't want to walk away without saying hi. I feel terrible for interrupting what looked like a…um…very personal moment." When her gaze landed on a cart full of condoms and lube, her discomfort grew. "You know what, I have an idea. Let's pretend this meeting never happened. If you guys don't tell anyone I was here buying ice cream for one on my Saturday night off, then I promise not to…"
"Can you give us a minute, Nick?" Greg blurted.
"Yeah, you bet." Breaking into a sweat, Nick rushed away with the cart full of sex supplies. Of all the grocery stores in Clark Friggin' County, she had to come into mine! When he got to the next aisle, he tossed in random items to cover the Trojans and Astroglide.
Five minutes later, Greg found his panicked lover standing in front of the Antacid display. "We're cool. I cleared everything up."
"Really?"
"Yeah, she totally believes we're not together."
"How'd you convince her?" Nick asked as his breathing slowed.
"I told her you were having an emotional moment of self-doubt about your job and I was assuring you that everything would be fine. Then I saw all the condoms and lube in the cart and was counseling you that womanizing your way around Vegas having rough sex with loose women wasn't a good strategy for working out your personal demons."
"That's all it took to convince her?"
"That and…um…I asked her out on a date."
"You what? Are you out of your god damn mind? You're not allowed to date women!"
"Shhhh!" Greg reminded his loud mouth partner. "She's still here."
"A date? What kind of a dumb ass plan is that?" Nick snapped.
"It's a great plan. We'll go out on one date and it'll suck, so she won't want a second one. When everyone finds out that we dated and I'm a loser, my geek hetero status will be preserved and everyone will resume thinking I'm single because I'm pathetic. Then all you have to do is keep up your womanizing bravado act. With me being a dork and you being a commitment-phobic man-ho, it makes perfect sense that we'd buy a house together, because neither of us will be getting married."
"I don't know, I have a bad feelin' about this plan, G."
"Why? What could go wrong?" When Greg saw Mandy waving to him from the end of the aisle, he returned the gesture. "You worry too much, Cletus."
When Mandy turned the corner, she grabbed her cell phone and sent a text message to Wendy...
Met Greg at Albertson's.
He asked me out!
Will you be my Maid of Honor?
Imagine how smart our little geek babies will be!
When Sara emerged from the shower she wiped the moisture from the bathroom mirror and grabbed her toothbrush. "It's just you and me, Bruno," she yelled into the bedroom. "Want to keep me company while I catch up on what I Tivo'd?"
Gil had insisted on going into the lab for a few hours to get a jump start on paperwork. He also thought it would be good for him to be seen alone and crabby to squelch any rumors that Hodges might have started. Her plan was to drop a few anti-Grissom comments over the next few days to throw the nosy lab rat off their trail. In no time he'd be back to believing it was Greg that had the hots for her, not Grissom.
"Bruno!" Cinching her robe, she padded into the bedroom. "What the…" The dog's brand new $150 pet bed was covered in vomit. "Bruno! What did you do?" As she moved closer, the happy hound approached wagging his tail. "What did you eat while I was in the shower?"
Rather than waiting for the dog to speak, the trained CSI examined the evidence. "Oh, shit." Her heart pounding in her chest, she rushed from the room and when she reached the home office, her worst fears were confirmed, "You ate the roaches. I can't believe you ate the roaches! And not just any roaches, the prize-winning Madagascars." Her hand over her gaping mouth, Sara turned to look at the guilty party. "This is bad." She shook her finger. "You're a bad dog, Bruno!"
Sensing a change in his owner's tone, the pooch hung his head and whimpered for forgiveness.
"Don't do that. That's so pathetic." Feeling terrible for yelling, Sara walked over and gave the errant dog a neck rub. "It's not your fault; you didn't know the rules, and we should have pet-proofed the house." Taking a seat next to him, she quietly shared, "My first week in foster care, I broke a lot of rules, not on purpose, I just didn't know the rules of normal living. When you grow up with alcoholic parents, you don't know that it's wrong to eat potato chips for breakfast or go three days without brushing your teeth. You have to be told to brush twice a day and be shown the box of Cheerios, you know? I'm sorry." She hugged the obviously repentant Boxer tight. "I'll smooth things over with the Bugman, okay?" After kissing her pet's face, she rose to her feet. "But first, I'm going to try and salvage your pet bed. I think the suede cover comes off and is hand washable."
Looking at all the laundry they had piled in the hallway, Nick grumbled, "This is the worst part of comin' home from a vacation, isn't it? Even the stuff you didn't wear you gotta wash, because it smells damp from the ocean."
"I'll get it all done tonight," Greg offered. "I have to do something to stay awake, so I can sleep during the day tomorrow and get back on track for working nights. You sort it, I'll do it. How's that?"
"I'm gonna have plenty of time to do laundry while you're workin' tomorrow."
Greg glanced over. "Do you have an alternative strategy for keeping me awake tonight?"
After removing the shirt he was wearing and tossing it in the pile, Nick said, "Remember how hot that shower was at the hotel? We couldn't take showers on the boat, because it was too small, but my master suite has a double-wide stall with two heavy-duty massaging shower heads."
"Mmm." Greg yanked off his t-shirt. "Everyone knows that two heads are better than one." He pressed his bare chest to his lover's. "I bought some Irish Spring soap at the store earlier and put it on your bathroom counter. If you wash my back," he said with his lips grazing Nick's ear, "I'll wash yours."
"You've got yourself a deal," Nick rasped back before initiating a lusty kiss and guiding their lip-locked bodies into his room. "Mmm." When they were tugging at each other's Levi's, he asked, "Do we need any other supplies besides Irish Spring?"
"No, let's just recreate our first time frottage experience." In his lover's ear, Greg confessed, "Truthfully, I'm still a little sore from pushin' the envelope this morning, so steer clear of my backdoor, okay? Totally my fault, not yours, before you go and get all tense and guilt-ridden."
"I wasn't gonna take any of the blame," Nick assured him. "I know it's not my fault." He started laughing, "You're the impatient horny little bastard who controls the shots. I'm just the sexy hot boy toy who does what he's told and happily lets you impale yourself on his girth."
Greg laughed all the way to the shower. "Wow! This stall really is huge. You could have a very comfortable three-some in here."
"Good thing too, since you're dating now." Nick opened the box of Irish Spring he had tossed on his bathroom counter earlier. "Though I can't imagine sweet little Mandy gettin' her freak on with us."
As Mandy stood at the sink sterilizing her rabbit vibrator with a Scientist's accuracy, she wondered if it would be wrong to go to bed with Greg on the first date. After spending so many Saturday nights with a synthetic man who couldn't hold or kiss her, she was desperate to share her sheets with the red-blooded geek who could make her juices flow with one dorky glance.
Looking down at her comfy sweat pants and Cal Poly t-shirt, she realized a trip to Victoria's Secret would be necessary. She'd even push past her fear of purchasing the fire-engine red lace thong she always admired when browsing the underwear section.
"You only have one chance at a first impression, Mandy Lynn Webster. If you want Greg to fall in love with you, you're going to have to go all out. This is no time to play it safe!"
"Careful, G!" Nick burst out laughing when his overzealous partner almost slipped and fell while trying to rise from his knees. "I wouldn't want you to break that sweet little ass of yours."
"I'm sure." Greg accepted Nick's helping hand and rose to his feet. "Are you up for returning the favor or would you rather just give me a hand?"
"To quote my first Little League coach, the only way to get better at somethin' is to hone your skills on a regular basis." The eager boyfriend moved in for a possessive kiss.
"Is it weird kissing me right after?" Greg asked with a curious lilt when their lips parted. "Some guys don't like to..."
"I always kissed girls after." With his fingers threaded in his lover's wet hair, Nick snatched a second, lustier smooch. "Oh, sorry…does it bother you?"
"Hell no, it turns me on."
"Of course it does, ya little perv." Nick winked. "Okay, stand right there." He positioned his lover's body. "Hold onto the towel rack though, because the sensation of both streams of water hittin' me while crashin' over the edge made me a little weak in the knees."
While gripping the metal bar, Greg studiously said, "As a scientist, I just want to say that I'm fully supportive of this intense experimentation phase."
Sitting on the closed toilet, Mandy carefully re-read the instructions on the home waxing kit she had purchased months ago but never used. "Remove wax immediately after spreading." Although she was terrified of the imminent pain, the never-lucky-in-love woman knew that men liked the waxed look and she was determined to go through with the tortuous process. No matter how much it hurt, it would be worth it when she was walking down the aisle in the gown of her dreams.
"It's a little pain in exchange for a lifetime of pleasure," she said like a mantra as she spread the wax. "No pain, no gain." With a shaky hand she picked up the cloth sheet and smoothed it over the wax-covered area. "The future Mrs. Mandy Webster-Sanders can do this!" After a deep breath, she yanked on the cloth and released a shriek that rattled the perfume bottles on the counter. "Oh! OH! OH!" While gasping for air, she wondered if lesbians minded excess body hair. "Damn, that hurt."
When she could finally see straight again, she glanced down and saw that she had a long way to go. "What? All that pain for a square inch of hair!" She swore her cats were laughing at her. "Being a girl stinks."
"This reeks," Sara groaned while scraping roach and dog food vomit off the pet bed cover. "You're lucky you have a mom who can handle rough smells, Bruno." Suddenly she realized the dog was no longer in the room. "Bruno?"
The happy-go-lucky pooch came trotting into the laundry room wagging his tail.
"Stay here, okay." Just as Sara was about to return to prepping the cover for washing, she noticed what appeared to be little beads stuck in the corner of Bruno's mouth. "What did you eat now?" She crouched down and slipped into the role of Trace Tech. "What are these things?"
When the CSI glanced up, she saw a trail of small beads leading down the hall. "What the…" As she followed the evidence her trepidation grew. "This doesn't look good." Her suspicions worsened when the dog took off in the opposite direction. "You didn't."
Unfortunately, he had.
"You ripped open your deluxe microbead-filled orthopedic bed." She recreated the crime in her head. "And while it was torn in your mouth, you shook it violently, catapulting little microbeads everywhere. All one million of them." Sara plopped onto the bed. "Should have bought that doggie crate." The Petsmart salesman had told them that crates weren't punishment, but a safe haven for dogs who are sometimes scared in a large house and prone to get into mischief that could accidentally result in injury or death. "I wonder if the 24-hour Wal-Mart around the corner sells crates?"
Walking out of Nick's bathroom with a towel around his waist, Greg said, "I'll stay up for twenty-four hours, go to bed at nine am, and wake up at seven. That should work." He crashed onto his partner's heavenly bed. "I've fantasized about sleeping on this cloud, so many times, I'm sure I'll sleep like a baby when the time comes."
"Uh, I don't think you bein' in my bed with me is a good idea," Nick remarked when he saw Greg toss his towel and duck under the covers.
"Why not?" It made no sense.
"Because my mom bought me the bed and the bedding." Tension seeped into the Texan's voice. "It's kinda like havin' sex with you under her roof, ya know? Disrespectful."
"Oh." Greg bolted up. "Yeah, I get what you're saying."
"Sorry."
"It's no big deal."
Watching his partner reluctantly leave the bed, Nick felt ridiculous. "What about this…we sleep in my room, but we fool around in yours? That way I don't feel disrespectful and we don't have to change the sheets after sex. We can just zip across the hall to sleep in the comfy bed and then we'll deal with the housekeepin' in your room when we wake up. What do you think? I think it's a win-win."
"It's great idea." Greg backed into the arms of the man who was still adjusting to his sexuality and sighed, "I'd rather sleep on the hardwood floor in your arms than go back to sleeping alone again."
"Aww." Nick embraced his lover, resting his chin on his shoulder. "I think my romantic nature might be rubbin' off on you, G."
"I know my craziness is rubbing off on you." Greg dropped to a soulful whisper, "That's good, isn't it? We're balancing each other out. You calm me down, I push you out of your comfort zone."
"I love it." The sentimental cowboy brushed a kiss over his partner's cheek. "I love you." Strengthening his hold, he shared, "It was great bein' on vacation with you, but I'm glad we're home startin' this next part of our lives. The plannin' for the future we did at the grocery store was fun. It feels great to have a future with someone, to have things to look forward to experiencin' together."
"What kind of dog do you want?" Greg asked, savoring the embrace and the joy of partnership. "Not a puppy, right? We should get one from a shelter, don't you think?"
"Definitely. People toss out perfectly good dogs every day."
"What about kids?"
"People toss them out too," Nick sadly replied. "We see that all the time."
"If we did the kid thing some day, do you think that's the route you'd want to go? Or would you want to do the surrogate method, so it's really yours?"
"I can't imagine the two of us taking care of a baby, can you?"
"Definitely not the breast feeding part, no." After a laugh together, Greg said, "I'm 110 confident that we could get my mom to pitch in with a baby in the beginning."
"Yeah, I believe that." What Nick couldn't believe was that his dreams of being a father could be a reality. It was thrilling.
"I don't know," Greg confessed, "I can't really picture me as a dad yet. Every once in a while I think it's something I want eventually, but I guess I'm not mentally there yet. My clock's not ticking and I still feel like a kid sometimes. What about you?"
"Holidays back in Dallas are when it hits me hard. Every single one of the sisters and my brother has kids. I look at them together while I'm sitting by the Christmas tree alone and yeah it's stupid, but…I feel little less important. I guess it's another one of those things I'm just programmed to believe is true." Rhythmically stroking Greg's arm, he shyly admitted, "The only other time I've ever felt an overwhelming urge is when I'm with Cassie. Like when I went to career day at her school because she didn't have a daddy. It was such a rush. I cried in my truck on the way home from there, partly because I was happy that I made that little girl's day, but mostly because I thought I'd never get to do it for real. If Social Services had called that day and said 'Would you adopt her, Mr. Stokes?', I would have jumped at the chance. It was that bad, G." Getting choked up, he said, "To answer your question, based on how I felt in that classroom with Cassie, it doesn't have to be my biological child. Kids love people who love them. They're easy to please. That's what breaks my heart when I see people treatin' 'em so bad. And there are so many being treated badly and abandoned. It kills me."
"I know." Greg turned just as Nick's first tear drop fell. "You're a good guy living in a shitty world and it brings you down, but from now on, I'm here to lift you right back up." He held him tight. "And for the record, I think any kid that gets you for a dad will be hitting the jackpot. I'll just be the goofball who teaches them how to swipe cookies before dinner and open and reseal their Christmas gifts without getting busted."
"You really do that?" Nick glanced up wiping his eyes. "But that ruins the surprise."
"No it doesn't. You're just surprised a little sooner than planned."
Before Nick could reply, the doorbell rang. "Speakin' of surprises, who could that be?"
"It's probably Tish, lookin' for a squish from her favorite cowboy." Greg gave his partner a reassuring hug. "That was a really nice talk."
"It was."
"To be continued." Greg snatched a kiss. "I'll throw on some pants and answer the door."
"Honey!" Grissom walked in the front door and tossed his briefcase. "I decided to work from home." When he didn't get a reply, he headed for their home office. "Sara?" His eyes popped when he saw his brand new roach habitat was destroyed and his prize winning Madagascars were nowhere to be found. "Sara?"
As the panicked Entomologist rushed down the hall, he saw a mess of small white beads. "What the…" His bedroom was covered in them. "SARA!" Fear flooded him as his mind jumped to the worst conclusions, but then he saw the ripped up pet bed and quickly surmised that the crimes had been committed by their new dog, not a vicious kidnapper. "Should have bought her a diamond ring." After a labored sigh, he headed for the medicine cabinet to pop some preventative migraine medication. "Wake me up from this nightmare."
"I'm Nicky's sister, Eileen," the conservatively dressed woman standing in the doorway announced while staring at the man she assumed was her brother's co-worker and roommate.
"Is he expecting you?" Greg asked while trying not to panic. "Because he didn't mention…"
"I talked to him a few days ago and asked him if I could stay. He said yes, but before I got to give him the specifics one of my kids got hurt and I had to end our call. He's not answered my calls or emails since. The whole family was terribly worried when I told them. Mama called the lab, but Nicky's boss was out of town. Instead, she spoke to a woman named Judy. At first she wouldn't say anything, citin' it was confidential, but when Mama went hysterical, the woman shared that Nicky had been forced to take some time off because he had accrued too much vacation. Do you know where he went and when he'll be back? If it's not for a while, I'll have to find a hotel I suppose."
Just as Greg was about to suggest the Comfort Inn down the road, Nick's voice boomed from down the hall.
"Who was it, G?"
"Nicky! It's your sister!" Eileen shouted as she barged her way inside. "For Heaven's sake, you had us worried sick!"
Standing naked in the hallway, the stunned brother rushed to cover his privates. "Oh shit."
"My thoughts exactly," Greg muttered.
"Good Lord, Nicky! Put some clothes on!" Eileen whirled around, putting her back to him. "I can't believe you're still runnin' around in your birthday suit like you're four years old. If God intended for us to be naked he wouldn't have put fig leaves in the Garden of Eden." Seeing her brother's bare-chested roommate, she politely said, "And I'm sorry, but while I'm stayin' here, I'd like to request that you keep a shirt on, young man. I'm a forty-three year old married woman and it isn't proper to be in a room with a half-naked bachelor."
"Sorry, where are my manners." Greg hustled over to grab a t-shirt from the laundry pile in the hallway. And things were going so well.
While Gil was in the kitchen taking a break from vacuuming microbeads to drink a glass of ice water he heard keys in the front door. Only a half-million beads to go. This is what it must be like to be Greg when I give him those shitty assignments. As he placed his empty glass on the counter, the door opened.
"Hey," Sara greeted, surprise resonating in her voice. "Is everything okay? You said you were going to stay at the lab until three am."
"I brought a stack of paperwork home with me instead." With his eyes locked on Bruno the Destructor, he said, "Someone had a busier night than me from the looks of things around here."
"Ripping his bed wasn't the only travesty I'm afraid."
Gil moved his glare to Sara. "He ate my roaches, didn't he?"
"Technically, no. He didn't swallow."
"It's still murder," the CSI huffed. "What did you do with the bodies?"
"Oh." Sara flustered. "Did you want to bury them or something?"
"I have a roach graveyard at the body farm. I carve little tombstones for each one that passes." When he saw his significant other struggling with the revelation, he sighed, "I'm kidding. I was only asking if you found the bodies so we could account for all of them. As we know, they run very fast, odds are he didn't get all of them when he tipped the tank."
"Oh great." Sara immediately felt her skin crawling and heard the pitter-patter of tiny roach feet. "They're probably in our bed by now."
"No, they'll prefer somewhere dark and damp."
"You can't blame Bruno," Sara stated in defense of her pooch. "He probably thought it was a giant food dishes full of live treats. We need to dog-proof the house and we should have purchased the crate the Petsmart guy suggested. I just got one at the 24-hour Walmart. It's in my back seat."
"I'll go fetch it." Gil took the keys from her hand and marched for the door.
Sara smiled at her clueless dog. "He took the news better than I thought."
"I just got back tonight, Sis," the shell-shocked brother explained in a shaky voice, "only a couple of hours ago as a matter of fact. I was in Mexico. My cell wasn't pickin' up a signal down there and I let the battery die out. I haven't been able to check my messages yet."
"And I was at a Forensics conference in California," Greg added, "so I wasn't here to answer the house phone either. I took a day to visit with my parents when I was out there and literally returned within minutes of your brother."
"Then Greg and I went right out to the grocery store," Nick continued, "because we didn't have anything in the house to eat after bein' gone a while. That's why I haven't had time to check the house phone or my email."
While Eileen was distracted talking to her brother, Greg quietly moved to the kitchen counter and grabbed the bag full of condoms and Astroglide. "Speaking of e-mail, I just remembered that I had just IM'd my mom to tell her I was home safe when the doorbell rang. She's probably freaked thinking I was abducted when I answered the door. Excuse me, I'll be back in a minute." With the bag of sex supplies under his arm, he scurried for his bedroom.
"Greg seems like a very nice young man." Eileen studied the photos on the bookshelves, looking for clues about her brother's secretive life in Vegas, but all of the pictures were of Stokes family members. "You can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his mama. Is he divorced or never married?"
"Never married."
"Is he seein' anyone?" she probed.
Feeling beads of sweat forming on his forehead, he fielded the next nosy question loud enough so Greg would hear the answer in his room, "He's datin' a girl at the lab, Mandy. She's a fingerprint analyst. It's only just startin' up though."
"And what about you, Nicky?" Eileen patted her jittery brother's cheek. "Have you settled down at all?"
"I have actually, but I'd really prefer not to discuss my love life right now, because I'm just comin' off a breakup with a lady I thought might be the one. That's why I went to Mexico. I needed to get away."
"Aww, Nicky." She gave him a hug. "I'll respect your wishes not to talk about it, but please cheer up. There are plenty of other fish in the sea and you'll find yourself a sweet, God-fearin' woman to bear you babies real soon, you'll see. I'll say an extra prayer for it every day until you do."
"Thanks, sis." Nick anxiously scanned the room for any gay-related evidence and was relieved to find nothing incriminating. "Sorry, I wasn't here to prepare for your visit. I never figured you to mean this week. I thought you were talkin' about the future when you said you'd be comin' to town."
"Really? I could swear I mentioned how the trip came about at the last minute." Truthfully, the ambush was part of her and sister Linda's plan to catch their brother off guard and see if he was hidin' anything from the family, like a woman they wouldn't approve of or a drug habit, or as scary as the thought was…a homosexual lifestyle. There had to be some reason he wasn't married and making babies like the rest of the family, especially since he's a healthy, attractive man with a respectable job and a charming personality. It didn't make sense and she was determined to figure things out and get him on the right track once and for all. "I'm a replacement for one of the women from church who couldn't go, Monica Hansen. Her father just passed from a battle with cancer and she's helpin' her mama cope. With the fees and the ticket paid for already, I jumped at the chance. All I have to take care of is meals, a rental car and my room. Our sometimes dear brother gave me a voucher he had for a free rental car and since you said I could bunk here, it's a bargain trip."
"Good for you," Nick pushed out a loving smile and lied right through it, "and me of course. I'm happy to have you here."
"And I'm happy to be here with you, Nicky." She pinched her little brother's cheeks just like she did when he was a boy. "And how great is it that you're off from work when I'm here! Now we can spend more time together. Ooh! The Christian Coalition Conference isn't sold out, why don't you buy a pass and go with me! I bet you have a million sad Sin City stories to tell. You could give testimony to the depravity in this town. And there will be lots of young, single Christian women there who I'm sure would love to marry you and make beautiful babies. What do you say, sugar?"
"As great as that all sounds, I'm gonna have to pass. I can't get off track with my sleep schedule. I used to have no problem when I was younger, but now I have a real hard time adjustin' if I do, so I try never to mess up the rhythm. I sleep every day from about ten to six, give or take some hours dependin' on how tired or rested I am, but we can still have breakfast and dinner together, right? I eat breakfast before headin' to bed and dinner around eight pm usually. How long are you stayin' again?"
"Until Friday mornin'. A continental breakfast is included with the conference, but dinner would be great every night. It'll be just like when we were growin' up. I'll make your favorite chili and cornbread for tomorrow at eight then. If there's anythin' else special, you just tell me and I'll cook it."
He did the math and cringed. "Six days. Wow. Uh, yeah…chili and cornbread would be nice, thanks. Meatloaf is always good too."
"I'll do both then. Now, if you'll show me where I'll be sleepin', I'll get these cases out of your way."
"Oh, uh, right this way." He carried the luggage for her. "Just so you know…Greg's room is here on the right and mine's across the hall from his. The guest room is the last door on the left. It has its own bathroom, so you don't have to worry about privacy." He walked inside, set down the luggage and then returned to the hallway. "It's real clean. Greg's mom was just out here for a spell and she cleaned it all and put fresh sheets on the bed before leavin'. So, you're all set."
"Aww, that's sweet that your roomie is a family man too."
"Oh yeah, Greg's from a real good family."
"What church do they attend?"
"Uh, it's um…a non-denominational one, he told me the name once, but I don't remember it."
"That's okay. As long as they've accepted Jesus as their personal savior, they're just as blessed as the rest of us, right, Nicky?"
"Amen." He nodded, recalling why he could only tolerate Eileen in small doses. While his parents and siblings were all devout Christians, only Eileen and Linda were hardcore proselytizers.
"I'm back!" Greg cheerily announced upon emerging from his room. Just in case their guest was a snoop, he had taken a few minutes to hide his porn and sex toys. "Sorry I took so long, my mom is very chatty."
Eileen smiled at the friendly man, "I hope you don't think me too rude, Greg, but I'm beat from a full day with the kids and a night of traveling, so I'm just gonna hit the hay. Thank you for the warm welcome, I'll be sure to add you to my prayer list tonight."
"Thanks, but you don't have to do that," Greg sweetly replied. "The big guy and I have an understanding. I help catch evil bad guys and don't bug Him with minor requests, and in return, He's there when I'm in big trouble, like when I was getting my ass kicked by a mob. There are plenty of people who need Him a lot more than me right now, like the hungry or the soldiers in Iraq or the orphan kids with AIDS in Africa. You can give them my prayer time."
"Oh you're so right about those poor children dying of the gay plague." Eileen shook her head. "They are the innocent victims of God's wrath against the homosexuals. My church has two missions in Africa and the stories the missionaries tell when they come home to Dallas are just horrific."
Nick stayed quiet as a church mouse.
Greg, on the other hand, couldn't wait to reply, "But if God doesn't make mistakes, how did innocent children get victimized by a disease God created to kill off homosexuals? That would be a huge mistake on His part, wouldn't it? And what about the women who had the babies?"
Having heard this debate a half dozen times, Nick already knew his sister's answers.
"God doesn't make mistakes, Greg, only people do." Eileen said with disgust, "Gay men pretendin' to be straight had sex with straight women and gave them the disease. They're all tricksters you know. They marry women while havin' vile affairs with men. Those poor women had infected babies."
Greg countered, "But we're talking about our all-powerful God here. I'm a DNA scientist and being familiar with genetics, I have to wonder, if God only wanted gay men to die, then why didn't he create a disease that wouldn't infect women? If he had made it gender specific and designed it to attack when two men engaged in sex, then all the gay men would have gotten sick, but not the women they slept with and consequently not their babies. Hemophilia is a great example of a gender-specific disease, so there is precedent. If God can create diseases that only target men 99 of the time, then why didn't he do it again when he whipped up AIDS to wipe out the gays?"
Nick waited for his sister's reply, but Greg continued before one came.
"And what about his method of delivery? Are you saying that God infected apes in Africa and then waited for chimps to catch the disease, then waited again for hunters, presumably gay ones, to kill and eat chimps, then waited for the disease to morph from Simian Immunodeficiency Virus into Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the gay hunters' blood, and then waited again for the gay hunters to have sex with other gay men? I will say this…it was good idea timing all that with the advent of mass plane travel, because it spread a lot faster having all the gay men flying around the world, but still, it's a pretty convoluted plan that has completely spiraled out of control killing off millions of innocent children, women, transfusion patients and hemophiliacs. Statistics show that approximately 47 percent of AIDS patients contracted the disease from male-male contact, that means God's gay plague got it wrong 53 percent of the time. If I made mistakes 53 percent of the time at work, I'd be fired!" Greg shook his head, "No, as I see it, I either have to believe God is really bad at carrying out targeted wrath, or that AIDS wasn't God's doing anymore than small pox or bird flu is. I pick the latter."
After a moment of silence, Eileen replied, "Sweetie, you're forgettin' to factor in the devil's interference with God's work. But we'll have to talk about that tomorrow, because like I said, I'm beat from the day I've had. I'm headin' in my room here and passin' out. Good night!"
"Night, sis."
"Nice meeting you, good night." When the guest room door shut, Greg rubbed his hands together. "This is going to be a lot more fun than I imagined." He followed his partner into the kitchen grinning.
"We have to stay two feet apart in front of her and sleep in our own rooms."
Greg' smile vanished. "It's back to being completely not fun."
"And from now on, don't debate with her. It's a waste of time and oxygen, G. No matter how smart or right you are, you're not gonna change her mind. She absolutely believes what she preaches and when somethin' doesn't make sense, you saw what she does…she rationalizes that it's the devil's work. That's the catch all. My mother doesn't agree with most of the stuff Eileen says, but if she won't listen to her own mother, she's not gonna listen to you. She's hardcore, she won't let her kids dress up on Halloween with their cousins and goes off about the commercialization of Christmas every year while we're openin' gifts." Nick made one last plea, "For my sake, just do whatever needs to be done to make these days pass without drama. I'm completely on edge as it is, remember? I don't need extra stress."
"You're right. I promise. No matter what she says, I'll just keep quiet or nod." Greg embraced his troubled partner. "It's five days. It'll go fast. I'll get a motel room for the week so we can have an escape, that'll help."
"Okay." Just as Nick was about to say 'we better not hug, because Eileen may need something and walk out here', she did just that.
"Oh!" Eileen froze when she saw the two men embracing.
Greg burst into crocodile tears. "Thanks for telling me it'll be okay, buddy." He rushed to the kitchen sink and washed his face, pretending it was tear-stained.
"My goodness, what's wrong?" Eileen queried.
Nick covered, "Uh, I'm not sure he wants you to know, sis, it's kind of personal."
"It's okay." Greg dabbed his wet face with a dish towel. "Since the beating, I suffer from PTSD and sometimes the silliest things set me off." It wasn't a lie. "Your brother has been a godsend to be honest. Taking me in his home and counseling me. Since he's lived through a similar experience, he knows just what to say." It was all true. "I have a lot of trouble sleeping and unlike most guys who would have macho issues, he doesn't even mind me sleeping in his bed if I'm shaking real bad from a nightmare and can't get any rest for work. Just don't tell anyone I said that, because I'd hate for people to start saying we're queer." He took great pride in sticking to the truth. "That's why my mom was staying here for a while, she worries about me. When she was here, she asked Nick to lookout for me. My parents love him like a son." He put his arm around his lover. "Isn't that right?"
"Yeah." Nick simultaneously felt anxious, relieved and entertained all at the same time.
"You poor, poor man." Eileen placed her hand on her heart. "I sure hope God's next plague is directed at those vile gang bangers who hurt you and make the streets unsafe for decent folk. I'll add that in my prayers tonight." She pointed to the fridge. "Do you have a water bottle, Nicky? This desert climate has me parched."
Staring at their new baby sleeping soundly in his crib, Gil asked, "What if he needs water in the middle of the night?"
"I'm sure he'll cry or bark if he needs something, right?"
"I guess we'll find out soon enough."
Sara glanced over smiling. "Our co-workers would be shocked to see us acting like parents."
"I think most of them believe I was born on another planet and not even capable of human reproduction."
After a purr, Sara replied, "I know you're more than capable of the act of reproduction. You excel at it."
"I'm sure our co-workers would find that hard to believe too," he droned.
"When you were at the lab, were there any signs of Hodges starting rumors?"
"Not that I could tell."
Sara breathed a sigh of relief. "Hopefully he dropped it."
As he did every night, Hodges took a seat in front of his computer to search for information on his co-workers. Over the years he had found all sorts of tidbits and photos that provided him great enjoyment and in some cases, furthered his career with LVPD. After cracking his knuckles, he started typing the usual names and combinations of names, using a variety of search tools that checked websites, blogs and MySpace pages.
Gil Grissom
Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle
Tony Vartann and Conrad Ecklie
Naked Wendy Simms
While chomping on Fritos and watching his favorite Dukes of Hazzard video, he watched search after search come back with nothing new and/or exciting.
Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes
"What the…" Scrambling for the computer mouse, Hodges spilled his Fritos. "A proud PFLAG mom's website dedicated to her son and his partner." He was so excited, he temporarily forgot to breathe and almost passed out, but when his circulation returned to normal, he leapt from his chair. "JACKPOT!"
After taking a victory lap past his shelves of pristinely wrapped action figures, he began pacing the room wondering what to do with the mind-blowing information. Exposing them would bring only fleeting joy and it was kind of cruel, especially after what Greg had been through in the past year. "Hmm. What to do, what to do..."
***
Chapter 2: If They Only KnewExcited to return to work after a week off, Sara quickly dressed and gathered her things. "Grissom!" she snapped.
Unaccustomed to hearing his significant other calling him by his last name at home, Gil popped out of the bathroom wondering what he had done wrong.
"I'm heading in a few hours early, boss. Happy?"
"Uh…is something wrong, honey?" They had made passionate love only an hour ago and he couldn't imagine what had gone wrong since. I would have bet the farm that she wasn't faking when she screamed my name.
"Everything's great. I was just practicing my anti-Grissom attitude problem. Did I sound realistic enough to throw Hodges off our trail?"
"You certainly had me shaking in my shoes." Whew.
"Good to know." After pecking his cheek, she strolled to the walk-in closet to step into her favorite work shoes. "I think I should - what the - OH!" She kicked off her shoe and ran from the closet, leaving a slimy trail of roach guts on the wood floor. "Ugh. Is it what I think it is?"
"Yes," Gil replied while looking at the bottom of her sock. "From the size of the splotch I'd say it was Melvin." He shook his head. "What an undignified and odorous end for a champion."
"My feet don't stink," Sara snipped, "at least they didn't until bug juice seeped through my sock. Could you…" When he pulled the slime-covered sock off for her, she smiled, "Thank you."
Gil stared at what was left of the prize-winning roach. "You're telling Greg that his favorite roach met an untimely and horrific death. I promised him he could keep his first champion. I was supposed to give Melvin to him tonight."
"Oh come on, how long do they live anyway? A month? Big deal."
"Two years on average, but some have lived as long as five."
"Oh." Sara peeled off her remaining sock and said, "Hopefully he'll be in a really good mood from a week of nonstop action with Nick."
When Nick woke alone in his bed at seven pm, he wished it was Friday, not Sunday night. Even though he and Greg had only been sleeping together for a week, it felt incredibly unnatural to wake up without him nearby.
Sighing, he tossed off the covers and trudged across the room scratching himself through his boxer briefs. This separate bedroom bullshit sucks. My sister wouldn't have to sleep away from her husband if I was at her house. Not that she's ever invited me for a visit. Why the hell am I sacrificing my happiness for a woman who wouldn't be givin' me the time of day if she didn't need a free room? 'Cause I'm an idiot! I was so damn happy on that boat this week it was ridiculous. Five friggin' days of this bullshit too. That's five friggin' days too many. Greg and I are gonna meet up somewhere for some privacy, that's for damn sure. The second he stepped into the bathroom, the residue of Irish Spring soap filled his nose filled his nose and his body ignited. "I guess it's self-service or no service." His hand would pale in comparison to the attention he had been receiving. But just as he was about to remove his shorts, there was a knock on his door.
"Hey, buddy!" Greg yelled loud enough for Eileen to hear him while she made dinner in the kitchen. "My shower drain is still jacked up and I'm not in the mood to deal with a flood, so can I use your shower when you're done? I've been using the guest room one, but I don't think it's appropriate with your sister staying in there."
"Thank God I fell in love with a genius." Nick raced for the door and threw it open. "Of course you can, buddy." The sight of his significant other made his pulse soar. "Any time." In that moment he knew two things for certain - absence does make the heart grow fonder and he really did love the adorable moose jammie-wearing man standing before him. "I'm just shavin' and clippin' my toenails and stuff, so you don't have to wait."
"Great, thanks."
As soon as his grinning partner crossed the threshold, Nick locked the door and greeted him with an invigorating morning kiss. "Oops, you brushed and I didn't. Sorry."
"I so don't care. Not even the mention of you clipping your nasty toenails turned me off." Grinning wildly, Greg tossed his t-shirt and then initiated a deeper, longer kiss. "I knew you were right across the hall, but I missed you." Enjoying every second of the romantic reunion, he whispered, "It was so weird sleeping without you next to me."
"I felt the same way about you not bein' there when I woke up just now."
"I almost snuck into your room a half dozen times."
Nick laughed at their patheticness. "We got spoiled quick I guess."
"This is what meth addiction must be like," Greg joked, "I woke up craving cowboy and here I am lying and scheming to get my fix." He swirled a hand over his partner's abs and kept going. "Looks like you woke up a little needy yourself." The gasp his lover emitted upon contact brought a smile to his face. "I bet the little buckaroo is relieved I'm here, because we both know your handjob technique lacks finesse."
Nick closed his eyes, savoring his lover's touch. "Oh, that's good," he contentedly purred.
Brining his mouth to his partner's ear, Greg murmured his traditional greeting, "Good morning, Cletus."
"Mornin', G."
After outlining Nick's ear with his tongue, the eager man whispered, "Wanna fulfill a locker room fantasy of mine, Jocko?" He nipped at the ear lobe. "I have a hunch it's probably one of your secret little fantasies too."
Nick pushed his lover's pajama bottoms to the floor.
"It's officially a swordfight," Greg chuckled when their equally heated body parts clashed. "Please tell me you have supplies in this room, because I really don't want to dash across the hall with a hard-on and your sister on the prowl."
When she heard the shower running inside her brother's master bedroom suite, Eileen raced into Greg's room with her keychain flashlight to check the supposedly clogged drain. Much to her surprise, it did look gnarly and unusable. He was telling the truth. After her interaction with Greg the previous night, she was certain he was a manipulative propaganda-spewing homosexual preying on her naïve and compassionate brother.
"I don't trust you, Greg," she muttered under her breath while tiptoeing out of the man's bathroom and praying she didn't get caught. I think your plan is to force yourself on my unsuspecting brother when he's vulnerable and too mentally off balance to fight back.
"This is what geek boys get when they drop soap in my shower." Nick huffed as he strengthened his grip on his breathless lover. "But I think this is exactly what you wanted. Yeah, I think you came here lookin' for a little adventure, didn't you?"
"Y…yes," Greg nervously replied in character. "I came here looking for…oh!" He gripped the towel rack. "I…I play the trombone in the band, so I see you at games."
"You watch me play ball?"
"You look amazing under those Friday night lights," the geek confessed in between gulps of air. "Last Friday, when you took off your helmet and tilted back your head to gulp Gatorade, I lost it. I just stood there gaping, and messed up the field formation. I'm the top of the 'o' in 'Go Team' and without me there, it looked like 'Gu Team'."
Nick struggled not to laugh. "Why did you come lookin' for me, geek? Was band camp too boring?"
"I wanted you…this."
"Oh yeah? Well, how does it feel now that you have all of me?"
"Oh!" Greg exclaimed without acting. For a guy who never role played before, Nick appeared to have no trouble getting into his part.
"I think this is turnin' out to be a little more than you bargained for, isn't it?" When his perfectly in-character playmate frantically nodded, Nick notched up the heat.
Pelted by steaming water and building emotions, Greg struggled to hang on, but just like all the other times, he failed miserably.
"Are you kiddin' me?" Nick shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, I won't make fun of you this time, but only 'cause you're pretendin' to be seventeen and that's in character." He returned to the role play with wicked laugh, "You're done, but I'm just gettin' started, geek boy."
When Greg regained his composure he pleaded, "B…but I have a three hour chess club meeting later. I won't be able to sit if this goes on much longer."
"I guess you'll be bringin' a pillow to your chess match, Poindexter, 'cause we're not even close to checkmate."
"Poor, sweet Nicky," Eileen whispered into her cell phone to her twin sister Linda. "It's so obvious to me that Greg is waitin' to pounce on him when he suspects our troubled little brother is havin' a weak moment. I can feel it, Sis, that man is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Last night, Nicky told me he's comin' off a bad breakup with a lady he thought was Miss Right. That's why he ran to Mexico without notice - to nurse his broken heart. Can you imagine how wonderful that sounds to a homosexual predator lyin' in wait? And we know poor Nicky's an easy mark, that's how that sadistic babysitter got him to drop his pants when he was a boy. He's too trustin' and sweet natured. Greg's probably waitin' for him to get real depressed, so he can tell him that women are all evil, dishonest bitches. Then he'll offer an alternative lifestyle that promises to take away all the pain and loneliness through taboo sex."
"That's exactly what happened to Ellis Willman after his wife left him, remember? His queer co-worker moved in for the kill. He went from singin' in the church choir to dancin' with his homosexual lover at his office Christmas Party. I wouldn't have believed it, but Winnie Thomas showed me a photo of it."
"See, that's what happens when those big companies that offer domestic partner benefits come to town. They bring a bunch of queers with 'em and then more flock to work there. That's why I refuse to shop at IKEA. I don't care how cheap and wonderful everybody says their damn stuff is."
"IKEA's one of 'em?" Linda said with trepidation. "But I love that store. I wish you hadn't told me."
"It was on the 'Do Not Support List' that Pastor Allen handed out at the beginning of the year, how could you miss it? Besides that, your first clue shoulda been that it's a European company. You know those Europeans with their nude beaches are as immoral as they come."
"Shoot. I really had my eye on IKEA bedroom furniture for Annie's room."
"Well unless you want your innocent daughter sleepin' in a bed built by queers, I suggest you buy from an ethical company like Walmart."
"With JCPenny and Sears goin' to the dark side, pretty soon Walmart will be the only place respectable Christians will be able to shop."
"Back to Nicky," Eileen redirected. "The problem is that he's always seekin' approval from men because he's Daddy's second son and was always in Chuck's shadow…still is. I read an article that said 85 percent of cured gay men say that they had emotionally distant fathers who hurt or rejected them in some way. They develop somethin' called 'defensive detachment' which causes them to confuse sexual attraction with the need to emotionally bond with men. That's why I make sure Trevor gives our sons plenty of positive reinforcement and affection. Daddy was way too hard on Nicky growin' up. The boy tried his hardest, but he just wasn't as smart as the rest of us and not as athletically gifted as Chuck. I caught that poor child cryin' behind the stables more times than I can count."
"I always thought that Daddy was just tryin' to toughen him up, but it looks like he might have done the opposite. You know it breaks my heart when I think of all the sufferin' our brother has gone through in his life…bein' stalked and kidnapped and buried alive. If another person hurts him or tries to destroy his happiness, I may not be able to stop myself from slappin' them senseless. Why can't people just leave our little brother alone and let him lead his own life!"
"So, how should I expose Greg and get Nicky to kick him out?"
"You'll need proof of his duplicity before you go to Nicky. Just like all the lawyers in our family, he's always goin' on and on about needin' a ton of evidence before presumin' guilt. If you confront him with a hunch, it could backfire and you know how crafty the gays are. Greg will have it lookin' like you're a shady snoop instead of a concerned sister tryin' to preserve her little brother's salvation. Be patient. Don't rush. "
Still overheated, Greg turned down the hot water and faced his sated lover. "You rocked that fantasy, jocko. Are you sure you didn't dabble in role play before you met me?"
"Never. Unless you count me being with a woman when I was really gay, but since I was lyin' to myself I don't think it qualifies." After a laugh he said, "It really is fun."
"Being gay?"
"Role play, smart ass. Thanks for pushin' me to try it yesterday and today."
"I told you it would be a great way for you to relax and get out of your stress bubble for a little while."
"Yeah, it's like playin' pretend as a kid. I always loved doing that. I loved bein' someone else for a while to forget the stress of the real world."
Greg decided not to point out that happy little kids don't need to 'forget the stress of the real world'. "I better go. Your sister's probably out there wonderin' why I'm takin' such a long shower."
Nick lingered a kiss over Greg's warm, wet lips. "I'm really startin' not to care what my judgmental and closed-minded sister thinks." Chuckling, he said, "Because I love you, Dex."
"Dex?" Greg cracked up. "Short for Poindexter?"
"Uh huh." Gazing into his lover's chocolate brown eyes, Nick said, "I'm not gonna hide how I feel about you. That's like me bein' embarrassed to be with you. I'm gonna dry off, get dressed and then march out there and tell her that we're here, we're queer, and if she can't handle it, she can walk out the door and pay for a hotel room."
"That's the adrenaline and the love talking, and while I appreciate you wanting to do that for me, you need to stop and think with your mind, not your heart. Okay, Mr. Romance? I know you love me and aren't ashamed to be with me. You don't have to prove anything."
"It's not just that."
"Come on, you don't want your mom hearing the news from your hysterical sister, right? I know it's hard to live a lie, and I know it hurts because my parents are super supportive and you wish it could be as easy for you, but we have to be realistic and smart about this." Greg patted his emotional partner's cheek. "Remember what Pete said about dealing with his conservative family and what it said in that PFLAG pamphlet my mother gave you about Coming Out to potentially non-supportive parents? Don't rush. Be patient."
When Hodges saw Sara strolling down the hall, he checked his watch. "Looks like someone else is trying to suck up to the boss." Alone in his Trace Lab, he muttered, "Like she doesn't already have an advantage over me. I can't drop to my knees to ask for a raise. Well, I suppose I could, but…eww."
After wiping clean his mind's eye, Hodges returned to his paperwork. He'd use the mundane task to pass the time until Greg arrived. But then what? He still couldn't decide what to do with his secret information. A very immature part of him, the part that had taken a ton of crap from Stokes and Sanders over the years, wanted to print out one of the incriminating photos and yell 'Gotcha!' But he knew that would be wrong and the information was too valuable to waste on fleeting revenge. Be patient.
When Mandy was done applying the makeup she had purchased at the mall earlier, she returned her glasses to her face and glanced in the mirror. "What? Everything looks exactly the same!" Except for her wallet, which was $121.89 lighter. "Surrrrre it'll brighten my eyes and make my lips plumper."
Realizing she had been hoodwinked by a makeup-hawking bimbo, the supposed genius trudged over to the bed. "Okay, miracle-bra, you better not let me down too. Ha! Don't let me down." After donning the undergarment, she turned to inspect herself in the full-length mirror on the back of her closet door. "Whoa." Unlike the make-up chick, the miracle-bra saleswoman wasn't a compulsive liar. "This thing really works."
Mandy's love-affair with her boobs was rudely interrupted by her cell phone's 'Holding Out for a Hero' ring tone. "Hello," she answered. With her phone in hand, she dashed back to the mirror to make sure her miraculous cleavage was still there.
"Hi, Mandy, it's Henry."
"Hey." She turned sideways to check her chest's profile.
"I'm going to try that new Chinese place that opened up across the street from the lab. Did you eat yet? If you haven't, I thought…"
"I ate when I was at the mall earlier."
"Oh."
While wondering if there was such a thing as miracle panties, she said, "Thanks for thinking of me. I'll see you at work."
"Uh…yeah. Bye."
"Bye." After tossing the phone on the bed, she pulled on her blouse. "Hmm, should I leave one or two buttons open at the top?" She tried one and then popped a second. "Nah, too Catherine Willows, and if Greg liked girls who let their boobs hang out at work, he would have been chasing her, not Sara all these years."
Staring at her enhanced profile, she began obsessing over what to say when she saw to the future father of her children. Although he had asked her out, they hadn't set a date or made specific plans yet. Should I bring it up? Or should I wait for him to mention it? Unlike science, dating didn't come naturally to her. I should wait for him to say something, because I don't want him to think I'm stalking him. She counseled her reflection, "Don't rush him. Be patient."
Stepping up to the counter of ChopStix, Henry despondently said, "I'll have combo one."
"Is that it?" the young Chinese girl at the cash register asked in a heavy Cantonese accent. "Just one combo one for one?"
"Story of my life," the lonely Toxicologist droned as he nodded. He was so tired of being alone that even the advertisements for mail order brides were catching his eye. "How much do I owe you?"
"Eight dollar and fourteen cent."
"Here's ten, put the rest in your tip jar." He smiled, hoping the pretty girl would return the gesture. When she did he pretended it was because she liked him, not because he gave her money. Hmm, that was almost like paying for sex. That was pretty easy. Maybe I could work up the nerve to go to The Bunny Ranch. He had been watching episodes of Cathouse on HBO and had developed a huge crush on Max, the brothel's only conservative working girl. Aside from being gorgeous, she liked to play chess during foreplay and refused to do anything kinky.
The cashier informed her daydreaming customer, "Here your cup for drink. You are a zero."
"I'm a zero?" Glancing down at the receipt she had just handed him, he saw the big black 0 next to the words 'order number' He took it as further proof. Yep, that's what I am…a big fat zero. He trudged over to the drink station and filled his cup with ice and Sprite Zero to match his order number and social status. Henry 'Zero' Andrews aka Mr. Invisible, that's me.
"Hey, Henry," Bobby Dawson, LVPD's best ballistics expert, couldn't believe his luck. "I guess you had the same idea as me, huh? Tryin' out the new place before shift."
"Yeah," the glum Toxicologist replied. "I ordered combo one."
"I'm trying combo four. I musta just missed you when I went to use the restroom. "I'm order number 99, what about you?"
"Zero!" an employee yelled.
"That's me," Henry sighed and headed for the counter.
"Number 99!"
Bobby hurried to join the guy he had been secretly crushing on for a while. "Hey, I was gettin' mine to go 'cause I hate sittin' alone, but if you're eatin' here..."
"Nah, I'm takin' it to work." Henry grabbed the bag marked with a big fat black 0.
Just as he was about to make a bold move, Bobby pursed his lips and reminded himself that Henry, who seemed deeply closeted and tense most of the time, probably wouldn't appreciate getting hit on in public. Don't rush things. Be patient.
After swallowing his latest bite of cornbread, Greg exclaimed, "This is seriously the best chili and cornbread I've ever had. Thanks again for cooking, Eileen."
"You're very welcome, Greg," the suspicious woman feigned a carefree tone.
"Can you give him the recipe, Sis?" Nick queried on behalf of his secret lover. "Then he could make it for me when you're gone." His sister really seemed to like his significant other, but he knew that her feelings would drastically change once she knew the truth.
"Sorry," Eileen shook her head. "It's a Stokes family recipe, so I can't, but I'll give it to you, Nicky."
"That works even better, Sis. I'll cook it for him, 'cause I owe this guy a ton of meals. He's a great cook. His mom taught him."
"She didn't actually teach me," Greg laughed, "she tied me to her apron strings and I was bored, so I watched what she was doing."
"Was your mother a homemaker?" Eileen knew that many gay men were smothered by their mothers and encouraged to do feminine things. She had even met an insane woman who said she would have been disappointed if her son had turned out straight after all the work she did to make him gay.
The over-loved son joked, "Jan Hojem Sanders is more of a home dictator than a homemaker."
Nick nudged his buddy. "Greggo's a certified Mama's Boy."
Laughing with his partner, Greg corrected, "I think Certifiable is more accurate."
"What kind of a name is Hojem exactly?"
"Norwegian," Nick answered. "His grandparents came to the US when they were pregnant with his mother."
"They ran actually. They were knocked up out of wedlock and my grandmother's parents were pissed."
"Rightly so," Eileen stated with conviction. "My son just hit puberty and I've told him that if I find out he's sexually active, he can fill one suitcase and leave home for good. If he's adult enough to have sex, he's adult enough to support himself."
As he snatched another piece of cornbread from the serving platter, Greg said, "Hey, I'm all for kids waiting to have sex. There are way too many pregnant teens and unwanted kids in this town already. I abstained until Graduate School and think it's great if you can wait for a special person, but I don't blame people for giving into passion. It's hard to abstain when it seems like everyone else in your dorm is in someone's arms on Saturday night."
"Is that why you gave in before marriage, sugar?" Eileen probed while her brother watched the verbal tennis match. "Peer pressure?"
Greg stretched the truth for Nick's sake, "Actually, I was engaged and thought she would be my forever girl, so in my mind, I was with the person I planned on being with the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I had to leave school to take care of my mom after my grandparents passed; she was in a serious depression. While I was home, my fiancée found someone else to keep her warm at night. I was devastated, but everything happens for a reason and painful experiences, as horrible as they are at the time, can be blessings in disguise. It's like that country song my hick roomie here plays all the time 'Thank God for Unanswered Prayers'. It's totally obvious to me now that I was meant to marry someone else, someone who will love me for who I am and never betray me."
While Eileen was already having serious doubts about her Gay Greg theory, she caught her brother dreamily staring at his supposed platonic friend. "Greg, um…why did you ask my brother if you could move in here?"
"I didn't. Nick asked me. Well, begged is more accurate."
Recalling Greg's comment about Nicky offering to let him sleep in his bed at night and the look on her brother's face when he was comforting his roommate, Eileen's mind raced toward a frightening conclusion.
"Greggo's had it real rough since the attack," Nick somberly explained, "he's been hung out to dry in the media more than a few times and vilified by the James family and their friends. I thought it would be better for him to live with someone who could cheer him up and keep an eye on him for a while. This is a much safer neighborhood for him too." He winked at his significant other. "I'm takin' good care of you, aren't I, buddy?"
"The best," Greg replied before cracking a goofy grin. "I owe you big."
Dear God in Heaven! What if Nicky clogged Greg's shower drain on purpose? He's a CSI, he'd know how. Suddenly fearing that it was her brother who was the homosexual predator and Greg his unsuspecting target, Eileen abruptly stood. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I need to powder my nose."
Before leaving her car, Mandy checked her appearance in the lighted vanity mirror. "It's as good as it's going to get," she huffed before grabbing her tote bag and stepping out the car.
"You're coming in early too, huh?" Jacqui Franco said as she walked over to greet her fellow Print Tech.
"My cats didn't want to hang out with me."
"Mine either."
Strolling toward the entrance with her lab partner, Mandy said, "Do anything exciting this weekend?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it was a pretty big weekend for me." Jacqui's sarcasm thickened, "I almost don't want to say, because you'll be so jealous, but it's just too good not to share." When she had her friend dying of curiosity, she said, "I was at Starbucks last night pretending to be hip and cool when I tripped over my own two feet and fell on my ass in front of real hip and cool people."
"You did not!"
"Oh yeah, I did. Luckily I didn't have my coffee yet, or I probably would have burned myself too." Jacqui sighed, "And while I was at what I thought was the pinnacle of the humiliation I heard someone say 'aren't you supposed to call 911 when old people fall because they have like strokes and stuff'."
"Old? You're not old, you're…"
"Don't say it!" The forty year old shivered. "How was your weekend?"
Mandy couldn't contain her excitement. "I was in my usual Saturday night shame spiral when I realized I was out of Chunky Monkey."
"Ooh, Defcon 4."
"Exactly, so I ran to the Albertson's around the corner from my new apartment and when I got to the frozen food aisle I bumped into Greg and Nick. They're roommates you know. It turns out that they live in my new neighborhood." In a dreamy voice, she shared, "Right there in front of Ben and Jerry, Greg asked me out. Can you believe it? He finally took the hint that I was interested."
"Sanders asked you out?" Jacqui bit her tongue so she wouldn't blurt 'but he's hot for Sara'.
"Sara!" Greg waved at her while bopping down the empty hall to catch up with her. "Miss me?"
"Of course I did!" When she saw he was glowing from fun in the sun and probably some fun between the sheets, she teased, "I certainly didn't expect to see you at work early. Are the honeymooners already past the 'locked in the bedroom' stage?"
"Hardly," he asserted with a chuckle. "We're still going to the moon at least twice a day, Alice."
"I thought Hodges was the only vintage TV show freak around here."
"Papa Olaf loved The Honeymooners and when I was little I used to sit on his lap and watch it with him every night. He'd laugh so hard, I'd bounce right off his lap. I know it's really hard to imagine because of my current brawny physique," he lifted his right arm and flexed, "but I was pretty scrawny kid who weighed forty pounds soaking wet."
"Brawny physique?" she parroted, trying not to laugh.
"If you don't believe me, give one of my guns a feel."
"You must be confusing me with Catherine; I don't feel up my co-workers, only my boss."
"Ha!"
Instead of groping her friend, Sara inspected the new cowry shell bracelet on his wrist. "Hey, I like this. Did you get it in Catalina?"
"Yeah." A smiled breezed over his lips. "Nick surprised me with it. He also gave me a spiked dog collar with a tag that says 'Nick's Bitch', but I thought it best to only wear the bracelet to work."
"Good call," she laughed. "Did you get Nick to chill out a little? Give me details…but not all of them"
"We had the best time," he boasted. "I took my uptight partner to his first gay bar, which was riot."
The San Francisco girl replied, "I would have paid good money to see the look on Nick's face when he walked into a pulsating dance club full of half-naked guys. What did he think of the back room?"
"No, this place was on Catalina Island. It was a real low key and the back room was for playing pool, not dropping to your knees. We made two good friends there, these guys who were celebrating their wedding anniversary – a legit marriage too, because they're from Massachusetts." He laughed, "The husband was a burly fireman and the little woman was an MIT professor, so my jock boyfriend and I complimented them well. We shot some pool and met up with them a few other times during the week…not for anything kinky, before you go there, Ms. Sidle. We have an open invite to visit them, which we're definitely going to try and take advantage of some day."
Since she had been the one to get Nick to come out, she was thrilled to hear it had been for the best. "That's great." The happiness on Greg's face as he relayed the information was the biggest reward of all. It seemed like only yesterday that she was holding his hand waiting for an ambulance and hoping he wouldn't die. "I'm so happy for you."
"Ooh, and you know how much my cowboy loves kids, right? Well, our new friends shared that they're having a baby through a surrogate in a couple of months. When Nick heard that he asked a million questions." Greg proudly said, "Forcing him inside that bar was the best thing I could have done for him. Now he totally believes that two guys can have a normal relationship and that he's not the only old-fashioned queer in America. On our last night, he took me out for our first romantic dinner – I'm talking under the stars with champagne and candlelight. We were on a patio with about twenty tables and he didn't care who knew we were a couple. We toasted to our happiness and gazed into each other's eyes." He sighed, "By the time he was done making his moves, I was in full swoon under a full moon."
"Considering he couldn't say the word 'gay' when he left town, that's remarkable progress." Sara joked, "I'm not sure I'll recognize him when I see him."
"He'll be the guy with a nipple ring and a gay pride tattoo on his left arm." Greg cracked up, "Okay, that part's a lie."
"Yeah, I wasn't buying that part." Thrilled for her friends, Sara hugged her co-worker. "I'm so glad I overstepped my bounds and helped jump start things for you guys. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's the two of you. I'm thrilled that it's going so well."
"Too bad we had to come home." Stepping out of the hug, he explained, "We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and Mandy walked down the frozen food aisle while I had my hand on Nick's cheek."
"Ooh."
"Yeah, and the only things in my shopping cart were Trojans and Astroglide."
Sara cringed. "Talk about incriminating evidence."
"Yeah, other than a neon sign over our heads that said 'Queers Here', things couldn't have looked worse."
"Is she going to tell anyone you're a couple?"
"No, because I managed to convince her that Nick and I weren't together."
"How'd you do that?" Sara asked, knowing Mandy was one of the smartest people in the lab.
"I told her the supplies were for Grissom and Hodges, because they were too shy to buy the stuff themselves." Breaking into a laugh, he told the truth, "I told her I was helping Nick through an emotional moment and then I asked her out on a date."
"What? You can't be serious."
"I was desperate."
Disappointed by her friend's decision, she snipped, "But she really likes you, Greg. I've overheard her gushing about you to Wendy. How could you lie to her and set her up to get hurt like that?"
"She's not going to get hurt, Sara." Shoulders slumped, he remorsefully said, "I know it isn't cool to lie to a friend, but…I figured if we went out and didn't hit it off romantically, no one would really be hurt. We'd realize we're just friend material and laugh it off. No harm, no foul and she'd get a free meal for her trouble."
"I don't like the idea of flirting with an unsuspecting friend to throw people off your trail while you're in a secret relationship with someone else."
"Uh, isn't that exactly what you were doing to me the whole time you were hot for Grissom and I was pursuing you?"
When she realized he was right, she stared gaped mouth. Damn.
"I'll take that as a yes, Ms. Hypocrite." While his friend wallowed in guilt, Greg sweetly said, "You did it to protect the one you love and your relationship. Your motives weren't evil. Mine aren't either. If the world was a different place and I didn't have to worry about getting my ass kicked for being gay or be concerned that Nick and I will get hassled by homophobic cops, then I could live openly, but society is what it is and I have to do what I have do to protect myself and my family. I already know what happens when I don't play good defense, Sara, I learned that the hard way in an alleyway, remember?"
Understanding the fear and reasoning behind her friend's decision, she nodded, "Okay. Just be sure Mandy doesn't get hurt, because I know what betrayal feels like."
"I do too, so believe me, I won't let it happen." When Sara pushed up her sleeves, he saw a new bracelet around her wrist as well. "Looks like I'm not the only one who got new jewelry."
"Oh." After glancing around, she whispered, "I got this and an undividable dog."
"Since when did dividablility become a canine option?"
"Greg!" Grissom yelled from his office. "Glad you're in early. I've got something right up you alley." He walked over waving the slip. "Dumpster diving in an alley to be exact." After slapping the slip in the groaning CSIs hand, he smirked, "Miss me?"
"Not the part of you that sends me dumpster diving in dark alleys after dark, no."
"That reminds me," Grissom turned serious. "I received a note from Ecklie that said you missed your first Fire Arms Certification class. He wasn't happy. Neither am I."
"Oh shit." Greg pretended to act surprised.
"Give me a break, you missed it on purpose." The expert poker player knew Greg's tells. "You missed it because you know that if you miss one class, you're removed from the roster, which means you'll have to wait for the next session to begin in a couple of weeks. You need to be certified before you can move to CSI II, so unless you want to spend the rest of your career dumpster diving, you'll register for the next session and be at every class taking copious notes."
"Okay, okay." Greg glanced down at the address. "You want me to go here at night without a gun?"
"Yep." Grissom's cocky smile returned. "I thought it would be good motivation to get your ass to Fire Arms class." When he reached his office door, he teased, "Say goodbye to Greg, Sara!"
"Bye, Greg." She waved.
The already tweaked CSI's pulse notched. "Don't make it sound like I won't be coming back!"
"You'll be fine," Sara assured her obviously tweaked pal. "Grissom always said that line whenever he caught you flirting with me, remember?"
"Oh. Right." He calmed slightly and started down the hall. "I'll catch you later."
Out of the corner of her eye, Sara saw Hodges leaving his lair with a smirk on his face. Uh oh, here it comes. But much to her surprise, the nosy lab rat completely ignored her and kept walking.
"Sanders!" Hodges blocked his way and enjoyed the view from the cat-bird seat. "Welcome back. How was the conference?"
Sara seized the opportunity and hurried away.
Greg smiled at his friend. "The conference was great, thank you for asking. I was nervous about giving the presentations, but I nailed it both times." He chuckled, "You were right, the cockroach racing was hilarious. Griss and I had a roach named Melvin and he took first place. Now I know why you love to go to forensics conferences, I bet even you score with the laaaaadies. It's geek paradise."
"Is that what you did? Score with the laaaadies all week?" Hodges could barely contain his glee. What's that I smell? I do believe it's bullshit and it's being served right about now…
"As a matter of fact, I did." Greg moved closer while snickering, "I hooked up with an older woman. Her name was Lucy and we had a ball. We had a Mrs. Robinson vibe goin' on and she was one kinky lady, let me tell you."
"Oh yes, do tell me. I want to learn from a real laaaaadies man." When Hodges saw the new bracelet around Greg's wrist, he admired it. "Did you get this from Mrs. Robinson?" According to your mommy's website, it's an engagement bracelet.
"I got it for being a good boy toy if you can believe it."
"Oh, I believe it." Hodges examined it further. "You know, it looks very similar to the one worn by Brian Kinney on Queer as Folk." He smirked. "You know me and TV trivia."
"Really?" Greg shrugged. "I never saw an episode, so I'll have to take your word for it."
"Since I'm as straight as they come, my knowledge is strictly from TV magazines and trivia books. From what I recall reading about this particular cowry shell bracelet, a lot of gay men bought them after seeing the main character of Queer as Folk sporting one. People might think you're gay if you wear it."
Greg laughed, "Dude, half the shit I wear makes me look gay. Guys started calling me a faggot when I was twelve. I wear what I like, not what society dictates a guy should wear."
"It doesn't bother you that people call you gay when you're not?"
The CSI shrugged. "After being ripped apart in a courtroom and on TV, I'm done caring about what strangers think of me."
"That's very progressive of you." As his co-worker turned to leave, Hodges said, "Hey! I almost forgot to ask, how's your roomie? You do know he had a nervous breakdown while you were out of town, right?"
"He didn't have a nervous breakdown," Greg corrected in a snippy tone. "He was emotional from spending the day processing the worst scene of his life, a dead little girl shot at point blank range by her father. Unless you've been in that position, you can't possible understand what it does to your head." Realizing he sounded too emotionally invested in Nick, he pulled back, "Uh, anyway, he told me he got some R&R and he's doing much better now."
"Hopefully he went to a spa and got one of those relaxation packages." Like the one your mommy spoke of on her tell-all web page! "Did he get out of town?"
"I don't know. His sister is visiting with him and I only talked to him for a few minutes when I got home last night because they were catching up and I was beat from the drive home from California." Greg waved his assignment sheet. "Unlike you, I have a real job, so…"
"Careful now." Hodges's lips spread thin. "Take my word for it, pal, you don't want to get on my bad side."
Greg laughed at his co-worker, "You have a good side?"
"Aren't you a funny guy?" The all-knowing lab rat waved at his departing co-worker. "Tell Nick I said hi when you see him later." In bed! That's right, loverboy, you heard me! "Be careful out there, Sanders!" I want you alive, so I can mess with your head! Returning to his lab, he rubbed his hands together and cackled like the maniacal genius he was, "Let the games begin."
Walking with Jacqui, Mandy asked, "How do you want to work through the…it's Greg. He's coming this way."
When Greg saw Mandy at the end of the hall, he tensed.
"What should I say?" Mandy frantically whispered.
"You're asking me?" Jacqui laughed. "I haven't had a date since George Bush took office. I blame him as a matter of fact."
"Why?"
"Duh. Because I blame him for everything that's wrong in the world."
"Hey, ladies!" Greg enthusiastically greeted both women.
"Hey," Mandy parroted, while wondering if her future husband noticed her boob overhaul.
"Grissom has me heading out to a dumpster ASAP, so I can't talk, but I'll come find you when I get back, okay, Mandy?"
"What about me?" Jacqui teased, "Are you gonna find me too?" She shook her head. "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. You know, I've been watching Big Love on HBO. I could do polygamy if it's okay with the two of you."
When Mandy saw the panicked look on her date's face, she whispered, "I told her you asked me out and she's being a wise ass. I didn't really say I wanted to get married. Duh, of course not, we haven't even been out on a date yet. I won't bring up marriage until at least our third."
Greg cracked a sweat. "Uh…" Did she get a boob job overnight?
"That was a joke."
"Oh!" The CSI forced a laugh that bordered on psychotic. "Sorry, I have this assignment in a dark alley on my mind and I'm tense. I would've gotten the joke if I wasn't preoccupied. It was funny, it really was."
"Be careful, okay," Mandy remarked with affection in her voice. "Stay safe."
Jacqui watched the train wreck waiting to happen. She's head over heels and he's totally using her to make Sara jealous! Ugh, men are pigs.
"Yeah, I…I'll be careful. Thanks." When Greg saw the concern in her eyes and heard it in her voice, he knew she cared a lot more than he had thought. Dammit! "Sorry ...um…I have to go."
"Maybe call me when you're on your way back," Mandy suggested as her man was heading down the hall. "You know, so I know you're on your way back…so I don't worry. Not that I'm worried, because that would imply there was a reason to worry, which might worry you and why would I be worried about someone who I haven't even dated yet? I'll shut up now." She waved. "See ya."
"See ya," Greg gulped the lump in his throat. Suddenly the dark alley didn't seem half as scary as his upcoming date with sweet, innocent Mandy who was worried about his safety and secretly planning their wedding. What was I thinking?
Alone with her significant other in his office, Sara said, "Hodges totally ignored me."
"That's odd." Gil removed his reading glasses. "Not one quip?"
"No."
"A smirk in your direction?"
"Not at all. Nothing. Nada." She shrugged. "It was like nothing ever happened."
"Hmm." Gil sat back in his chair, chewing on the end of his glasses and after a moment of silence he said, "Now I'm really worried."
***
Chapter 3: Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave"Grissom!" Ecklie called from his office doorway. It came as no surprise that the Graveyard Supervisor was busy having an intimate pow-wow in the hallway with Sara. "I need you to peel yourself away from CSI Sidle and come into my office." I'm so tired of seeing those two tripping over each other. I wish they'd screw each other's brains out already, so they could start the inevitable downward slide toward hating each other like every other couple.
Surprised to see his boss at eleven pm, Gil replied, "I'll be right there, Conrad." This can't be good.
"What's he doing here at this hour?" Sara queried, unaccustomed to seeing the weasel on the property past seven pm. Her professional relationship with the Assistant Lab Director had never fully recovered after the bastard suspended her and took Catherine's side. She would never be able to respect him after making such an obvious error in judgment and she still harbored negativity toward him for dogging on Gil one too many times. "I hope he doesn't make a habit of hanging around here at night. Not dealing with him is one of the biggest perks of working Graveyard."
"I couldn't agree more."
"Why do you think he made that comment about peeling yourself away from me?" Noticing Hodges watching them from the Trace Lab, she whispered, "You don't think a certain rat went to him with a suspicion, do you?"
"I'll let you know the answers to those questions and more as soon I return." Before heading down the hall, he whispered, "If don't make it out alive, tell Bruno that Daddy forgives him."
"I'm definitely going to die here," Greg whispered as he sat gripping the steering wheel of his Denali. I can't call for cops, because I don't have a valid reason for needing them. There's no DB or crime scene, I'm only following up on an anonymous silent witness hotline tip. If I call for backup for no reason, the cops will blast me for wasting their time and call me every name in the book. "This sucks!" At least now if I die, I won't be dying a lonely man who never experienced true love and mind-blowing sex. It's nice to have those checked off my list. I still want to make it to the Great Barrier Reef though. If Cletus and I were happy on vacation in Catalina, I can't imagine how happy we'd be there.
Parked in an alleyway ten feet from the dumpster he had been told to check for evidence, he couldn't muster the courage to move. "Your plan isn't working, Grissom!" he shouted into his hands. "I still don't want to go to Fire Arms class." I don't want a gun. If I have a gun, I might have to shoot it and if I shoot my gun, I might kill someone, and since I'm still having a hard time getting over the first person I killed, I really can't imagine dealing with a second one. "Shit!"
He spent the next ten minutes counting the people walking by the dumpster he was expected to climb into and process – nine of the largest African American men he had ever seen, five hostile Hispanics violently arguing amongst themselves, two drugged-out transvestite hookers wearing red wigs, and one twitchy-looking white guy who gave off an intense serial killer vibe and terrified him most of all. I can totally see that guy making a human skin jacket or some other equally creepy death-craft. I can't do this. "I can't do this!" Tears pooled in his eyes.
I can't believe I want this job. Holding his head, Greg felt his chili and cornbread dinner swimming in his stomach. Why do I want this job? I should listen to my mother. I can't believe I just said I should listen to my mother. She's right though, I could be pulling six figures at any pharmaceutical research company in California and if we lived there, Cletus and I could declare a Domestic Partnership and live happily ever after. Sure, we couldn't get much of a house with the high real estate prices, but we could use The Freyja whenever we wanted, and surf and kayak all the time. That would totally make up for a smaller house, plus the coastal weather would be a huge improvement after living in an oven for years. When we have a kid in the future, my parents would be close by to help out and I could get my PhD at UCLA and start teaching college classes in my spare time. I'm sure Cletus would have no problem getting a lab-only job with LAPD. Yep, it's perfect, except for me living with the intense shame of copping out. "Dammit!"
Staring at the overflowing dumpster that might contain a murder weapon, but most likely didn't, he figured it would take two hours to process it correctly. I'll be totally vulnerable in that dumpster. I can't defend myself in there. Not that I did a good job defending myself outside of a dumpster. I bet I couldn't fight my way out of a paper bag while holding a pair of scissors in each hand. "I'm such a friggin' loser!" He banged his forehead on the steering wheel intent on repeating the action several times, but it hurt too much to continue after one. Maybe I won't have to be the one to cop out. If Nick doesn't pass his Psych Eval, then I can suggest the move because of that. I'll say a fresh start is just what he needs and play up the Domestic Partnership and free babysitting angles. His joy was fleeting. No, no way. If Mr. Perfectionist fails his test and is removed from the job, he'll feel like a big fat failure and be an emotional wreck. I don't want that, not when everything is going so well for us. He's so happy and all I want is for him to be happy, because he's had so many shitty things happen to him in life. I have to do this for him…for us. He glanced down at the bracelet around his wrist."I can do this!"
As he was reaching for the handle, he saw a six foot, three hundred pound black man wearing a t-shirt that said 'Don't make fun of my Momma, unless you wanna die today'. On second thought, why bother? There's no way Cletus will be sane enough to pass his Psych Eval after spending a week with his Bible-Thumping sister.
Standing in front of the picture-covered fridge, Eileen said to her brother, "Look at you playin' Daddy to this sweet little Cassie girl you told me about. You look so happy, Nicky. It really is a travesty that you're not married with children of your own."
Here we go. "Eileen, I have to tell ya…I put up with the 'why aren't you married' badgering from everyone when I'm in Dallas, but this is my home, and I'm not gonna be hassled me under my own roof. So, you need to stop right now or you'll need to pack your things and find yourself a hotel room."
"Honey, I swear on Grandma's grave that this isn't about hasslin' you, it's about lovin' you." Placing a hand over her heart, she shared, "If you wouldn't avoid answerin' our questions, maybe we could relax enough to stop worryin' about you. Everybody back home is expectin' me to solve the Nicky Mystery while I'm here. We're still tryin' to understand why you moved away from us in the first place, to Sin City of all places."
"What's there to be worried about?" he quizzed, feigning a baffled look. "I have a job, a nice home, and I'm not a gambling addict, meth head or a drunk." He patted his belly, "Don't I look healthy to you? I've put on ten pounds since Christmas." When he saw her chomping on her bottom lip, he prodded, "What else do you want to know?" Greg had made him promise he wouldn't confront her, but understood that he wouldn't lie to his sister's face if she asked him about being gay. "Spit it out, sis." Exhausted from hiding the truth from his family for decades, he was desperate to answer 'yes, I'm gay' and let the chips fall.
"Fine, I'll put my cards on the table," Eileen stated after a moment of tortured silence. "How am I supposed to interpret two single men in their 30's cohabitatin' and bein' close enough to one another to finish each other's sentences? You're plannin' a big party for Greg's birthday and instead of bein' out on a date on your night off, you're here doin' his laundry and talkin' about gettin' a dog for the two of you to share." Reminding herself to hate the sin, not the sinner, she softened her voice, "Nicky, honey, I've seen you touch and hug him and in my opinion, it isn't brotherly affection you're showin' him." Her heart racing, she nervously asked, "Is this why you moved to Vegas? To live with men and be a…"
"No! No, that's not why I moved here," he snipped. "I moved here because I wanted to get away from my family. All through school I was the little brother, who wasn't as smart or fast or strong or handsome as Chuck. I was Judge Stokes's other son, the one who wasn't as gifted or well behaved or successful. I was the little brother you bitched about havin' to keep a closer eye on and help with his homework more than anyone else. After college graduation, I stupidly thought I could return to Dallas and live my own life, but all I heard every week at Sunday supper was 'how can you just want to be a cop for the rest of your life?' or 'why don't you want to go to graduate or law school like the rest of us' or 'how about I fix you up with a nice girl from church'." He met his sister's gaze. "Do you get it now? I left because y'all drove me nuts! Just like you're drivin' me nuts right now and I moved to Sin City because I figured it was the last place my conservative family members would ever want to come for a visit. Mystery solved!"
None of the information really came as a surprise to the sister who had always suspected that her underachieving brother couldn't stand being in the shadow of his successful siblings.
After a swig of beer, Nick continued, "Here's another one for you to share with the folks back home - I'm not married, because until recently I was a workaholic who had no time for a serious relationship. I was workin' like a dog because I had somethin' to prove to the Judge and I stupidly believed that I could make him proud without bein' a lawyer or a Ph.D. I thought catchin' a big serial killer would do it or savin' little girls like Cassie from death's door, but no, ma'am, it wasn't, I'm still the black sheep."
"Honey, I know that you saw the worst of Daddy's wrath because he had no patience by the time you came along, but none of us were spared, believe me. But he loves us, he's just not real good at showin' it, that's just how he is, how he ended up after bein' a Marine and servin' in Korea, but look how he raced here offerin' his last dime when you were kidnapped. Let his actions speak for his love and let go of the anger that's ruinin' your life and relationships with men."
"Okay, what do these actions say?" His anger igniting, he shared, "In the hospital, he stood at my bedside and said, 'Nicholas, I need you to explain how a thirty-three year old man, in good health, who was carryin' a gun and trained in self-defense, got overpowered by an old man with no special skills. I need you to explain it, because I don't get it, but maybe that's just because when I was servin' my country durin' the Korean War, I fought off four men my own age with nothin' but my bare hands and the will to survive.' When I didn't answer, he said, 'Let me guess, you were distracted or too focused on what you were doin' to notice what was goin' on around you. How many times have I heard that over the years? Too many! You put your Mama through hell tonight, probably took years off her life. When you get out of here, I want you to do us all a favor and grow the hell up. Start actin' like a man, instead of a boy who's too busy daydreamin' to remember to look both ways before crossin' the street!'"
"He said that to you?"
"Yes! Does that sound like love to you, sis? What kind of man still gets pissed at his grown son for gettin' hit by a car at the age of 12 and thinks it's a good idea to rub it in his face while he's shakin' like a leaf in a hospital bed with four thousand ant bites burnin' his body? A pretty sick fuck, pardon my language, that's who! I'm happy as hell not to be livin' anywhere near him." Enjoying the shock on his sister's face, he smiled, "In case you were wonderin', you have my permission to quote me on that."
"Nicky…"
"What else do you need answered, Eileen?" he stated like a dare.
"Why did you really ask Greg to move in here?"
"Because I was tired of livin' alone." He egged her on, "Keep goin', sis. I know there's somethin' else you're dyin' to ask me."
"How long are you gonna let him stay?"
"Forever," he replied, the anticipation mounting.
Her heart hammering in her chest, she stammered, "Nicky, are you…um…are you…" Fearing the answer, she was too afraid to ask the question.
His eyes locked on his jittery sister, Nick sucked in a breath and released the words that would change everything. "Gay?" His mouth curved into a serene smile. "Yes." His shoulders immediately felt lighter. "I'm gay." Before his sister could form a reply, his cell phone rang and startled them both. When he saw it was Greg, he said, "Sorry, I need to take this call."
Her worst fears becoming a reality, Eileen turned her watery eyes to the ceiling. Remember what the Reverend said today. Homosexuality isn't about sex, it's a developmental disorder. It is a person's misguided search for belonging, a desperate attempt at getting attention, affection and approval from a man in lieu of getting it from their father. It manifests as sex, but it's really an emotional void they are trying to fill.
When Nick snapped his phone shut, he said, "Greg's in a jam over somethin' work related and I have to give him a hand. I'm gonna be a while." The spell broken, he couldn't believe he had spilled the secret and he reacted by pretending it hadn't happened, "You need to get some rest anyway, or you'll be noddin' off durin' the preachin' tomorrow." His body trembling, he walked away without making eye contact. "I'll see you in the mornin'. Good night, sis."
"Night," she robotically replied, too stunned to believe the exchange had really occurred.
I can't believe this. While waiting outside the locker room for Catherine, Warrick seized the opportunity to return Tina's seven irate voicemails. "Hey, it's 'Rick, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, but I was swamped at work. I'm sure you'll find that believable since me workin' overtime all the time was the reason you couldn't stand to be married to my ass anymore." Realizing he was beating a dead horse, he cut to the chase, "I looked for your Pampered Chef ice cream scoop in my boxes and I don't have it, sorry. I also wanted you to know that I got our court date off when I told Grissom that we had to be there 8am, so I won't be late. I'll be there right on time on May 4th for the dissolution of Brown and Brown, Inc, nothing will get in my way of making that happen, believe me. My condolences on your ice cream scoop, but I'm sure you'll find a new one fast, just like you found a new man in record time."
"I'm ready!" Catherine announced when she breezed into the hallway.
Snapping his phone shut, Warrick said, "Grissom wants us to check up on Greg without lettin' on that we're there."
"That sounds a lot like spying," she said while walking down the hall with the man she was secretly dating and openly lusting every night as she slept alone. "I don't like spying on people. It's unethical."
"Griss sent him into the hood as a test and to motivate him to get his ass to Fire Arms class, because the fool purposely missed the first class so he'd be booted from the session." He opened the front door for the woman of his naughtiest dreams. "Normally, I would agree about the ethics of spying. But he just wants us to make sure he's okay without makin' him feel bad. That's not really spying, that's being concerned and making sure he's safe, doncha think?"
"I think it just reminds me of my mother snooping in my room when I was teenager."
"Wasn't she snooping to make sure you weren't doin' drugs?"
"Yeah."
"See, she was tryin' to keep you safe." Shaking his head, Warrick admitted, "If I had a teenage daughter in this city, I don't think I'd let her leave the house."
"Tell me about it," she sighed, thinking of Lindsay's latest act of rebellion. "I can't believe Greg missed that class again."
"Third time is not a charm and Ecklie's not amused."
"Aren't you happy, Gil?" Ecklie asked with a smile.
"No."
"You're not being demoted," the Assistant Lab Director reiterated, "you're just no longer responsible for Graveyard Shift on the weekends. Normal men would be thrilled to learn they would be paid the same for less responsibility, but you…you're ticked off."
"I don't like change," Grissom huffed. "The last time you messed with my team, all hell broke loose."
"I'm not touching your guys, Gil." Taking a seat in the chair next to his irritated employee, he explained, "We currently have three teams and everyone is overworked and stressed out. The thing with Stokes was the final straw. I used his flip out, Greg's error in judgment earlier this year, Stan's burnout on Days, and Terri's exhaustion-induced accident on Swing as examples of serious personnel consequences due to understaffing. Between my personnel examples and the financial reasoning, the Sheriff approved my plan without any pushback."
Grissom took the file Ecklie was offering him and flipped it open.
"Look at the figures, you'll see I'm right." The number-cruncher explained, "Overtime is maxed every month and it's costing us a fortune, and even with everyone working to the max, we're still backlogged up to yang. Instead of stretching team members and supervisors over a seven day work week, you'll only be working Monday through Friday. I'm creating two weekend shifts, Day and Grave, each with its own supervisor. The new teams will work twelve hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday and then each employee will have sixteen hours left of their forty hour work week. Each person will be assigned two 8-hour shifts during the week, but still ultimately report to their weekend supervisor. Their job description will make it clear that we can adjust their hours whenever we're in a crunch. For example, if the new personnel were in place already, I could make one of them Nick's replacement for a couple of weeks to help you out, rather than you counting on Sanders, Sidle, Willows and Brown to pick up the slack. These floaters will cover for vacationing or sick team members, and we won't have to worry about being empty handed for things like testifying in time consuming court trials. Also, when you need to do team training, you'll be able to pull your whole team out for a day to do it. That's going to make things a hell of a lot easier, don't you think?"
"Yes," Grissom begrudgingly agreed.
"The addition of two teams will drastically help with the workload and make excess overtime obsolete. We'll be saving money and when we save money on staffing, that means there's more money left over for those gadgets you like so much."
Studying the figures on the paperwork given to him, Grissom couldn't argue with the logic.
"The city's a lot bigger than when we started working here, Gil." Ecklie stood to return to his desk chair. "And unfortunately, the crime rate is up and shows no signs of slowing. Our peers in LA have been using this format for years, so it won't look like you couldn't handle things, believe me. It's practically industry-standard." Taking a seat he snickered, "Maybe you'll have time to get a social life with weekends off. Don't be a martyr, Gil. You're fifty, it's time to start spending your weekends with a live body instead of a dead one. Even a woman as needy as Sidle probably won't wait for you forever."
Grissom lifted his eyes from the file.
"How blind do you think I am?" Ecklie laughed. "I know you two have been longing to fall into bed with each other for years. Maybe you should go for it?" He cackled, "Department policy states that supervisors can't marry their employees. Unless it interferes with your work, I can't do anything about it, but if it does interfere with your work, I'll fire your gilfriend." He pointed to the door. "You can go now." But when Gil stood, he remembered one last detail. "By the way, the supervisor jobs for the new teams will be open to CSIs in good standing, meaning no write-ups in the last couple of years. On your team of misfits, only CSI Brown qualifies, kind of ironic since he used to be your biggest problem child. I think he would make an excellent supervisor."
"Really?" Grissom said with surprise. "I agree, but I'm surprised to hear it coming from you. You've never been a big fan of his."
"The truth is…and this is confidential between you and me, the Sheriff said, 'LVPD has taken its fair share of criticism thanks to Sanders using his county-issued truck to make a blood pancake out of Demetrius James. It sure would be nice to have a black guy in management over there at the lab'. Twenty bucks says CSI Brown does very well in the interview process."
Rolling his eyes, Grissom headed down the hall. I hate office politics.
When he strolled into the breakroom to refill his Partridge Family coffee mug, Hodges caught Jacqui and Mandy laughing at the water cooler. "What has you two so giddy tonight?" He sipped his java to see if he had the milk ratio right.
Jacqui accidentally blurted the truth, "Ms. Webster has a hot date with CSI Sanders and I was just razzing her about it."
"Franco!" As Hodges choked on his coffee, Mandy scolded her friend, "Are you out of your mind? Why would you tell David Blabbermouth Hodges anything personal?"
"Doh!" Jacqui tossed her Snickers wrapper in the trash. "Maybe that fall at Starbucks was more serious than I thought. My judgment is obviously very impaired." With that, she darted out of the room.
"What are you waiting for, Mrs. Kravitz?" Mandy droned to the man who irritated her on a nightly basis, "You have fresh rumor to spread, so why are you still standing here?"
"Greg Sanders asked you out?" Hodges clarified, "Sanders, five ten, Norwegian, always having a bad hair day, likes to think he's smarter than me, but isn't?"
The Fingerprint Tech rolled her eyes. "Just leave it alone, okay? Greg's had a really rough year and we'd both like to keep our relationship quiet."
"Relationship? You have a relationship with him?"
"Okay, okay," Mandy laughed at herself. "It's only our first date, but it's not like we're strangers and it's bound to go well." Or is that just wishful thinking because all three of my happily married sisters are simultaneously happily pregnant and making me desperate for a walk down the aisle?
"Wow, you really like him," Hodges remarked, suddenly feeling bad for the girl who he knew had been unlucky in love more times than she liked to admit. Most tragically, her college boyfriend was killed in a freak hot air balloon accident only days before he was going to propose to her. He was trying out the idea of popping the question on a sunset balloon ride, but dropped the ring over the side of the basket and went to retrieve it, forgetting that they had already launched into the air. Then, during her first year at LVPD, she dated a guy who ended up being a serial killer; when they searched his apartment, Mandy's name was next on his death list. It was true, her love life was as depressing as the Barry Manilow song for which she was named.
"Yes, I really like him, so can we not make a joke out of this and just leave it alone?"
The Trace Tech found himself having a crisis of conscience, which surprised him, since he often accused of not having a conscience. "Uh…"
"What's wrong?" Mandy's sixth sense that she inherited from her Grandmother Inez kicked in. "You're hiding something."
"No, I'm not the one hiding something, it's your date who is hiding something…something huge."
"Stop it!" Mandy took her coffee and tucked her magazine under her arm. "Forget it, you can have the place to yourself."
"Wait!" Knowing that she'd never believe him, he waved for her to follow him into his lab. "I had no intentions of sharing this information, but I can't stand by and let him use you like this."
"Who use me how?" she snipped.
"Sanders," he whispered in reply. "Just trust me. One look at this website and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about."
"This better be good."
Not for you it won't be. Hodges locked his door and made sure his computer's screen was angled so it wouldn't be visible to passersby. "You better sit."
Rolling her eyes, Mandy humored the psycho. "You have two minutes of my time, that's it."
Right before pressing 'enter' he handed her two tissues. "The truth will hurt, but it's better that you find out now and not after you carry around his beard-child for nine months."
"Now, Hodges!" Her patience was gone.
"I found this while surfing the Internet the other night." He hit 'enter' and walked away, unable to stomach another look for himself.
Mandy stared at the screen. "Pictures of Greg?"
"Yes." He spoke in a somber tone as he paced his office, "If you need a rebound man, I'll be happy to fill the need. I'd let you rough me up if…"
"Ha! They're so cute!" Her sweet laughter filled the room as she clicked on each thumbnail.
"Cute?" That wasn't the first word that had popped into his mind when he saw the cozy photos of his co-workers.
She pointed to the screen. "The one of him using a hotdog as a microphone as he stood on top of a picnic table imitating Elvis is a riot!"
"What are you talking about?" Hodges rushed to her side.
"And here I thought you were going to show me something bad. You really had me going. These are hilarious!" Looking at the adorable moppet splashing in the ocean as a little boy she fell in love. "His hair was just as wacky back then."
"What happened?" he screamed at the computer screen. The title of the site had changed to 'A Proud Mom's Website' all references to PFLAG and Nick were gone.
Mandy jotted down the website address. "This is a keeper."
"It was," Hodges lamented as sat gaping at the revised website. "I don't get it."
When Dave Sanders caught his wife in front of the computer again, he said, "You better not be putting up a new secret website." He still couldn't believe she had been stupid enough to put up a webpage with Nick and Greg's photos.
"No, Dear, I learned my lesson. It's strictly about his childhood. I thought Nicky would get a kick out of it."
"Okay." Luckily he had caught her, removed everything incriminating and made sure the WayBackMachine wouldn't be able to snag the old version.
"Stop looking at me like that!" Jan grumped, "I was just trying to show my support and you keep making me feel bad."
"Sorry, we just have to be very careful, honey." He placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "There are plenty of other ways to show your support without compromising Greg's privacy."
"There's his Denali," Warrick parked his truck two hundred yards away and reached for a pair of binoculars from his console box.
Catherine already had her binocs in hand. "Guess who beat us to the punch?"
"Grissom?"
"No. Nicky." He was sitting on the hood of his truck while Greg was in the dumpster.
"Seriously?" Warrick raised his night vision equipment and laughed, "Greggy must have been shittin' a brick and called him to come out here and babysit him."
"Grissom will be pissed."
"We don't have to tell him."
"Nick coming to his rescue isn't going to help him get over his fear."
"He's taking a big risk doin' it too, considering he's suspended."
While she continued watching, Catherine said, "As long as he's not helping him collect evidence, he's not violating the terms of his suspension."
"He's on his way over to the dumpster right now."
"There's no tape up, so he's not interfering with a crime scene as long as he doesn't touch the contents of the dumpster."
"I guess, but…" Warrick's jaw dropped.
When Catherine turned to ask "Did you see what I just saw?" she knew the answer was a resounding yes and returned her binoculars to her face quickly.
"Did Nicky just feed that boy somethin'?"
"Yes, and he's not dangling the food, he's sticking it into his mouth," Catherine gave the play by play like a sportscaster.
"Um…" Warrick searched for a logical explanation. "Sanders is gloved up, so he couldn't feed himself."
"Would you have done that for Greg?"
"Hell no!" the hetero man answered with conviction. "Not even if he was starving, but they're roommates and they're lily white Mama's Boys, the rules are a little different y'know?"
"Not that different," Catherine deadpanned while watching Greg clamp down on Nick's fingers, close his eyes, joyfully suck off whatever substance was on them and smack his lips in satisfaction.
"That shit's not right."
"Maybe this is a set up and we're on Candid Camera or something." She peered out the windows looking for a video crew.
"What the…check this out, Cath." Nick was caressing Greg's cheek and gazing into his eyes.
"Do you think they're…"
"No!" Warrick answered, unwilling to believe he could have been showering next to a gay man for eight years without getting a vibe. "We're outta here." He tossed the binoculars and threw the truck in reverse. "And we're callin' Griss and telling him that we're ethically opposed to violating our co-worker's privacy and won't be stopping by on the way to our assignment."
Clutching her head, Catherine whimpered, "Oh sure, take a stand now, after the damage to my mind's eye has been done."
Walking into the drying room, Gil happily informed his lover, "Ecklie doesn't think we're together. He thinks we're still flirting with the idea."
"Seriously?" Sara turned from her work wearing a smile. "So Hodges didn't rat us out?"
"Apparently not." Gil handed over a copy of the new schedule. "I was brilliant. I feigned irritation over the idea of having weekends available for personal use. He actually encouraged me to sleep with you, citing that it wasn't against department policy, but in the next breath he warned that if it interfered with a case then he'd fire you." The Lab's top dog scoffed at the empty threat. "He already tried that once and chickened out."
Looking up from the schedule, she said, "He's bringing in a weekend team and we're permanently working Monday through Friday midnight to nine am?"
"Yes."
"That's…wow."
"I know." Gil snickered, "What will we do with the extra time?"
"Play with our new dog, of course."
His naughty smirk faded. "Of course."
"Look at you," she smiled proudly at her man, "you're really excited about this. I'm kind of surprised."
"I'm very excited about this, and not only because we'll have two permanent nights together, though that is a wonderful perk." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he confessed, "Maybe I wouldn't have needed a sabbatical if I had weekends off to clear my head and work on publications and lectures. Now I'll be able to pursue those things at home with you there, instead of leaving town and you to do it."
She smiled in lieu of words.
"Back to work, CSI Sidle," Gil authoritatively commanded his supposed non-lover. "The County doesn't pay you to stand around and look beautiful." He winked before heading out the door. "But I have to admit, it's a wonderful bonus."
With his eyes still on his work, Archie droned to Hodges, "I don't get paid to answer personal questions."
"I'll buy you lunch."
"What kind of lunch? Not LVPD cafeteria slop or Roach Coach."
"Chinese food from the new place 24-hour place across the street." Hodges had a 'buy one combo get one free' coupon to use.
"Deal." Archie laughed as he sat back in his chair. "What's your question?"
"I'm looking for a previous version of an existing website with the WayBackMachine and it's not working. Why isn't it working?" Hodges asked in a desperate voice.
"The site could use coding, or maybe the version wasn't up long enough to be swept up."
"So, it's hopeless?"
Archie lowered his voice to a whisper. "How hot was this porn?"
"It wasn't porn."
"Right." The AV Tech cracked his knuckles. "Give me the addy and I'll see what I can do."
"I can't."
"I knew it was porn."
"Thanks for your help," Hodges huffed on his way out the door. Although he had copies of the three Nick and Greg photos at home, it was a far cry from having the 'Proud PFLAG Mom' website in its entirety.
Archie rolled on his chair to the door, so he could shout after his co-worker, "I eat lunch at four-thirty!"
Sitting on his truck's hood, Nick held up the bag of brownies. "Need another sugar fix?"
"No, I'm good," Greg replied while dropping Bag 26 over the side of the dumpster.
"Hey, G?"
"Yeah?" The trash-covered CSI peered over the side of the smelly container.
"I kind of maybe told my sister the truth."
"What?" Greg couldn't believe his ears. "What do you mean 'kind of maybe'? What did you say, Cletus?"
"I'm gay." When he saw his partner roll his eyes, Nick said, "I know we talked about a strategy, but the moment was there and it slipped out."
"Unbelievable. How did you leave it?"
"It was happening right when you called, so I told her I needed to help you and walked out to come here."
"You don't look the least bit worried or upset," Greg observed, feeling bad for not being more supportive of the announcement.
"I'm not." The man who had been living a lie for decades, calmly said, "It feels so good. I feel like two tons of weight has been lifted from my shoulders."
"Do you think she'll tell your parents?"
"I don't know." Nick shrugged. "I kinda don't care."
"You're scaring me, Cletus." The CSI jumped from the rim of the dumpster onto the street. "Even though you ignored our plan, all the literature, and common sense, I'm proud of you."
"You should be proud, because you're the one who keeps sayin' I need to be more spontaneous and not care what other people think."
A smile erupted on Greg's face. "No one ever listens to me, so I'm not used to getting results."
"With you in my corner, I had all the confidence in the world." Dropping a hand on his partner's shoulder, he said, "Speakin' of confidence. You need to go to Fire Arms Class, because I won't be able to babysit you once I get my job back in two weeks. Take it from the expert, if you face your fear head on, you'll succeed and feel much better afterwards."
"If you could come out to your sister, I can pass the class. I'll do it. I promise."
"Good." Nick quietly said, "I can't have anything happen to you, G, except for maybe my sister Gwen, you may be the only family I have left after this hits the fan. You're everything to me."
"Don't forget, you have got my folks too," Greg assured while savoring the love in Nick's eyes. "You know my dad will do anything for his jock son-in-law."
They shared a laughed that snapped them back to happiness.
"I hate to break up the party!" Grissom announced as he strolled down the alley shining his flashlight, "but I don't remember giving you an invitation, Nick, and Greg – you can't bring a bodyguard to every scary field assignment."
"Busted," Greg muttered as he hung his head.
"I swear I was just givin' him a pep talk about Fire Arms Class, Boss." Nick backed away with his hands in the air like a suspect. "I didn't touch anything."
"Except the CSI working the assignment," Grissom corrected.
"I meant I didn't touch any evidence."
Not amused, the supervisor lectured, "I'll tell you two the same thing I told Catherine - no PDAs while on duty, no exceptions. You never know who is watching. Remember the time Sara was on the witness stand under cross-exam and they blasted her about wiping chalk dust off my cheek at a scene? Don't give anyone ammunition to use against you in court. Am I clear?"
Nick and Greg exchanged looks, both thinking the same thing 'I can't wait to catch Griss touching Sara and bust his ass'. "Yes, Boss," they simultaneously replied. "Sorry."
"Stokes, you have fifteen seconds to bid your partner adieu, then I want you and your truck out of here." Grissom glanced down at his watch. "Time starts now."
"Maybe it's not too late," Eileen whispered into her cell phone as she stood outside her brother's bedroom door. "He said he's gay, but he may not be actively livin' the lifestyle. It may all be wishful thinkin' with Greg. He said he asked him to move in here because he was tired of livin' alone and was hopin' it would last forever. For all we know, Greg has no idea how Nicky feels."
"You said he'll be gone a while, why don't you peek in his room and see what you find. Go through his drawers and closet."
"That wouldn't be right, Linda."
"Think of it like when Mama and Daddy used to check our rooms for drugs as teenagers. It's not snoopin', it's tough love. If Nicky's physical and mental wellbeing is at risk, we can't be worried about offendin' him. We have to take action."
"Well, when you put it that way." After a deep breath, the concerned sister twisted the door knob. "It's locked, I can't get in."
"Why on Earth would he keep his bedroom door locked? That's sneaky behavior right there. Use a Bobby Pin to pick open the lock. That's what I do when I want to see inside Carl's briefcase."
"You sneak peeks into your husband's briefcase?"
After an awkward pause, Linda snipped, "Would you just focus on gettin' into Nicky's room, Eileen, and mind your own business!"
Four minutes later, once she had successfully worked open the lock with a Bobby Pin, the troubled sister stepped into her brother's room and flicked on the lights. "I'm inside."
"What color is his room? Is it somethin' girly?"
"It's a duck theme."
"What? A duck theme?" Linda exclaimed, "Honey, that's totally queer. Ernie always played with a rubber duckie on Sesame Street, remember? And he and Bert were proven to be queer, remember that article we…"
"Good Lord, Linda, no, not rubber duckies, huntin' ducks. The bedding is brown, beige and forest green plaid with mallards on the throw pillows and there are mallards in reeds on the accents and border paper."
"Oh! I guess rubber duckies popped into my head because I was tidyin' the kids' bathroom when you called and they have a bunch stacked on the back of the tub." Linda confirmed, "Duck huntin' is a masculine hobby, so that's encouragin'."
"I just remembered that Mama fixed up Nicky's room when she was out here stayin' with him after the abduction, so he didn't do the decoratin'."
"Right, right." Linda advised, "Check the nightstand drawers first, everybody knows that's where the kinky stuff is kept."
"Speak for yourself, hussy," Eileen joked. "Now that Trevor and I are done havin' sex except for Valentines' Day, Flag Day, his birthday and our anniversary , my nightstand is for my Bible and my cross-stitch supplies."
"Flag day?"
"We needed somethin' in the middle of the year and I'm always exhausted after barbequing on the 4th." When Eileen opened the first set of the drawers, she found only Forensics and Sports Magazines, but then she opened the other side, she gasped, "Condoms and two bottles of somethin' called Astroglide."
"Are they open?"
"No, they're sealed actually."
"That's good news!" Linda rejoiced. "Maybe he's not done the deed yet. Go check the bathroom next."
"Greg asked to use Nicky's shower earlier." When Eileen reached the bathroom, she huffed, "Wow, I'm totally jealous of his master suite. There's a Jacuzzi type tub and a separate tile shower that's huge and has two massaging shower heads."
Linda broke the bad news, "Honey, the gays like to have three and foursomes, maybe that's why he bought that place. It sounds like a gay man's paradise."
"Oh God!" Eileen gasped when she peered into the shower.
"What?"
"There's an empty condom wrapper on the floor of the shower and a half-used bottle of lubricant sittin' between the shampoo and conditioner!" Eileen's stomach sickened as she recalled the men comin' into the kitchen saying they had worked up big appetites. "Those two Sodomites were in here while I was cooking their dinner! They said Greg's shower wasn't workin', so they had to share. Can you believe what a lyin', manipulative sinner our sweet little brother has become? I'm sick to my stomach. I can't believe he's flauntin' these vile lubricants and condoms in front of me."
"Think of the germs in there, honey, you best get out of that bathroom quick."
"I think I may vomit."
"You have to pack your bags and leave right now!" Linda advised. "You can't live in Sodom while attendin' a Bible conference."
"Oh." Eileen froze in the hallway. "Um."
"What?"
"It's just that hotel rooms are very expensive here and Trevor and I don't have extra cash this month."
"You can't live with sinners just because you want to save money."
"We have five kids to feed at home. I can't be spendin' a thousand unplanned dollars."
"This is no time to be cheap, sis!"
"Well, if you feel that strongly about it, then why don't you pay for my room, Linda?"
After a moment of silence, the twin sister said, "On second thought, you should stay there, because we wouldn't want anyone from church to think there's a problem. They can't know we have a queer in the family. Look what happened to Aunt Annette and Uncle Len when the congregation found out about Cousin Roy. And can you imagine the flack Daddy would take in his political circles if they found out he had a queer son? For now, let's keep it between us and try to convince Nicky he needs help."
"I think that's a good plan."
"Just remember, when you're livin' in a gay hot zone, you have to be real careful about germs. I'd sit on a towel at all times and don't let them cook for you. It's not just AIDS you have to worry about, lots of them have Hepatitis and STDs"
"Okay."
"And don't let Nicky kiss you, not even on the cheek, because they put their mouths everywhere, even in each other's cracks."
Eileen shivered when she thought about her brother kissing her cheek after he might have kissed Greg's. "I don't know if I can stay here after all."
"It's the only way! You have to pretend you're supportive and get close to them," Linda said, "then once you've gained their trust, make your plea for Nicky's soul and beg him to get into a Reparative Therapy Program."
"What if he resists?"
"I'll call over to the Focus on the Family folks in the mornin', I'm pretty sure their Love in Action group can advise us on how to stage a proper intervention. I know they have a rehab center where men can go for a while to get cured just like there are places for drug addicts. Getting him in there for a couple of months is probably his best shot a full recovery."
"This is going to be so hard," Eileen cried as the night's events took their toll.
"Honey, you were obviously chosen for this task for a reason and you must accept the challenge. Come on, let's pray on it together. Heavenly Father, please let our brother realize how far he's strayed from the teachings of Jesus Christ."
"Here you go, Sally," Nick handed over the large coffee cup and took a seat on the bus stop bench next to homeless fifty-six year old woman he had befriended years ago when working the case of a dead teenager found in a cardboard box. Since Grissom had ordered him to leave Greg alone and he had no desire to return home to his sister, he had gone for a walk on The Strip. "That's hot tea with honey, that should help the congestion a bit."
"Is there booze in here, Stokes?" the woman asked with a hopeful lilt.
"No, ma'am." Nick shook his finger. "You know I won't buy ya booze, Sally."
"But booze is good for a cold."
"You know the rules, I'll help you any way I can, but I won't enable your addiction."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, tough love and all that bullshit. If you weren't so damn cute, I woulda told you and your preachy attitude to fuck off years ago, Stokes."
Laughing with the woman, he handed over a plastic shopping bag. "I got you some cough drops…"
"Not menthol I hope."
"Darlin'." He pressed a palm to his heart. "I know what my best girl likes and what she doesn't. Cherry cough drops, non-menthol, two Hershey bars without nuts and a bottle of Sprite for when you get the shakes, three sticks of non-spicy Beef Jerky and a gossip magazine."
"Ooh!" She dove into the bag. "Who's fuckin' up this week? Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan?"
"Both." Smiling, he sat back and sipped his coffee, watching the crowds mill by. "Are the streets treatin' you okay?"
"Better than that damn place you brought me too, that's for sure."
"No, no, no, that was a real nice place," he sighed, "you just didn't like it because they wouldn't let you drink. You coulda cleaned up and called your daughter, but you walked out."
Not in the mood for a lecture, she changed the subject, "Why aren't you workin' tonight, CSI man?"
"I've got a couple of weeks off."
"Vacation?"
"Somethin' like that."
Sally laughed, "You didn't get stuffed in a coffin and bit up by ants again did ya?" When he told her the story the first time, she felt bugs crawling on her for hours afterwards.
"No," he answered with a smile. "No coffins or fire ants, but my Holy Roller sister is in town for a visit, that's torture in its own right. So, yeah, I'm not in the mood to spend the night at home."
"You want to sleep with me, handsome? I've got a fresh newspaper and it's a full moon." Sally slid her pant leg to her knee, exposing her hairy leg. "Think you can handle a real woman, Tex?"
"I'm flattered, really," he sweetly chuckled, "but I got engaged last week and I don't think my fiancée would approve."
"Why are all the good ones are taken or gay?" Sally grumbled while releasing her pant leg. "What's a single girl gotta do to get a date around here?"
Sitting in the Fingerprint Lab doing the same mundane tasks she did night after night, Mandy passed the time daydreaming. "Do you think we should go to Fiji or Belize on our honeymoon?"
Jacqui glanced up, "I didn't even know we were getting married, honey. Which one of us is the groom?"
"Very funny."
"Ooh, here comes loverboy now." Jacqui pointed when she saw Greg trudging down the hall in his work coveralls. "Looking particularly unappealing I might add."
"Really?" Mandy chuckled, "I think he looks cute in the coveralls."
"Honey, there's desperate and then there's desssssssperate. You need to reel it in a notch…or ten."
"It's my family, they're driving me crazy. All my sisters are pregnant again and if I hear 'Are you seeing anyone, MandyLynn?' one more time, I may kill."
"Another one nailed!" Jacqui cheered when her computer signaled it had a print match. "Don't forget to wear gloves when you're killing your family."
Just as Mandy was about to wave through the glass to get Greg's attention, she saw Sara Sidle corner her man. "Hey!" She grumped, "Where did she come from? Was she stalking him?"
Jacqui sniffed the air. "I smell jealousy."
"I'm not jealous of her." Turning green with envy, she watched the two CSIs get closer and closer. "He asked me out, not her. If he wanted her, he'd be going out with her."
The blurt-prone forty year old said, "Unless she doesn't want him."
"You think I'm his second choice?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound snarky, I'm just worried about you because in all these years, I've never seen you this crazy over a date." Trying to make her pal feel better, Jacqui said, "Or maybe I'm the jealous one. Maybe I'm moody becase you're about to hook up with your dream man and the only thing on my horizon is…actually I can't think of anything."
"Aww." Mandy assured her buddy, "Don't worry, I won't become one of those women who forgets her friends once she gets a boyfriend. We'll still go to the movies and pretend we're dieting together."
The two women watched in silence as Sara threw her arms around Greg.
"She's mauling my man!" Mandy exclaimed, growing more irritated by the second. "Let go of my Greggo."
Although she wouldn't say it, Jacqui thought Greg, with his eyes closed and arms clamped around Sara, looked completely smitten with his fellow CSI. "He's just humoring her."
"I really hope the joke is over soon," Mandy sighed.
Pulling back from the embrace, Sara apologized once more, "I'm so sorry about Melvin. I suck at the new mommy thing. If a dog is giving me this much trouble, I can't imagine what it would be like taking care of a kid – luckily I'll never find out."
"It's okay," Greg assured her for a third time. "The cowboy and I decided we're definitely getting a dog this week, assuming we find one to adopt that we like."
"The Assistant Manager at the Petsmart on Tropicana was really helpful. He told us just what to buy for our breed."
"You never told me what you got."
"A boxer."
Greg jabbed a few punches in the air. "A good friend of mine growing up had a Boxer, it was a great dog, except it farted all the time. That pooch could clear a room."
"Yeah, Bruno has enough natural gas to power a small nation." When Sara noticed Mandy staring at her through the glass, she bristled. "Uh oh, your girlfriend is watching us and she looks ticked."
"Doh!" By the time Greg whirled around, the Tech had busied herself. "I better set the date and underimpress her as soon as possible."
"Just be yourself," Sara winked before strolling away.
Watching Sara interact with Greg, Jacqui rolled her eyes. Seriously, she needs to shit or get off the pot. She can't string Grissom and Sanders along for years. She's probably dating another hunky EMT on the side. Jeeeeez, save some of the straight ones for the rest of us, honey! They're in limited supply, especially in this town.
"Hey, Mandy!" Greg enthusiastically greeted his date-to-be. "I'm back, I'm safe, and I'm no longer pre-occupied with getting killed, so I can think straight."
"Great!"
"So, I was thinking about this date," Greg announced while rubbing his hands together. "Are you into coin collecting?"
Jacqui raced to cover her mouth with her palm so she wouldn't laugh.
Coin collecting? Mandy shook her head. "Uh, no, I don't know anything about coin collecting actually."
Greg's excitement grew. "Well, there's a coin collection convention in town and I'm like super into coin collecting. I'd love to introduce you to my favorite hobby tomorrow night. Are you up for it?" He made sure he spit from talking so excitedly and intermittently jumped up and down.
"Sure!" Mandy took a step back just in case her date continued to spray. "I'd love to accompany an expert, because I've always thought coin collecting would be a fun pastime." If I was in prison and it was the only option available.
"Awesome!" He nodded. "We'll hit the coin exhibition at eight and then I'll take you out for dinner before we come in for our shift. Is Peter Piper Pizza good with you? I'm kind of on a budget and I love to play Skee Ball, so it's my one of favorite places."
"I love Peter Piper Pizza," Mandy lied. Since she was always forced to go there for her nieces and nephews birthday parties, she hated the place. "So I should probably wear jeans then, right? Since it's a casual atmosphere."
"Jeans would be great. The tighter the better! Just kidding…but wear them anyway, "he snorted with laughter. "Leave directions to your place taped to my locker, okay? I'll pick you up at seven-thirty." He pointed over his shoulder. "Griss is sending me right back out, so I have to run. Bye!"
"Bye!" Mandy waved until he was gone and then she whirled around to face her hysterical co-worker. "Just get it out of your system."
"Coin Collecting and Peter Piper Pizza?" Jacqui held onto the counter so she wouldn't fall over from laughing. "Congratulations, you're dating a ten year old." No wonder Sidle doesn't want him.
"Hey! Geeks need love too!" Mandy huffed before returning to her computer. "I bet I have a great time."
"Bring lots of quarters, just in case he didn't earn his allowance this week or spent it all on Transformer toys." Jacqui bit her tongue so the other jokes wouldn't slip out. "I can't wait to hear all about this one."
***
Chapter 4: Secret Lives"Grissom!" Greg yelled when he saw his boss dart out of his office. "Can you hold up for a sec?" He hustled down the hall to catch him.
"I told Doc I'd meet him in Autopsy at seven, so make it fast."
"I need your John Hancock." The exhausted CSI handed over the Training Request Form and a pen. "Since this month's session couldn't accommodate everyone who signed up, they added an extra session. I start next week."
Gil quickly signed the form and returned it.
"Cool, thanks." Greg lowered his voice to a whisper, "And I promise not to call Nick into the field to babysit me again."
"Wise decision." Gil's expression softened along with his voice. "I take it things are going well for the two of you?"
"Yeah, totally."
"Good." Gil turned to leave. "That should help Nick's state of mind and make it easier for him to pass his Psych evaluation. The sooner he's back, the better."
"CSI Stokes," the office assistant announced from the open doorway, "Dr. Henry is ready for you."
"Hey, Margie!" Nick set down the National Geographic magazine he had been reading and crossed the room smiling at the cheery fifty-something woman who reminded him of his plump and jolly Aunt Katie. "The only good things about comin' here to get my head shrunk are your smile and the magazines. I always loved readin' National Geographic as a kid. I really should get a subscription one of these days."
"Hey, you're in luck," the woman informed her favorite patient of all time, "I just changed out all the magazines and have a dozen old ones in the donation box. I'll donate them to you instead and you can enjoy them while you're on leave from work."
"Seriously? Cool, thanks."
"You're welcome. I'll bag them up and have them waiting for you at check out." She knocked on the doctor's door and then opened it. "CSI Stokes is here for his seven-thirty appointment." She whispered, "Have a good session, Tex."
"I'll try."
"Good to see you again, Nick." The doctor rounded his desk with his hand extended.
"Hey, Doc." The CSI returned the handshake and smiled at the thirty-eight year old doctor, who he always thought resembled a blonde surfer dude more than a medical professional. "Good seein' you again too, though I wish it were under different circumstances."
"I have to say you look much happier than I imagined you would after reading Ecklie's write up, and a hell of a lot better than the first time you showed up on my doorstep still shaking from head to toe." The doctor flashed his warmest smile. "You didn't even look this relaxed when I released you from therapy last time."
"I know it sounds bad on paper, but it was really just a horrific case on a bad day." Nick sat down in one of the leather guest chairs. "I um…I also had somethin' personal goin' on at the time that had me off balance. It was somethin' that had me upset for years and it was comin' to a head. I've cleared that issue up once and for all though. Honestly, I'm feelin' the best I have felt in a long, long time."
"Cool! Then my job will be easy." The doctor joked, "This is my first day back after three weeks of vacation, so I was hoping I wouldn't have to work too hard."
"I just got back from a vacation too. Did ya go any place good?"
"Kenya," the man replied, still glowing from the experience.
"Like a safari trip?" Nick queried, "I've always wanted to do one of those."
"It was incredible," the doctor answered, deciding it would be a good ice-breaker to get their session rolling and re-establish their doctor-patient relationship. "We visited three different preserves. One night, we slept yards away from giraffes. I'm still buzzing."
"That had to cost a pretty penny. I didn't think the County paid their doctors that well."
"They don't. I'm broke, believe me. We ate Ramen for a year so we could do it all first-class, but it was totally worth it. It was the trip of a lifetime." The doctor reached for the small photo album on his desk. "All my patients told me they wanted to see pictures when I got back, so I put this together."
"Whoa," Nick exclaimed when he saw a cheetah perched on the hood of the tour jeep."
"I almost pissed my pants when that cat jumped up there, but the guide said it was typical."
"These are amazing photos." When Nick turned the page, he pointed and asked, "Who's with ya in this one?"
"That's my partner Bob."
"Partner?" Nick glanced up from the album. "As in medical practice partner or um…"
"No." The doctor smiled, "As in life partner."
"Oh." Returning his gaze to the photo, Nick stammered, "I didn't know you were…gay."
"We've been together for five years, it was an anniversary trip. I've only been out at work now for about a year now, which was after you stopped coming here." Studying the puzzled expression on his patient's face, the doctor asked, "I'm sorry, does my being gay make you uncomfortable?" So far, only three patients had requested to see someone else after finding out. "If it does, you could request…"
"No, no not at all." Nick breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I'm thrilled frankly. It'll make this much easier for me. You know that issue I said I was dealin' with for a long time…"
"Really?" The doctor sat back. "At risk of sounding professionally inept - I had no idea."
"Don't feel bad, I was hidin' it really well, especially from myself." Comfortable, because it was a confidential session, Nick reached for his wallet and pulled out the photo booth pictures that he had taken with Greg in Catalina. "I've got a partner too, and I think you'll recognize him since he's also a former patient of yours."
"Greg!" Mandy shouted across the parking lot. Right as she was about to slip behind the wheel and drive home, she spotted him walking out the LVPD building.
"Hey!" He contemplated if it would be rude to just leave it at that, but decided to walk over. "Don't worry, I've showered." He felt he should warn her since she knew he had spent the better part of the night in a dumpster.
"Are you kidding? After all these years of CSIs coming into my lab reeking of garbage and decomp, it doesn't bother me anymore." Smiling at the man with the tousled hair who looked adorable in a crazy t-shirt, ripped jeans and red sneakers, she said, "We made a great team tonight, huh? You finding that murder weapon in the dumpster and me matching up the print."
"I got a text saying Vartann has the killer in custody. If only every case was that easy, huh?"
"Yeah."
Unnerved by her dreamy stare, Greg pointed to his watch. "I hate to run, but it's already nine-thirty and I turn into a pumpkin at ten."
"You're so funny," she remarked, loving the goofy smile on her date's face. "Did you get the directions I left you?"
"Yeah." He tapped his pocket. "You're like three minutes from our place."
Our place? Oh, right! "How's Nick doing?" She felt bad for not asking sooner. "He was so agitated at the grocery store the other night, I felt really sorry for him. It's really nice of you to help him; you're such a sweet, standup guy."
You'd think differently if you knew I was going home to crawl into bed with Nick before our date. "Thanks." She's so nice. I hate this.
"It makes sense that you're good at taking care of people," she gushed, "because you're great with kids and if someone can handle kids, they can handle taking care of anyone. A few weeks ago, when I saw you questioning that six year old who witnessed his mother's death, I was blown away. You had that poor little boy smiling and laughing even though it was the worst day of his life." That's when I knew you'd be a great husband and father. Realizing she had gone over the top, she scrambled to compensate. "Not that it's important that you like kids for any reason." Good save.
She's stalking my sperm. If this date was real, I'd be canceling it ASAP, because she's freaking me out. "So, I'll see you at seven-thirty."
"Seven-thirty." In an uncharacteristic and bold move, she lunged forward to kiss the unsuspecting CSI. "Pleasant dreams." She knew she'd be having a few. "Bye."
"Bye." As she drove away he muttered through his fake smile, "This date is quite possibly the dumbest idea I've ever had." Then he recalled trying to fly off his parents' roof with wings made out of his mother's lingerie. "Okay, second dumbest." Cursing himself, Greg trudged across the lot toward his parking spot, passing Catherine and Warrick on the way. "Oh, hey."
"What's up with you and Mandy?" Catherine nosed since she lost the coin toss with Warrick. "We just saw her kiss you."
"Oh. That." Since the date had already been broadcast through the grapevine thanks to Hodges, he didn't bother lying. "We're going out tonight and she was just thanking me in advance. I'd really rather not talk about it, okay?"
"Okay." Catherine let him off the hook. "Go home and get some sleep, because you look really drained."
"Yeah, I'm beat." Greg resumed walking. "See you tonight." After my beard date from hell.
Once their co-worker drove away, Catherine and Warrick turned to each other feeling more confused than ever.
"He's dating Mandy, but sucking food off Nick's fingers with his eyes closed," she stated while planting her hands on her hips. "He looked a lot more enthusiastic with Nick than Sweet as Candy Mandy."
"I always thought that boy was confused," Warrick sighed, "but I didn't think Nick was. I can't shake that image of him feeding Sanders. If I didn't know him, I'd swear he was with Greg, but now with this Mandy piece of the puzzle…who knows what's going on. "
"You went out with Mandy."
"Like six years ago," he laughed.
"What was with that anyway?" She had always wondered.
"It was part of my Gamblers Anonymous steps y'know? I needed a new crowd. I thought a sweet librarian-type would be good for me."
"Let me guess…" Catherine posed seductively against her car. "When she didn't let down her bun and toss her glasses for a black leather teddy, you were disappointed?"
"Somethin' like that," he answered with just the right amount of bad-boy bravado to get her body going. "The truth is, I don't think sleeping with co-workers is a good idea."
"Really?" She purred, "So, sleeping with me would be bad?"
"Mmhmm."
"How bad?" she asked with just the right amount of bad-girl breathiness to get his body going.
"Very. Bad." The eye sex drove him wild. "If you don't believe me, I'd be more than happy to prove my point this morning." Even though he hadn't planned on taking their budding relationship to the next level so soon, a hostile phone conversation with Tina an hour ago had left him feeling like he had something to prove.
"Hmm. I don't know." After a dramatic pause, she dangled her keys. "Your place or mine, baby?"
Dropping onto the bed she now shared daily with Gil, Sara rejoiced to her significant other, "I'm so glad we don't have to pick whose place we're sleeping at anymore. It was such a pain in the ass to pack a bag and stay over."
"I couldn't agree more," he replied as he left the bathroom. "Hey! What's he doing on the bed?" Their boxer was stretched out at the foot looking like he had been sleeping there all his life.
"He's been in his dog crate all day. We can't expect him to sleep there when we're home too."
"We can't watch him while we're sleeping, Sara. What if he goes exploring while we're dozing?
"He's already snoring," she laughed, "I don't think mischief is on his mind. Just shut the bathroom and bedroom doors and it'll be fine; I dog-proofed this room, remember?"
After doing as told, Gil slipped under the covers and said, "I want you to know that I won't have sex with a dog in the bed."
"All part of my master plan," Sara chuckled as she clicked off her lamp. "I'm way too tired. It was hard working eleven hours after being out of the groove for almost a week. But if you're a good boy while we're sleeping, I might kick Bruno out of bed when we wake up and let the old dog of the house have a treat."
After panting in his laughing lover's ear, he snickered, "Doggie style would be great, thanks." He settled in back of her, spooning her tight. "I forgot to say, nice work on the Orion case."
"I knew that skinny blonde bitch girl was lying through her teeth."
"What should I say in my supervisory notes? CSI Sidle's natural hatred of skinny blondes led to a break in the case?"
"I don't hate all skinny blondes," she corrected while closing her eyes, "just the vapid annoying ones with shrilly voices. So, what does that work out to? 98 percent?"
Gil responded to the cattiness by making cat noises, which in turn made Bruno jump to his feet, bark like a mad dog and run vigorous circles in the bed. "Bruno, no! Stop!"
Sara grabbed hold of his collar and soothed, "It's okay, boy, it's okay."
The expert in Forensic Psychology said, "Clearly, he doesn't like cats."
"I'll say. That was a really intense reaction to a cat impression and it wasn't even a good impression. No offense." When Sara felt the dog's heart racing she said, "Maybe he suffers from PTSD and panics when it's triggered." She scratched his head. "You poor boy. You need a hefty dose of TLC, doncha?"
"The wuss is home and he needs a hug!" Greg announced as he walked in the front door. When he didn't get a reply, he kicked off his shoes in the entry way and padded down the hall. "Cletus?" He should be back from therapy by now. I hope his sister didn't have him hauled away to a deprogramming camp in Idaho. "Cletus?" When he reached Nick's open bedroom door, he saw his significant other curled up in bed with a dozen National Geographic magazines and his IPod on. "I don't want to startle you," he said while slowly walking around the bed waving his right hand. "Cleeeetus. Please don't freak out."
"Shit!" Nick's magazine soared through the air and he scrambled to sit up. "You scared me to death!" He yanked out his ear buds.
"I tried my best not to, but you couldn't hear me over your hillbilly jug band music. Is your sister gone?"
"Until seven. She's havin' dinner with her church friends tonight. They're apparently gonna ignore the part of the Bible that talks about gluttony and eat at an all-you-can-eat buffet."
"So she didn't pack her bags and run screaming from the House of Queer?"
"Nope." Nick excitedly relayed, "She even made us a breakfast casserole and left me a note that says she can hate the sin, but not the sinner. She's gonna pray on the matter and not tell the family until God advises her."
"That should take a little while, because after catching ten minutes of CNN World News in the Break Room, I'm pretty sure God has more important things to do today than fret over who Nick likes to kiss." The cynic was certain that Eileen stayed because she didn't want to fork over cash for a hotel room. "I predict she gets a revelation on Friday morning."
"Would ya shut up and get in bed already?" Nick winked. "I missed ya, Dex."
The geek smiled when he heard his new nickname. "I've been standing here waiting for you to clear a spot for me, jocko."
"Oh." The National Geographic fan carefully piled his magazines on the nightstand and lifted the comforter just in time for Greg to dive under the covers. "I hate to say this, but I'm really beat and not up for…"
"That's not what I want. That's not what I want at all." Snuggling close, Nick purred, "This is what I've been waitin' to do." The warmth of his partner's body pressed against his was just what he needed after an emotional draining therapy session.
Under the deluxe comforter, perched on top of 400 thread count sheets, and in the strong arms of a man who loved him, Greg's tension melted faster than ice cream on a hot summer day. "This is so much better than coming home to an empty house after a crappy shift." He caught Nick's bottom lip between his and lingered a kiss. "So, tell me about your session. Was it as bad as you thought it would be?"
"Not at all. Dr. Henry is gay, can you believe it?"
"You didn't know that?"
"You did? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you knew," Greg laughed. "It's not a secret. He has a picture of Bob on his desk."
"He told me he didn't come out at work until after I was done there." Nick excitedly shared, "He was really helpful when I told him about my disapproving sister. He told me what to say if she brings up certain things like Conversion Therapy and he gave me this paper with a list of websites to check out. There's this whole ex-gay movement, even a counter group to PFLAG called PFOX which is parents and friends of ex-gays. He suggested I read as much as I can, so I can speak to her points."
"But instead you're catching up on a year of National Geographic?"
"I was lookin' at pictures of Africa in the magazines. I've always wanted to do a safari trip. It's on my list of things to do before I die that I had to write out the last time I was in therapy. Doc Henry and his partner just returned from Kenya."
"Let's do it." Greg bolted up in bed. "I've got the hundred grand, remember? My dad specifically said to be practical with most of it, but use some of it for a hard-earned splurge. Let's splurge a chunk of it going to Kenya."
"I can't let you pay my way to Africa, G."
"Why? I'll get this trip and you can pay for the next big one. You said your sister Gwen is due to pay you back your savings next year, right? I've always wanted to go to the Great Barrier Reef. I was just thinking about that tonight when I was sure I was going to die in that dumpster."
"I don't know." It was a lot for a pragmatic and proud man to swallow.
"Be spontaneous, Cletus." Greg egged him on. "Just say yes. Just look the guy you love in the eyes and say 'Yes! I'd love to go to Kenya with you, baby!' Say it like you mean it."
"But who's gonna watch our dog?" Nick queried with concern in his voice. "I don't like the idea of puttin' him in a kennel."
"The dog we don't have yet?"
"Yeah."
"Ha! You're hilarious." Greg pounced on his man, kissing him frantically. "Have I told you I love you today? Hmm? Hmm? Have I? I love you! And I loved how you showed up at that dumpster without me asking you to come. You were there within fifteen minutes of hearing me cry on the phone. And you brought me coffee! I love coffee and you…and the dog we don't have yet…and I love the vacation we didn't take yet."
Feeling like he was being tackled and smooched by a loving puppy, Nick laughed, "Are you sure it was me you were happy to see, or was it the sight of a Glock in my holster that made your heart go pitter-pat tonight?"
"Both, but your Glock can't kiss me back, so…"
"Wow, your shoulders feel really tight, G. Toss your shirt while I'll grab some lotion to give you a massage."
"Seriously? Eat your heart out, ladies, my man gives massages." Suddenly in a fantastic mood, Greg dove onto his stomach laughing, "When we wake up, we'll definitely need to fool around though, because I don't want to go out on my date with Mandy sporting unresolved wood. She'll take it as a sign that I want to impregnate her on our first date."
"That's tonight?" Nick said in surprise. "What's the rush? What do you mean first date? How many are ya gonna have?"
"Dude, I had to make it tonight. The tick of her biological clock is deafening. She's stalking my soldiers. The sooner I make her realize I'm a loser, the better."
"Yeah, but tonight?"
"Seriously, she's all over me, I'm not waiting."
"Uh." As he straddled Greg's thighs, Nick asked with concern, "You're not gonna kiss, right?"
"She already kissed me. She nailed me in the LVPD parking lot of all places. Talk about a PDA."
"Seriously?"
"Catherine and 'Rick saw her do it and totally called me on it. But I guess having witnesses only helps our cause."
"Back up, did she kiss your lips or your cheek?"
"Corner of my mouth, but only because I turned my head. I'm pretty sure she was going for tongue."
Tongue? "Uh, what if the date goes really well and you hit it off?" Nick kneaded the tension in his lover's muscles as his started to knot. "You're Bi. Unlike me, you've really been in love with a woman. Hell, you spent years chasin' Sara. Mandy's a lot like Sara too – brown hair, bookish, not a girly girl. Now that I think about it, she's exactly like Sara, but without the rough edges." His voice filled with concern. "What if you two have a really good time? What if you get caught up in the moment and get carried away? Would you…"
"Are you joking around?"
"No, I'm serious, what if she…"
"Stop!"
"G, I think I…"
"Stop! Stop talking!" Miffed by the line of questioning, Greg pushed Nick off him and moved to the opposite side of the bed. "I can't believe you! I just told you I loved you and wanted to take you on a dream trip to Africa and like two minutes later you're worried I'm going to fall into bed with Mandy tonight. Are you fucking kidding me? Where did that line of questioning come from, CSI Stokes?" Pointing to the bracelet, he barked, "I thought this meant something. How can it mean anything if you're worried about me falling into bed with the first girl who flirts with me?" Stunned by the insecurity ripping through him, the exhausted and vulnerable man averted his eyes. "We're buying a house and a dog together, but you're worried I'm going to screw Mandy behind your back for kicks? What does that say about our relationship?" Holding his head, he continued rambling, "I'm only going on the damn date because you freaked out when she assumed we were a couple. I don't want to go out with her, I have to go out with her. I can't believe you."
Stunned by the intense reaction and the sight of Greg's hands shaking, Nick stammered, "I…you know, I guess deep down I'm just a little insecure with our relationship happening so fast and I panicked. Everything popped into my head and out of my mouth before I could think about how ridiculous I was for even thinkin' it. Like I said earlier, I have a lot on the line here, G, and I've never been in a serious relationship before this."
"You're not the only onewho feels vulnerable here. Why do you keep forgetting that?" Greg struggled to regain his composure. "You think because I've been with guys before that this isn't as risky for me as it is for you, but I disagree. I've already had my heart ripped out by Lacey and Jeff after saying 'I love you' so saying it to you is a huge deal for me. If it wasn't a big deal to me, I would have said it to someone other than my parents in the last ten years." He turned away to flick his tears. "You already stuck a knife in my heart when you dumped me on The Freyja because of your sister's phone call. I was so fucking happy to be with you just now, to have someone at home after a crappy shift. I've never had that before and it felt so good. Couldn't you see how happy I was? How can one guy make me feel so safe and so scared all in the same day? You're like the friggin' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of boyfriends."
Feeling like he had kicked a puppy that loved him unconditionally, Nick's guilt intensified.
"I don't know why you see things as happening fast. All I see is eight years of friendship and trust paving the way to our first kiss." Greg continued to pour out his heart, "The physical intimacy is just the cherry on top, it's sweet and colorful and fun, but it's not much without the foundation below it. I don't get why the addition of sex to our relationship and me telling you 'I love you' suddenly makes me less trustworthy instead of more. I'm still the guy who has had your back for the last 8 years." His watering eyes fixed on the plaid of the comforter, he said, "I'm the guy who would never betray you in bed or at work, as a lover or a friend. I thought you knew that. I thought…" After a choppy breath, he pleaded, "Stop pulling the rug out from under me. Please. Because every time you do, there's a little voice that says 'don't be a fool, Greg, leave now before you get hurt again' and I'm afraid if you keep doing it, that voice is going to become too loud to ignore."
"I'm sorry, G." Nick placed a hand over his heart. "I'm so sorry. You're absolutely right. I feel like shit for thinkin' it, for sayin' it, and for hurtin' you." After clearing his throat, he confessed, "Just for a split second I got insecure about everything, just a second, but that's all it took to hurt you and I'm sorry. That was my fear talkin', but now I'm gonna talk with my heart and my gut and my head. I know you're not gonna go out tonight and sleep with Mandy behind my back. I know you've been nothin' but honest with me. I know you love me and that you'll be here for me even if my entire family walks away." He reached for his hurt partner's hand and was relieved that he didn't pull away. "I know you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." He slid closer and spoke with conviction. "Yes! I'd love to go to Kenya with you, baby, because we have plenty of time to find someone reliable to watch our dog that we don't have yet." When Greg glanced over smiling through his tears, Nick's heart soared. "Forgiven?" He handed over a couple of tissues and anxiously awaited an answer.
"How can I stay angry at a guy who loves the dog he doesn't have yet." Blowing his nose, Greg joked, "I guess there's no mistaking who the girl is in this relationship. This is the second time I've cried today. I'm living proof that you can suffer from PMS without having a female reproductive system."
Nick scooted over and wiped the tears he had caused. "If it makes ya feel any better, I cried twice during my therapy session."
"That doesn't count. Dr. Henry is like Barbara Walters, he always gets people to cry." Hugging his remorseful partner, Greg whispered, "I'm sorry for yelling. I'm really tired and I'm stressed about the date tonight, because I don't want to hurt Mandy, but I don't know if I can trust her with the truth. I never thought I'd be one of those gay guys who uses unsuspecting women to help keep his secret. It feels just as sleazy as I always imagined it would…and as necessary."
After a sensual kiss, Nick patted the bed. "Come on, let me finish that massage because you need it now more than ever, thanks to my big mouth." Once the lotion was warmed between his hands, the guilt-ridden boyfriend began working on the knots with extra care.
"Mmm, that feels really nice." His heart rate finally calming, Greg closed his eyes.
Since Greg had been his rock for the last week, Nick had quickly forgotten how troubled the poor guy still was on the inside, but in the last 24 hours every insecurity had bubbled back to the surface. "I'm really sorry that I worried you. I promise to think before I speak next time. I'm happy, incredibly happy. you should have heard me in my session today, I couldn't stop talkin' about how happy I am with you." He pressed a kiss to his cheek. "The way you love me, I'd be a fool to leave."
"I gotta go," Vartann announced as he slipped out of his lover's bed. The guilt and the shame was already setting in.
"Same time Thursday?" Ecklie asked as he sat up against the headboard.
"I don't this so." The detective hurried to get dressed. "Screwing you isn't doing much for my failing marriage y'know?" What started as an unexpected one time shot while they were working the Billmeyer case had turned into a semi-regular occurrence.
"Divorce your wife," the single man suggested. "Sure I lost a chunk of money, but it was worth it, believe me. No more nagging and bitching every night when I get home from work and I don't have to lie about where I'm going when the urge strikes."
"Your kids are older, mine are still in elementary school. I don't want to fuck up their lives like my old man fucked up mine." Stepping into his dress shoes, the miserably married man grumbled, "Thursday, but then I'm done. I've got to cut this shit out. One more time and that's it." Over the years he had successfully suppressed the primal urge, so he knew he could do it again. He had gone without for the first four years of his marriage, but the compulsion seemed to be growing stronger as he got older.
"Okay." Ecklie waved goodbye to the repressed jock who topped better than even the guys he had paid good money in the past. "It's always just one more time, Detective." He tossed off the sheets. "Back to work."
"I should have just stayed at the Lab and caught up on paperwork." Lying in bed with her cats, Mandy remarked, "I'm too anxious to sleep, girls." Although going to a coin collection convention and Peter Piper Pizza sounded horrible, she was looking forward to spending time with a guy as sweet and as smart as Greg. "I wonder if he's having trouble sleeping too. He's probably watching Spongebob Squarepants and polishing his coin collection," she told her feline companions. "Whatever. I don't care if he's the biggest dork on the planet, I'm just ready to be with a nice guy who won't break my heart."
Grabbing the bag of Doritos she had sitting on her nightstand, she flicked on the TV and started surfing. "Ooh! The Mermaid Chair. I've seen this before. The monk in this movie is sinfully hot. He kind of reminds me of Detective Vartann. I wish he was single." She sighed, "All the good ones are married or gay."
After a several minutes of deep tissue massage, Greg turned over feeling like a new man. "Would you do this side too, babe?"
"You bet." Nick grabbed the lotion and warmed up a fresh batch.
He enjoyed watching his masseuse's muscles flexing. "Mandy wouldn't look half as good perched on my hips." He wanted to make sure there was no doubt in his jealous boyfriend's mind.
"I can't believe I got jealous like that," Nick remarked while throwing his whole body into the massage. "I feel so…"
"Shut up and kiss me, cowboy," Greg commanded while slipping a hand around his partner's neck and yanking him down.
"I thought you were tired."
"The key word is 'were'."
Suddenly locked in an embrace, they tumbled onto the sheets and allowed the passion of the vulnerabilities they had just shared to fuel their desire. "See, no one gets me as hot as you. Why would I want Mandy?" Greg breathed into his lover's ear as he took a turn in the top spot, "or anyone else." Feeling uncharacteristically possessive, he devoured his mate with a domineering kiss. "I only want you."
Nick rolled to the edge of the bed, opened the nightstand and threw a Magnum condom and a jumbo bottle of Astroglide onto the bed. "Go ahead. Have me."
The room was suddenly quiet enough to hear Nick's briefs hitting the carpet.
In silence, Greg contemplated the offer of submission that was clearly an extension of the earlier apology. "You really want me to…"
Turning on stereo on his nightstand, Nick shared, "I was plannin' on givin' it to you for your birthday, but I can get you a Best Buy gift card instead."
As Prince's Do Me, Baby filled the room, Greg snuggled up to his lover's body, until they were spooning. "Are you sure?"
"I'm a scientist and I'm curious as hell after watching you lose your mind every time I hit the spot." Glancing over his shoulder, Nick winked, "Hopefully you've been takin' copious notes in your head, Dex."
"You know me." Greg shed his boxer briefs. "I absorb everything like a sponge." He peppered kisses over Nick's shoulders while tenderly making his first move and within seconds he had his lover squirming. "Oops, looks like I'm not the only one with a control problem around here. You finished during the pre-show, Cletus." He riotously laughed as Nick went down in a blaze of glory. "Can I hear an amen?" he shouted after hearing his grateful lover call out God's name a dozen times.
"Amen," Nick panted. "I could die a happy man right now."
"Even without the safari?"
"Maybe we could just go to the MGM and see the lions."
While laughing with the sated man in his arms, Greg rolled off the bed to find the condom that had fallen to the floor. "Bottoms up, sweetheart. There's a new top in town."
"Ha!" Nick did exactly as he was told, exaggerating the pose and laughing. "How's this, stud?"
"That'll work." While standing at the edge of the bed spitting the top of the condom wrapper in the air, Greg saw Eileen appear in the open doorway. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating, but then she shrieked loud enough to shatter glass and he knew she was really there. "Oh shit!"
Nick glanced up just as his sister clutched her head and ran away screaming 'Sodomites'.
"You gave her a key?"
"In case we were sleeping when she got home at seven, yes! It's only ten-thirty, what the hell is she doing here?" As his sister frantically prayed like she was performing an Exorcism, he panicked, "I can't believe she saw me gettin' ready to…I think I'd rather be back in that coffin than face her."
"Is she speaking in tongues?" Greg had seen a documentary on the subject, but had never met someone who really did.
"Yeah, she does that sometimes."
"You say that like it's so normal!" Greg gripped his mussed hair. "What are we going to do?"
"Uh, you should probably wash your hands, doncha think?"
Seconds later Greg was standing at the sink and listening to Eileen scream about God's wrath and Satan's stronghold on Nick's soul. "The neighbors are going to call the cops if they hear her screaming like that." When he heard police sirens approaching, he knew it was already too late. "Oh shit!"
"Don't answer the door!" Greg shouted as he ran into the living room naked. "It's the cops!"
"Stay back!" Eileen snarled as she used two wooden spoons to make a cross. "Sodomite, Sodomite, let me be! Keep your gay parts farrrrrrr from me!"
Greg gaped at the woman who was wearing a 'Proud Sister of a Former Fudge-Packer' t-shirt and changing the words to 'Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee'.
"Sorry, G."
When Greg whirled around, he saw Nick was surrounded by lions as he prayed on his knees. "My sister made me see the light. God wants me to love boobs. I'm gonna take Mandy out tonight instead of you."
"But Mandy's boobs aren't real! Catherine said it was a miracle bra." He shrieked like a girl when someone pounded on the door.
"This is Detective Vartann of LVPD! We got an anonymous call about a 666 at this address – naked Sodomites using lubricant for vile recreational purposes while taking the Lord's name in vain. Open up, boys, you're going to hell for eternity."
"I'll get it!" Eileen, suddenly dressed like June Cleaver, answered the door. "Hello Officer, my brother has repented, so there's only one sinner left for you to haul to the eternal hellfire." She held up a silver tray. "Would you care for a canapé?"
"Sanders?" Vartann laughed at the naked CSI. "No surprise here. The way you break down in tears, I always knew you were a fag. You'd have to be to get your ass kicked while sitting in a friggin' truck with the engine running, you pathetic pillow-biter. How long have you been the Colon Cowboy's bitch anyway? I just played cards with him at the Tangiers a few weeks ago. I hope to hell he's a good handwasher." He shivered. "You Sausage Jockeys make me sick. Moving on to the next order of business." He waved in the James family. "Do you and your posse want a piece of him before he's condemned?"
"Hell, yes!" Mrs. James walked in with brass knuckles on each hand. "Me first."
"No!" Greg tried to run but he couldn't move. "Cletus!" Suddenly Grissom was in front of him. "Help me, Griss!" Tears poured from his eyes.
"You can't call for help every time you're scared, Greg." The CSI supervisor shook his head as two dozen burly gang members filed into the room. "You should have gone to Fire Arms Class."
Vartann informed the angry mob, "I have a 419 in Henderson, so when you're done beating the bejesus out of him, just toss his bloody carcass in the dumpster out back."
"Nick!" Greg screamed as he watched his partner racing away on a giraffe. "Come back!"
"Sorry." Nick waved as his giraffe sprouted wings. "Mandy and I are going to Kenya. Bye!"
"No! I'm supposed to go with you!" As the mob started throwing bone-breaking punches he tried to break free, but in seconds he was down on the ground getting kicked to a pulp and watching his dreams of seeing The Great Barrier Reef fade to black.
"Greg!" Afraid he'd hurt himself, Nick straddled his partner's hips and pinned him to the mattress. "Wake up! G! Wake up!" Watching the terrified guy gasping for air, he soothed, "It was just a nightmare, buddy. Look at me, you're okay. You're okay! You fell asleep when I was givin' you a back rub and started tossin' and turnin' while I was readin' in bed next to you." He patted his cheek. "You're okay."
"It felt so real. I could feel the punches and kicks." Greg frantically used his hands to check for breaks. "I could smell and taste my blood again." In a distant voice, he said, "You just left me there to die…everyone left me."
"It wasn't real, you're not bleedin' and I'm right here." Nick slipped behind him, spooning him tight.
"It was so real."
Nick saw tears sliding down Greg's face for a third time that day and felt guilty all over again. "You fell asleep while you were still stressed, that's why this happened." Clutching the trembling body in front of him, he remembered waking many nights the same way. "I know just how you feel, buddy. I kept havin' one I couldn't shake. I'd be fully awake in the Plexiglass coffin watching the dirt being thrown onto the top and then I'd hear the ants marching in through the cracks in lock step. I'd put the gun to my throat and start countin' down from ten and when I got to two, I'd wake up in a cold sweat." He snuggled closer still. "Take some deep breaths." After five minutes he felt the shaking subside. "Better?"
"Yeah, but I can still smell the blood."
"Sense of smell has the strongest link to long-term memory." Nick whispered, "Let's talk about our trip, that'll get your mind in a different place."
"In the nightmare you were going to Kenya with Mandy on the back of a giraffe. Your sister called the cops on me. The James family was salivating over the idea of beating me to a pulp and Vartann was getting in a hefty dose of gay bashing. That last one's not a stretch though; I've seen him do it for real when we worked that case at the Blue Moon Hotel. He acts like a 12 year old, making fun of obese women and picking on hookers, I don't know. I know he's your friend, but I think he's an ass, and if he finds out about you it's not gonna be pretty. He reminds me of Jeff, and I could totally see him accusing you of misrepresenting yourself to get close to him and beating the shit out of you."
"I really doubt that, but I'll be careful just the same."
"I just remembered that you were also praying in a garden of lions in my nightmare. Ooh! And when we were going to have sex, you handed me a Magnum extra-large condom, that was the only good part."
"Okay, that's it, no more acid for you before bed." When his joke elicited a laugh, Nick tried another, "Please don't worry, I won't be ridin' away on a giraffe with anyone but you, honey, I promise. Hell, I couldn't hook up with Mandy even if I wanted to, because she's slept with Warrick about five, six years ago, and he and I have a rule about never sharing women."
"I didn't know they hooked up."
"It didn't last long and after he abruptly broke it off, it was ugly for a while. She was pissed at me by association, but I confronted her about it, sayin' that just because 'Rick and I were buds doesn't mean she and I couldn't still be pals. We were cool after that."
Greg silently digested the new information.
"Hey…" While rhythmically stroking Greg's hair, he said, "These nightmares you're still havin', they'll get less frequent as time goes by. I still have 'em and it'll be two years next week since I almost died, but now I only have 'em when somethin' happens before I go to bed that reminds me of the ordeal. It'll get better." After a kiss to his cheek, he whispered, "Try to get some sleep, I'll be right here."
With their backs to the open bedroom door, the two men had no idea that Eileen was standing in the hallway.
During the conference break, the flustered woman had discovered that her purse wasn't in her tote bag and she raced to her brother's home to make sure it was there and not lost. The sound of Greg screaming was the first noise she heard upon entering and she had wrongly assumed that painful taboo sex was the cause of his shrieking. The tenderness she discovered instead came as huge surprise. She never imagined that snuggling and offering comfort were something homosexuals did. Hearing her brother soothe a man like a devout husband would a scared wife, stunned her. It sounded as though he loved him. They looked like a devoted couple spooning in bed and it reminded her of her and Trevor before their five children arrived and he got the time consuming Associate Pastor job at Calvary Christian. An odd mixture of envy, curiosity and confusion consumed her and much to her surprise, she had to force herself to leave and stop enjoying the sweetness.
"How bad was it?" Catherine purred while swirling her fingernails over her secret lover's sweaty chest.
"Baaaaaaad," he replied, still shivering with delight. "Even badder than the first and second times." They had fallen asleep in each other's arms and when they woke up at six pm they went for Round 3 without exchanging a word.
"Did Sweet as Candy Mandy ever rock your world like that?"
"No one has ever rocked my world like that, baby." He wasn't even exaggerating. "The third time was definitely a charm."
"Aww." She nipped at his earlobe. "You're probably lying, but I don't care."
"How the hell am I going to keep my hands off you at work tonight after having them all over your damn body all day?"
"Gil and Sara seem to manage."
He got a good laugh out of the reply. "Those two are all about eye sex, not real sex."
"Good Boy," Sara joked as she crashed onto the sheets on her belly.
After a playful smack to his lover's ass, Gil snickered like a dirty old man, "And because you were such a good girl, no dumpster diving or decomp for you tonight, CSI Sidle."
"I feel so bad when you say stuff like that." She flipped onto her back and released a naughty grin. "Very bad. What else do you have to say, Boss Man?"
"If you wash my back in the shower, I'll let you pick a cold case if it's slow."
"Ooh!" She sprung off the bed like a gazelle. "This night is off to a great start!"
***
Chapter 5: What Comes Around Goes AroundWhen Mandy heard the familiar buzz of her alarm clock, she darted out of bed ready to begin a new chapter in her life. "It's date night, girls!" the excited woman informed her lazing cats on the way to the bathroom.
In less than sixty seconds, she was in the shower and lecturing herself. You have to get a grip and play it cool tonight. No accidental talk of babies or weddings, not yours or your sisters. Just go out and have a good time, if something comes out of it, great. If not, it's back to square one with someone else, no big deal…but let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Dispensing shaving gel, she sighed. Bikini wax, manicure, pedicure, eyebrow tweezing, deep hair conditioning, extra flossing, where does it end? I feel like I've been prepping forever. Guys have it so easy compared to women. They have to shower, brush and shave their face, that's it. Some of the losers I've dated didn't even do that well! And it takes us at least an hour to get ready, but guys can be out the door in five minutes. With a shaky hand, she began meticulously shaving her right leg. Guys do have to do the asking and come up with something special if they want to impress a girl. The really nice ones go out and buy flowers or candy before a first date. Hmm, I wonder if my date is doing anything special to get ready for tonight.
"Yes!" Greg exclaimed as he joyfully thrashed in the bedding. There wouldn't be an ounce of tension left in his body when he showed up on Mandy's doorstep later. "That's perfect. Oh!" He begged, "Don't change a thing." Since Nick had declared his bed a 'sleep only zone', it was a pleasant surprise to wake up and find his man hard at work under the covers. "Oh yeah. Yesssssss. I'm…" He had a history of never finishing that sentence in time.
"I love my new alarm clock!" Greg joked when his power of speech was restored. "Can I keep him? Can I keep him?"
"Howdy," Nick playfully greeted his partner when he poked his head out from under the comforter.
"Howdy, pardner." Greg tipped his imaginary ten gallon hat and spoke in his best drawl, "Thanks for moseying on down there."
"It was my pleasure." With a satisfied smile plastered on his face, Nick lunged for the water bottle on the nightstand and took a swig. "Well?" He prodded, always eager for feedback. "Not to toot my own horn, but I thought I tooted yours pretty well."
"Yes, indeed." Relaxing against the mound of pillows that were now smashed into one corner of the bed, Greg delivered the news he knew his perfectionist partner had been longing to hear, "Congratulations, Mr. Stokes, you've earned your BJBA from Las Vegas Hummer University in record time. We certainly hope you'll pursue a Master's and Ph.D here at LVHU, because an advanced education will really help you get ahead. Does the proud graduate have anything to say?"
"Yes." Nick struggled to keep a straight face. "I want to thank you for comin' tonight. I couldn't have done it without you."
"Ha!" While sliding down his laughing lover's body, Greg hummed Pomp and Circumstance and when he arrived at his intended target, he didn't stop.
With this hands laced behind his head, Nick settled in against the rumpled bedding and hummed along. "As far as graduation gifts go, this is way better than a pen."
A new joke popping into his twisted mind, Greg lifted his head and spoke in his best public service announcement voice, "Here at the LVHU Graduate School we believe in one-on-one personalized attention. Yes, our dedicated and experienced staff is 100 percent committed to helping you achieve. For more details on our advanced programs, log into our website at www dot lvhu69 dot com. Stay classy, San Diego."
As his wacky partner returned to task, Nick shook his head. "You really are nuts, ya know that?"
Greg glanced up. "Do what to your nuts?" After pretending to remove Nick's anatomy from the side of his head, he explained, "Sorry, I couldn't hear you, I had a banana in my ear."
"You are definitely in the zone for goin' to Peter Piper Pizza tonight, ya big goofball."
"I'm hoping to earn enough tickets at Skee Ball to get a Whoopee Cushion at the prize counter. I want to stick it on Grissom's chair during our staff meeting later, so everyone will think he farted." Greg added a Beavis laugh for added effect. Then, in the voice of a master thespian, he explained, "I'm a character actor! I'm embodying the part of a hapless dork before I go on stage."
"Talk about type-casting." Closing his eyes, Nick cracked a wild grin. "I'm officially not worried about Mandy wantin' a second date."
While trying to balance her cordless phone and put on mascara Mandy explained to Wendy, "I know it sounds like Greg's being cheap, but I'm sure he just wanted to go someplace fun and pressure-free for our first date. I mean, who can't have fun at Peter Piper Pizza, right?"
"Me," Wendy, the aunt of four, droned, "The last time I was there, at my nephew's 6th birthday party, I got vomited on by some fat kid who had stuffed his face with Pixie Sticks, Root Beer and Pepperoni Pizza for two hours. Seriously, there's more DNA in that place than Catherine Willows's bed."
Mandy hissed like a rabid cat. "You're so bad!"
"I'm sorry, but that shirt she was wearing yesterday was totally inappropriate for the workplace. Who does she think she is? One of those TV Crime Drama actresses? Those bimbos may run through the streets of Vegas sporting high heels and excess cleavage but in real life, she'd trip and her boobs would pop out of her blouse as she fell."
Still bitter over being dumped years ago, Mandy snarked, "I'm sure CSI Brown would love that."
"Now who is the rabid cat?"
Mandy quickly changed the subject, "I watch those crime shows to count the number of times the supposed CSIs touch stuff at the crime scene without gloves. Sometimes, I think that every print they lift has to be theirs."
"My biggest pet peeve is the chicks swinging their lonnnnng blonde hair around over the DB while they're collecting evidence. If they shed the way I do, they must drop two dozen hair samples on the corpse. Seriously, would it be that cost-prohibitive to hire a real CSI to stand on set and say 'we wouldn't do that'?"
"They can't make the characters and the show realistic, Wen." Mandy laughed, "Because watching real science nerds do their real jobs for an hour would be as interesting as watching paint dry. I spent two hours on a single partial print last night. On TV it takes two seconds."
Wendy teased her best friend in a sing-song voice, "You slaaaaaved over the print because it was Greggy's case."
"Shut up." Checking the time, Mandy abruptly said, "Ooh! I need to go. I didn't realize I was out of wine until ten minutes ago, so I need to run to the store and get a chilled bottle of Chardonnay for my fridge."
Stepping out of the shower, Nick called over to Greg, who was at the sink in a pair of grey boxer briefs and shaving, "Wow, you really are goin' for the dork look. Cuttin' yourself shavin' and stickin' little pieces of toilet paper on the bloody spots is a nice touch."
"That's not part of my act," Greg laughed. "I have date jitters and a shaky hand. First dates always made me a little edgy, but a fake first date with a girl I don't want to hurt is much worse."
Nick came up behind his tense lover and wrapped his arms around his waist. "I wish I could tell you to come clean with Mandy, but I can't. Thank you for doing this for me." Resting his chin on his partner's shoulder, he said, "Seein' the disgust on my sister's face really made me stop and think about how homophobic guys like Vartann and Cavaliere would look at me when I show up to work a scene."
"You do realize that if you want to have a kid someday, you'll have to come out, because no one is going to buy two straight guys raising a kid together."
"Maybe they would," Nick chuckled, "There's precedent. Remember that TV show My Two Dads? We could copy that story and say we both slept with the same woman on the same night and then never saw her again. Years later on her deathbed, the woman admitted that the daddy is one of us."
"Uh…as a DNA Specialist I feel obligated to point out that paternity testing would solve the mystery. Besides that, I don't want my kid lying or thinking that their dads are irresponsible man-sluts." Noting the time, Greg abruptly said, "Shoot. We'll have to continue this conversation later, I need to get dressed and go."
"C'mere." Nick wanted to part ways for the night with a tender kiss that would leave his significant other dreaming of him. "Call me when you're…"
"The second I'm in my car."
Nodding, the anxious boyfriend whispered, "I love ya, G."
"I know you do." Strolling out of the bathroom, Greg sang with a twang, "Cletus, don't you stress about my date with Mannndy! 'Cause that hummer you gave me was just dannnnndy. I'm not remotely rannnnndy."
"And you wonder why I'm nervous about tellin' people you're mine!" After the goofball was gone, Nick pondered what Doctor Henry had told him earlier. 'If you decide to come out, you can expect about twenty percent of the guys you work with to openly express their disgust in a manner that's hurtful, but yet legal. They're really good at not violating workplace harassment laws and still getting their point across. About another thirty percent will openly gossip about you behind your back…'
"Do you think they could be getting it on?" Catherine asked Warrick while they stood in her kitchen sipping coffee. "Maybe they just bonded over having near-death experiences. Maybe they're not really gay, but just really close to each other in a non-sexual way."
"I can't believe you're still obsessing over this."
"And you're not?" she laughed.
"I've blocked it."
"You were able to block the image of Nicky inserting his fingers in Greg's mouth and watching him joyfully suck them clean?"
"Yeah." Warrick grumbled, "until you went and shoved it back in my mind's eye."
"Oh!" Lindsay shrieked when she walked into the kitchen. "My eyes!" The dramatic teen covered turned so her back was to the naked perverts. "What happened to our no guys in the house rule, Mom?"
Warrick grabbed a dishtowel from the counter and held the small cloth in front of his loins.
With a box of Fruit Loops in front of her chest, Catherine barked from behind the kitchen counter, "What happened to you studying at Monica's until nine?"
"I left when she started yakking up the pizza we had for dinner."
"Oh." Catherine's frustration diffused into embarrassment, "I know I said no more men in the house, but this isn't a man, it's Warrick." When she saw her macho lover's feather's ruffle, she explained, "I mean he's not a stranger or a pig, he's a trusted friend who as of today became more than a friend."
The obnoxious teen couldn't resist harassing the couple, "Aww, did I bust up your sweet and innocent first time? Me bad. Wait a minute - CSI Brown, aren't you married?"
Mortified to be standing in the kitchen wearing a makeshift loin cloth, he cleared his throat and replied, "We're going to court on May 5th to finalize our divorce."
"That means you're still technically her husband." Lindsay grabbed a red apple from the counter and held it up. "Party on, sinners! Mom, if you need me, I'll be in my room blogging out my frustrations over the double standards in this house." Strolling out of the kitchen she began listing them, "I can't have a guy over, but she can. I can't break the house rules, but she can. I can't lie, but she can. I can't get Botox Treatments, but she can! Hypocrite!"
"Have a good night, Greg." Eileen forced a smile in the direction of her brother's homosexual lover who had informed her that he was going into work early and unable to stay for dinner. "Stay safe out there."
"Thanks a lot," he replied with a hint of surprise in his voice. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, I'll be here all day," she huffed, "my church group demanded a refund from the conference coordinators yesterday, so I won't be finishin' out the week there. Some of them are goin' home early, but I felt obligated to stay here and try to understand my brother's predicament."
"Why did you demand a refund?" Greg asked, too curious not to know.
"Because it turned out to be a gathering of liberals instead of proper Christians. They even allowed some of you in." When she saw his confusion, she whispered, "They allowed gay ministers to attend. As if you could be a man of God preachin' the Good Book after rollin' around in bed with a man before church. It's insanity. How can you tell people to follow the Word of the Lord when you're breakin' His rules? That's like havin' an arsonist lecture about fire prevention. Those liberal wingnuts had the nerve to say Creationism is bunk too. That right there shows their ignorance, you know? But how can they believe in Adam and Eve when they so clearly want to re-write the Bible to include Adam and Steve. No offense to your kind, but it's ridiculous."
"Wow, look at the time!" Greg exclaimed, suddenly happy to be going on his date from hell. "I'd love to stay and chat, but duty calls. Night!"
"Night!" Eileen watched the man walk out the door and when she was sure he was gone, she raced to her tote bag full of Conversion Therapy materials. "Nicky! Supper's almost ready!" After witnessing her brother cuddling another man, she realized that he was suffering from an intense need for affection brought on by a lack of tenderness from their father. Her plan was to soothe the misguided man with comfort food and then tell him he needed help.
"That meatloaf smells great, sis!" Nick declared while walking into the kitchen rubbing his hands together. "I can't wait to dig in."
"What are your plans for the evenin', sugar?"
"I'm goin' into Cassie's class tomorrow, so I need to prepare some stuff for that. Last month, the teacher sent home permission slips for me to take fingerprints and DNA swabs of the kids so their information will be on file. God forbid anything happened to one of them, it would help us find them, or identify them and bring their killer to justice. I came up with the idea when I was workin' a case of a missin' boy. The mom didn't have a DNA sample to provide to aid in the investigation. Finally she remembered that she had an old baby tooth. If it weren't for that tooth, we wouldn't have been able to verify it was the boy's DNA we found at the scene. I'm piloting the program with Cassie's 5th grade class and if it goes well, Grissom's gonna help me pitch it to the Sheriff and see if we can do somethin' Countywide."
"How do you get a DNA sample from a child? Does it hurt?"
"No, not at all. It's no more than rubbin' a Q-tip inside the kid's cheek. It's quick and painless."
In a whisper she asked, "Don't you think some of the parents might be upset if they knew a homosexual man was stickin' somethin' inside their boy's open mouth? I know I would, honey. No offense."
Doing his best to stay calm, Nick replied, "Bein' a gay man and bein' a pedophile are two completely different things. Just because I like men, does not mean I like little boys, no more than a straight man who is attracted to women wants to have sex with little girls. A pedophile is a mentally ill adult who is sexually attracted to children and when they act on those abhorrent feelings, it's a crime. Homosexuality isn't a mental illness and it's not a crime when two consenting adults engage in sexual activity."
"Only recently, Nicky, it used to be a crime."
"Yeah, well, it used to be a crime for black folks to drink from water fountains designated for white folks, and women couldn't vote a hundred years ago because they were second class citizens. As we get smarter, the ignorant laws that were made based on fear and misunderstanding are tossed out. The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality off its disorders list in 1973, isn't it about time for your church to catch up?"
"Nicky, the Bible stands the test of time. Its rules are to be followed without question forever or until God Himself tells us otherwise."
"Oh really." He stuffed his hands on his hips. "The Bible says not to eat shrimp, but you told me that you and your friends shelled and ate a ton of 'em at the buffet lunch you went to today. And that's not the only rule you don't follow, is it? The truth is y'all only follow the ones that don't cause you any inconvenience, but ignore the ones that do. Admit it, Eileen, you're a hypocrite. You may talk a good talk, but you don't walk the walk any better than me…maybe worse."
Before the stunned sister could form a reply, the doorbell rang and Nick was on his way to answer it.
Outraged by her brother's accusation, Eileen spat, "Jesus changed the shellfish rule when he walked the Earth and understood them better! Good Christians know that!"
"Can I help you?" Nick asked the young women standing on his doorstep.
"Are you Nick Stokes of the Las Vegas Police Department?"
His old fears kicking in, Nick authoritatively asked, "Who are you and why do you want to know?" While waiting for an answer, he scanned the front lawn for suspicious activity.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. I would have called, but I only had your address, not your phone number." The nervous woman extended her hand. "I'm Sally's daughter, Lucinda Stark. I came to thank you. She called me collect today and took me up on my standing offer to get her off the streets and pay for rehab. She said you had been trying to talk sense into her for years and last night it just clicked." Her eyes filling with tears, she said, "From what she told me, you're her guardian angel. I had to see you for myself to believe that you were real and not one of her drunken hallucinations."
"Lucinda, yeah, Sally talked about you all the time." Nick filled with pride as he beamed a smile at the crying woman. "That's great news that she's ready to get some help. Sorry, where are my manners. Would you like to come in and have somethin' to drink?"
"I appreciate the gesture, but I can't. My husband is back at the hotel with my mom and we need to get ready for our flight." Stepping forward, she threw her arms around her mother's savior. "I imagine that thousands of people walked by my mother on The Strip every night and ignored her or sneered at her. Bless you, Mr. Stokes for stopping to help her. I don't know if you're a Christian, or even a religious person, but I am, and I just want to say that I'm in awe of you. Like Jesus, you weren't afraid to walk with the wayward sheep. You reached out to my mother when she was lost and got her to see the light." Wiping her tears, she said, "Thank you for saving my children's grandmother. You'll be in my prayers tonight and long after that."
Eileen marched over to the door. "Who is this woman really?" she snipped. "You obviously asked her to come here and say this stuff."
"I've never seen or spoken to her before in my life," Nick replied, still buzzing from the good news. "Her mother is an alcoholic homeless woman named Sally that I met and befriended years ago while workin' a case. I hung out on the Strip with Sally last night instead of you. That speaks volumes about how you're makin' me feel, huh?"
"He's right," Lucinda told the obviously irate woman glaring at her. "I don't even live in Nevada." Spooked by the harsh stare, she jittered, "Uh…I don't know what the problem is here, but would you like to see some ID?"
"No, that's okay." Eileen fell silent.
"Don't mind her," Nick said with a smile, "she's just my holier than thou sister. This is gonna sound like an odd question, Lucinda, but if you could bear with me, I'd really appreciate it."
"Anything, Mr. Stokes, I'm in your debt."
"Hypothetically, as a Christian woman, would your opinion of me or my actions change if I was to say I'm gay and in a committed relationship with another man?"
Lucinda laughed at the hypothetical, "How on Earth would who you cuddle at night lessen what you did for my mother or my family? I don't have a problem with gay people, Mr. Stokes." Taking a guess about the situation, she added, "While many Christians will hassle you, not all of them will. My church has several gay couples who attend regularly and two of the men sing with me in the choir. They've very dramatic and emotional singers," she chuckled, "it wouldn't be the same without them. We feel the Lord appreciates them singing his praises as much as anyone else there." Smiling at the teary-eyed man, she assured, "We'd be honored to bear witness to your testimony any day and have you sit in one of our pews."
"Thank you for your candor." Nick returned her warm smile. "You tell Sally I'm pullin' for her, okay?"
"Okay."
Reaching into his wallet he grabbed a business card. "Here's my number and email address. If you could give me an update…"
"Absolutely." The woman stole another hug. "Take care, Mr. Stokes." She walked away backwards waving and crying. "Good night."
"Good night, ma'am." After shutting the door, Nick took a deep breath and turned to face his sister. "Can I get an AMEN?" He turned his eyes to the ceiling. "Thank you, Jesus! Because clearly that woman was heaven sent!"
"That woman showin' up in the middle of our conversation was far too surreal to believe!"
"Welcome to my world, Sis! Weird shit happens to me all the time. I've been chased, stalked, and buried alive." He broke into a huge grin, "It was kinda nice havin' somethin' weirdly good happen for a change. I was due." Filling with confidence, he continued where he had left off when the doorbell rang. "You are a shellfish eatin' hypocrite. Lucinda is a real Christian and so am I. I'm done feelin' bad about who I am. Done! I'm a good person, with a kind heart and more integrity in my pinky than you have in your entire body. I love Greg and there's nothin' shameful or dirty about our relationship. We're just a happy couple lovin' and supportin' each other while tryin' to survive in this crazy heartless world. We're gonna get a dog, a new house with a big yard, and one day we're gonna have a kid or two."
"I certainly hope you mean a baby goat when you say 'kid', because I could maybe stomach the two of you choosing to live your lives as gay men, but subjecting a child to ridicule because his parents are livin' in sin is terribly cruel."
"Without cruel people like you makin' the kids of gay parents feel bad, they wouldn't suffer! Can't you see that? You and people like you are the ones inflictin' the pain on innocent people. All Greg and I are doin' is livin'our lives in peace. We're not hurtin' anyone, we actually help people every damn day, but you…youhurt people every day with hateful and judgmental words."
"If by judgmental words, you mean the quoting from the Bible, then I plead guilty!"
"What does the Good Book say about invading the privacy of others? Hmm?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I know you went snoopin' in my bedroom. Don't bother denyin' it either, 'cause I rigged the drawers and doors with little pieces of paper. Every time you opened one of them, the paper balanced in the crack fell to the ground. You picked my bedroom lock and then you went into my nightstand drawers, my bathroom, and my shower."
"Why on Earth would you go and do that?"
"Because after you get stalked, kidnapped and tortured, you get a little paranoid! I could tell you were actin' shifty and I remembered from growin' up how nosy you were."
Holding her head high, she replied, "It was for your own good, Nicky. I…I wanted to make sure you were practicin' safe sex. I was worried about you gettin' sick. It would kill Mama to have her little boy die of the gay plague."
"Oh that's bullshit and you know it. You did it because you're a busybody. You've been snoopin' since you were a kid. You and Linda. Like the time you found pot in Gwen's room and turned her in to Mom and Dad."
"For her own good! Just like this time with you."
"Did ya get all kinds of giddy when you found my condoms and lube? Too bad you didn't check under the bed, there's a box full of kinky sex toys under there includin' a pretty pair of purple beads and they're not for wearin' around the neck." He winked. "Oh yeah, there's lots of crazy sex goin' on in this place. I'd never get out of bed if I didn't have to, it's all I think about and live for, sex, sex and more sex. Hell, the only reason I work is to support my habit and buy more crazy kinky sex toys. The second Greg walks in the door, I bend him over and do him for hours, then I let him rest for ten minutes and do it again. Is that what you wanted to hear, you sneaky hypocrite?"
"It's not too late, Nicky!" Tears formed in her eyes. "Even though you've done the nasty-nasty with Greg, you can beg the Lord for forgiveness. Repent and vow not to touch another man. You can still have feelings and fantasies, but as long as you don't act on them, you'll be saved. If you're not strong enough to do it on your own, there are people and places that can help you get back in God's good graces."
Nick broke into laughter. "I did a little snoopin' of my own when you were in the guest room. I peeked in your tote bag full of propaganda. I'm not checkin' in to gay rehab. I'm happy just the way I am. If you can't love me because I'm gay, that's fine. If I'm not welcome to the ranch at Christmas, so be it. It'll hurt," he stated in a voice crackling with emotion, "but not half as much as livin' a lie."
"Hey, Mandy!" Greg stood on his date's doorstep grinning. "Wow! You look really, really pretty." The fact that she had put a lot of time and effort into her appearance only made him feel worse.
"Thanks, Greg," she replied while curiosity got the best of her. "Why are you holding a fishbowl?"
"Oh!" He thrust the small bowl forward. "I wanted to buy you something and I figured other guys probably went the candy and flowers route, so I opted to get you a Beta Fish in a bowl. A red one." He winked. "Red for romance. Do you like him?"
"Really? Wow!" He bought me a fish? "He's…beautiful." She admired the Beta. I can honestly say this is a first. I've never had a guy bring me a fish before."
"Cool!" The dork burst into a smile as he followed his date inside. "I was going for unique."
"You wear a retainer?" Mandy asked when she saw the silver wire across Greg's upper set of teeth.
"Doh!" Rushing his hand to his mouth, he apologized, "Sorry, I meant to take it out before I left home." When he popped it out, the saliva-covered retainer sailed through the air and landed just below Mandy's neck where it briefly stuck to her flesh before falling into the fish bowl.
Greg burst into hysterical laughter. "What are the odds of that happening? I bet I couldn't re-create that if I tried! Do you want me to try?"
"No, that's okay." She let him remove the retainer and pointed to the bathroom. If you want to wash up, the powder room is right over there."
"Thanks." He lowered his voice to a whisper, "I forgot to go before I left home, so I was going to ask to use it anyway. Be right back."
"I'll pour us some wine."
"None for me, thanks." Greg shook his head. "I can't mix alcohol with my meds."
"Oh."
"I'm not like a total psycho or anything. I had a hard time after the beating and…it's not permanent, my therapist is going to taper me off them eventually." Sighing, he added, "Not drinking is the only bad part. Well, that and the mild sexual side effects." He gripped his head. "I can't believe I said that out loud on a date." He repeatedly slapped his forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."
"It's okay!" Mandy grabbed his hand. "Really, it's…let me put the fish down and I'll make coffee, I know you like that."
"Thanks." He breathed deep and pushed out a smile. "I'll be right back."
Walking into the kitchen with her new pet, she could hear Jacqui's future laughter echoing in her head. A fish? He brought you a fish? After setting the bowl on the counter, she hurried to the coffee maker to brew a pot. I hope Starbucks is okay. He's always going on about that Hawaiian stuff. "Oh! Girls! No!" But it was too late, her new Beta fish was cat food. Oh my God! My date fish is dead!
"I'm back!" Greg bopped into the kitchen waving a small container. "I forgot to give you the food for the little guy. What are you going to name him?"
"About the fish…"
Greg peered into the seemingly empty bowl. "Where did he go?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw a tabby cat licking her lips. "Did she…"
"I'm so sorry."
"I forgot you had cats." He was desperate to laugh, but suppressed it, feigning deep sorrow instead. "Darn it! I shoulda brought flowers." He slapped his forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
"Hey!" Hoping to cheer him up, she suggested, "How about we skip the coffee and go straight to the coin show? I'm really looking forward to it."
"Really?"
"Yes," she lied, "I even called my family to tell them all about it."
"Mama," Eileen sniffled into the phone. "Are you sittin' down?" Standing in the guest bathroom, she held her head and said, "I have some terrible news about Nicky."
"My God, what?" Jillian Stokes shrieked into the phone. "Is he hurt? Or worse?"
"Worse, much worse," she sobbed, "He's gay!"
After a lengthy pause, the troubled mother asked in a quivering voice, "Are you sure, honey?"
"Yes, I'm positive. He's sharin' his home and bed with his co-worker Greg Sanders. You and Daddy have to come to Vegas right away. We need to have an intervention."
"I got us a nice room at the Bellagio for tomorrow night and Wednesday," Dave Sanders informed his wife. "Did you call Greg and tell him that the doctor bumped up Jenni's discharge to Thursday?"
"He didn't answer, so I left him a voicemail with the details."
"Good."
"I told him we'd swing by the grocery store on the way into town and pick up everything to make Nana Olaf's stuffed French toast for breakfast. I said we'd be at his place at 9:30am sharp. Tuesday is his regular night off, so he won't have to go to bed early. I thought we could all pop over and see Jenni after breakfast as one big happy family."
"Nick too?"
"Of course, sweetheart," the loving mother sighed, "he's a part of our family now too. Besides, I think it's best that Jenni knows before she moves in and sees the house full of framed photos of the two arm in arm."
Dave kissed his wife's cheek. "Sounds good to me."
"Mama sounded awful when I broke the news," Eileen informed her twin sister. "So, who all is comin' out for the intervention besides Mama and Daddy?"
"Just me, Nancy and Chuck. Marcia is too pregnant to fly and we thought it best to keep it from Gwen since she'd probably feel sorry for him and take his side."
"What time do y'all get in tomorrow?"
"We land at eight-thirty, so we'll probably be at your place about an hour after that."
"Nicky stormed out and said he wouldn't be back until tomorrow. If he's not here when y'all arrive, I'll call and tell him somethin' is wrong with the plumbin', askin' him to come home quickly. That should do it."
"Do you think we can get him to see the light?"
"There is strength in numbers, and once he sees Mama cry I think he'll change his tune." Eileen grumbled, "The only thing I'm worried about is Greg."
Feeling sorry for Greg, who was the sweetest dork she had ever met, Mandy pretended to be having the time of her life. "This coin show was even better than I thought it was going to be!"
"Really?" Then you must be more desperate for a boyfriend than I thought. Even though he was a collector, that particular show had been exciting as watching paint dry. Maybe she's just humoring me. "I'm glad you're having fun."
"Of course I am." She slipped her hand into his as they strolled toward Peter Piper. Dreading the chaos ahead, she forced a sunny smile. "Ready to get your butt kicked at Skee Ball?"
"Ha! You must be joking." Greg released a riotous laugh. "No one ever beats me at Skee Ball."
"Oh really. Care to make a little wager?"
"How much?"
"Not money." Mandy snickered, "Who ever loses has to do what the other person says the rest of the night."
"Oh, you're on!" Forgetting the premise of the date for a moment, Greg eagerly replied. "I have six loads of laundry in my closet that I'd love to watch you do."
"My cats' litter is pretty full," she countered, "and my toilets could use a good scrub."
Opening the door for his date, Greg remarked in his best Voice of Doom, "You're goin' down, Missy."
Mandy winked at the cute geek before her. "Why Gregory Hojem Sanders, I didn't think this was a sex bet!" After pressing a kiss to his cheek she whispered in his ear, "But I'm glad it is."
Greg's carefree expression faded as they approached the Skee Ball area. I didn't mean that kind of going down!
"Did I neglect to mention that I was the Skee Ball champ back at Cal Poly?" Mandy cracked her knuckles. "Oh yeah, you'll be the one going down tonight." She giggled, "Good thing I sprung for a Brazilian Wax."
Watching his date snag the highest possible score on her first game, Greg knew he was in trouble, big trouble.
"Pass the soy sauce, honey," Sara pointed at the container on the table.
"Did you forget we were in public?" Grissom reminded his lover in a whisper. "You called me the H word at the Chinese restaurant across from the office. Half the people in here are LVPD using a buy one get one free coupon."
"Sorry." She grabbed the soy sauce herself. "I let my guard down."
"Well don't." Gil's paranoia kicked in when he saw Hodges appear in the doorway of the restaurant. "Because it feels like the calm before a storm to me."
***
Chapter 6: When Worlds Collide – Part 1"We meet again," said Hodges with suspicion in his eyes. "First Petsmart and now this. Let me guess, you just happened to bump into one another and decided to share a table."
"No," Grissom curtly answered. "We met here before going into work to discuss a cold case that Sara is working on in her spare time. I often meet co-workers for dinner when I find their company enjoyable and educational. I had dinner with Jim Brass last night as a matter of fact."
"You've never met me for dinner," the Trace Tech replied with indignation.
Grinning, Grissom lifted his Iced Tea. "That's right."
"My company is enjoyable," Hodges protested upon figuring out the subtext.
"Says who?" Sara asked after crunching a Chinese noodle. "State your source." Just as he was about to answer, she added a caveat, "And it can't be your mother."
His one and only answer forbidden, Hodges closed his mouth and huffed off to the order counter.
"Our pizza order is up, Slave Boy!" Mandy snapped her fingers. "While you're grabbing the 'za, I'll think of what I want you to do next."
Greg didn't have to pretend to shake in his shoes. "Go easy on me, Mistress Mandy," he pleaded while sliding out of their booth. I guess I can always say I'm having a Genital Herpes flare up.
While her date was standing in line for their order, Mandy stealthily called Wendy on her cell. "I have sixty seconds!"
"Did you earn enough prize tickets to buy yourself a pretty plastic ring?"
"I beat him at Skee Ball and he cried!"
"You are joking," Wendy replied in disbelief.
"No!"
"Like full on sobbing?"
"No, but he glassed up and then excused himself to the bathroom. On his way there he mumbled about it being a really bad year for him."
"Between that and the fish part you told me about when you called me from the restroom of the coin show from hell, I only have three words for you, pal…run, Mandy, run!"
"I can't run out on him," Mandy huffed into the phone. "He's like a little puppy. You don't abandon a cute little puppy looking for love. Ooh! He's coming back, I've gotta go."
"One Pepperoni and Shroom pizza." Greg set it on the table. "I'm starving."
"Me too." In horror, she watched her date devour a slice, letting sauce and grease drip off his chin. "You really were hungry, huh?"
"I eat when I'm stressed."
"Is it the Flannigan case?"
"No," Greg whimpered. "Can I be completely honest with you about something confidential?"
"Of course."
With sauce and grease still glistening on his chin, he whispered, "Since this is a first date, I really didn't think we were gonna get naked, you know? I asked you out because I thought you weren't the kind of girl who wouldn't put out on a first date. But you keep insinuating that you want to get physical and since you won Skee Ball you have the power to order me to strip. I um…this is really embarrassing…I've got like this rash on my ass. I got soaked at work the other day and had to work in wet underwear for hours." Hanging his head, he confessed, "I have diaper rash and the only way to make it feel better is to coat myself with ointment. I don't want you to see my ointment covered ass rash. After losing every game of Skee Ball, I really couldn't handle another round of humiliation."
Lowering the piece of pizza that she no longer wanted to eat, Mandy sweetly said, "Would you rather just call it a night? I won't be offended."
"That would be great actually, because I didn't put nearly enough ointment on before I left." Greg shifted uncomfortably in the booth and then asked in a panic, "Wait! Can I take some pizza to go, or are you going to want the whole pie? Because it's really good and…"
"You can have the whole thing, Sweetie." Mandy grabbed her purse and waved. "I'll see you at work."
"Wait!" He waved her close and then whispered, "You're not going to tell anyone about my ass rash, are you?"
"No, I'll be keeping that to myself, trust me." She hurried for the door yelling, "Bye!"
"Stokes," Nick answered his cell phone while sitting in his car outside a house on his realtor's list.
"Miss me, Cletus?"
The comforting sound of his partner's voice brought a smile to Nick's face. "As a matter of fact, I do."
"I miss you too."
"After you left, I had a big tiff with my sister and stormed out of the house. Too bad you're on a date, because I sure could use your company right now."
"My date just made a Houdini-worthy escape."
"Seriously?"
"Yep. Talking about my diaper rash problem did the trick." Greg's sweet laughter poured out of the phone. "The things we do for love. Where are ya, Cletus? I've got a hug with your name on it."
"Aww." Standing in her apartment doorway, Wendy opened her arms, "Gimme a hug, sister."
"It was the worst date of my life," Mandy declared before breaking into laughter. "And he has all my prize tickets!"
"From the sound of things, he needed them more than you."
"Yeah, but I hit the jackpot twice on Super Slam. I had enough to buy a Whoopee Cushion."
The two women laughed their way into the living room.
"I ordered a pizza," Wendy announced as a joke. When her best friend shivered, she said, "Just kidding, I made some pasta and have a nice bottle of Merlot breathing on the table. Can I get you a glass?
"Make it a double." Mandy plopped on the couch. "I can't believe I thought Sanders was going to be different. After he went into the field he really seemed to grow up."
"I wasn't there before, so I wouldn't know."
"Oh yeah, he used to wear latex gloves on his head and spike his hair in six directions. You never knew which Greg you were going to get."
"Maybe because he has to be so serious on the job now, his inner-child comes out to play twice as hard when he's off duty."
"Last one undressed is a rotten egg!" Greg yelled as he stripped down to his boxers in the middle of the no-tell motel room Nick had secured for them.
"I thought we were eatin' pizza," Nick said while watching his lover fall flat on his ass trying to get his pants off without taking off his shoes first.
"We are eating pizza…naked in bed." Kicking off his shoes, the impatient man explained, "Scientific studies show that skin-to-skin contact is very soothing. That's why roos live in their mother's pouches and premature babies are cuddled directly on their mother's chest."
"Okay, then." Nick set the pizza and six pack of beer on the dusty nightstand and tossed everything but his briefs.
"One more thing." Greg reached into his duffle bag and pulled out his ALS. "Gotta make sure the sheets are clean, because I don't really want an ass rash, bed bug bites or crabs."
"Everyone knows this is the cleanest hourly motel in Vegas. They not only change the sheets, they hose down the plastic mattress covered between customers. That's why they charge a lot more than the skanky places."
"How many bimbos did you bang here, Cletus?"
"Too many." Nick grabbed his Real Estate folder and confidently headed for the freshly hosed-off bed. "Would ya stop bein' a germphobic dork and get in here already, I want to show you some house pictures." He propped all the pillows against the headboard. "That gay-friendly lesbian realtor Doc Henry recommended pulled this stuff together in no time flat. Her name is Penny Galindo, and she was real nice on the phone and offered to bring the packet by our house, but with my psycho sister there, I swung by her office instead. She said to take a look and email her the Listing Numbers of the houses we want to see tomorrow on your day off."
With a beer in hand, Greg straddled Nick's thighs. "So is this realtor a lipstick or butchy lesbian?"
"Definitely lipstick," Nick laughed, "I was wonderin' the same thing as I was walkin' up to her office. How much caffeine did you drink at Peter Piper, man? You're bouncin' up and down on me like I'm a hobby horse."
"I drowned my Skee Ball sorrows in a pitcher of Mountain Dew."
"That would do it."
"Plus I'm excited to be talking about the house we don't have yet." Greg held out his hand. "Lemme see, lemme see."
"God, you're just what I needed after dealin' with my evil and depressing sister." Nick handed over a photo page. "Not to influence you, but that's my favorite and I want it bad."
"Ooh! The dog we don't have yet will love that big lawn and the kids we don't have yet will be jazzed about the swimming pool with the little slide built into the rocks."
"Yeah, Penny said those slides are all the rage in the new build neighborhoods. That house is only six months old. The husband has a government job and got a job transfer to DC. Our hotshot realtor found out that they're lookin' to sell fast, because if they don't get an offer in thirty days, they'll have to take the government's buy out offer because they can't swing two mortgages. She said the government offers are never too far above the comp price, so if we bid just a little above that they might jump, especially considerin' we both have excellent financials and responsible jobs."
Rocking on his partner's thighs, the caffeine-crazed man said, "The master suite looks like a great place to spend a lazy weekend, eh? Fireplace…Jacuzzi tub…and a double-wide shower. Fun, fun, fun." He glanced down. "Uh oh, the Mountain Dew hyperness just spread to my extremities."
"I didn't bring anything."
"You came to a notorious sex motel to meet your gay lover without supplies? Are you kidding me?" Greg riotously laughed, "We'll be the first people not to have sex in this room since it was built."
Not in the mood to make love, Nick said, "I didn't bring anything because I planned on lookin' at houses and eatin' pizza, G."
Cozying up alongside his partner's warm body, Greg reigned in his hyperness. "What's there to look at? I want the house you love, because I love you and I want you to be happy."
"What about you?" Nick shivered as the rim of his ear was explored with a wet warm tongue. "You need to be happy too. We're each kickin' in fifty grand, so we need to be equally happy."
"I can be happy anywhere with you." Locking his gaze on his man's emotional eyes, Greg said, "I wish I could make things better with your sister. I know you're hurting."
"It was ugly, really ugly and when I was stormin' out the front door, she said she was gonna call my father. I egged her on. I did it on purpose, because…I know I was supposed to wait and do things right, but I just wanted it over, G. The waitin' was givin' me an ulcer. I wanted her to tell them, but now that it really might happen…I think she was just tryin' to scare me, but maybe she really did call. I want to say I don't care what they think, but I want them to love me like your family loves you and if they don't…it's gonna hurt like hell."
Unable to make things better, Greg remained silent, stroking Nick's arm.
"What if I really never get to walk through the front door of my childhood home again? What if they don't want me around them at Christmas? Eileen said after she tells them I won't be allowed to toss a damn football with my nephews anymore. That's what they did to our Cousin Roy. What are they gonna say to the kids when I stop comin' there for visits?" Snapping from the tension building within, Nick's voice cracked, "She even ruined goin' to Cassie's class for me. You know how much I love doin' that."
"Huh? How did she ruin it?"
"I got excited about the ID project and when I told her all she said was that the parents wouldn't want me around their boys if they knew I was gay. Like they'd think I was tryin' to get off swabbin' the kids' mouths." Tears pooling in Nick's eyes, he said, "You should have seen her lookin' at me like I was some evil pedophile. She said she might call the school anonymously to tip them off that a queer was…"
"She said that to you?" Greg jumped out of bed. "That's it. I'm done humoring her, Nick. Done! She's no longer welcome in our home. You may not be able to kick out your sister because she's family, but I can." He rushed to get dressed. "How dare she treat you like a sex offender! What does think? Does she think you went above and beyond to find Cassie just hoping that you'd score an elementary school gig out of it?" He released a primal scream.
"G…"
"No! I'm done being insulted under my roof! And I'm done watching you suffer! When you were buried alive, I had no choice but to stand there watching you get tortured on the big screen, but this time, I'm not powerless. Instead of ants ripping you apart piece by piece, that bitch is tearing you apart with words and threats. I can't believe she's related to you. When it comes to compassion, you're polar opposites."
Nick hurried out of bed. "G…"
"No! Don't try to stop me!"
"I'm not." Wiping his tears, Nick said, "I wanted to say thanks for handlin' her for me."
"You're welcome," Sara replied on her way out of the Chinese Restaurant. "But really it was nothing. I used a 'buy one get one free' coupon to treat you."
"The real treat was Hodges, that moment of discovery when he realized I eat dinner with co-workers all the time but never him."
"Do you ever feel bad for picking on him?"
Gil pondered the question for two seconds. "No, because he brings it on himself, Sara. He's a science snob who goes around telling his co-workers that he's their intellectual superior."
"Hmm."
"What?"
Sara smirked, "Maybe you see a little of your old self in him and that's why he irritates you so much."
Sipping wine on the couch with her best friend, Mandy said, "Maybe he's just one of those freaky intellectual geniuses like Grissom with his cockroaches and collection of dead things. A quirky guy who's destined to be alone forever because he's just too out there. Not quite a total loser, like Hodges."
"More like a tortured soul, like Picasso." Wendy snickered, "Once his ass rash clears up, maybe we should give Greg a mercy threesome and rock his world for just one night. It'll be like that cute scene in Almost Famous." They had just watched the movie together a few weeks ago during a Cameron Crowe and junk food binge. "You know the part, when the hippie girls deflower William because he's too timid to get the girl."
"Eileen!" Greg shouted as he marched through the house. "I'd like to have a word with you, please."
"Why on Earth are you screamin' at me, Mister?"
"Because I'm pissed off, that's why!" Greg snapped, "How dare you make your brother sound like a pedophile and dirty up the work he's doing in Cassie's class. I think you're confusing reality. Nick is a sex abuse survivor, not an offender. That's what makes this so much worse to hear. I can't believe you'd bring up such a sensitive subject, no less throw it in his face and say you'd call the school to warn them that a gay man is infiltrating their classrooms. Infiltrating? It's one thing to have a problem with our lifestyle, that's fine with me, you're entitled to your religious beliefs and I respect that right, but to try and coerce your brother into gay rehab by threatening him is cruel and borderline illegal. If you call the school and slander Nick's name, I will contact my father's lawyers and you'll find yourself on the receiving end of a lawsuit as pleasurable as the eternal hellfire. Your family may have power in Texas, but it's worthless here. The trial would come down to who can afford the best lawyer and my family has a lot more money than yours."
"We were both very angry and I said those things in the heat of the moment." Eileen panicked as she envisioned losing her house and $10,000 nest egg. "I'd never call the school. With our father sittin' on the Supreme Court of Texas, the last thing we can afford is a scandal." It was true, things needed to be done as quietly as possible. "But as a parent, I am still very uncomfortable with the idea of a gay man looking into the mouths of young boys."
"You do realize there are gay doctors and dentists, right? They look in people's mouths all the time without getting aroused. Forget it, debating with you is pointless." After a deep breath, Greg asked the next burning question, "Did you call your parents?"
"No," she lied, not wanting to tip her hand and ruin the impact of the intervention.
"Good, because it's Nick's life and he's the one who should tell them. He's just waiting until he can fly out there and do it in person with me by his side. I'm going to swap some shifts so we can fly to Dallas on Friday." The real plan was to leave the next afternoon and break the news while the bitch wasn't there. "If you have any love left for your brother at all, you'll let him be the one to tell your parents."
"Fine."
"You can stay here tonight because it's late and you're already in your robe and pajamas, but in the morning, you're moving to the room I'm getting you at The Mandalay Bay." He knew the exhausted and broke mother of five wouldn't pass up a free stay at a luxurious hotel. It was the perfect way to get the moocher to stay in town while he and Nick were in Dallas. "I'll even get you a room service credit and a spa package. Please be out of here by 9am, because I don't want to be hassled when I come home from work." And so you won't be here when my parents show up at ten. "If Nick gets a call from Dallas saying you outed him, then I call the Mandalay and have them toss you out on your ear. Are we clear?"
"Buyin' my silence are you?" Accustomed to RV vacations with a demanding husband and five children, she struggled to suppress the squeal of excitement building within, but then she remembered her family would be showing up in the morning and she'd never get the chance. Dammit!
"I'll do whatever it takes to preserve Nick's peace of mind." He stared her down. "I know you think my relationship with your brother is only about sex, but I really do love him and would do anything for him. He's had so many bad things happen to him in life, I can't begin to understand why you would want to cause him even an ounce of pain. Maybe if you saw the hell he went through in that coffin you'd feel differently."
"The hell he went through in that coffin is nothin' compared to the hell he'll know if he doesn't repent and change his sinful ways. I do believe you think you're helpin' him, but you're not. You stand there lookin' down on me, accusin' me of hatin' my brother, when you couldn't be further from the truth." With a hand over her heart, she asked, "Who really loves him more, the man who wants him to be happy for the next forty years, or the woman who wants to spare him from eternal damnation? I know I'm doin' right by my brother, Mr. Sanders. Nicky's salvation is on the line and that's why I'll do what it takes to save him. Yes, I've crossed the line of decency and fair play, but I can't help it…I'm that scared for him. If he were addicted to drugs, I'd kidnap him and handcuff him to a chair to get him to stop poisonin' his body and I know he'd thank me later when his mind was clear from the poison. The same thing will happen here, you'll see. I think that's what you're afraid of…that I'll get him to leave you and change his ways."
Exasperated from the exchange, Greg gave up. "I'm just going to say goodbye." He headed for the door. "Enjoy your hotel stay. I'll see you in Dallas."
When the door shut, she replied, "That's what you think."
Riled from the encounter, Eileen walked over to the fridge to fix herself a snack. I'll have to run to the store in the morning and pick up some pastries and fruit for the family. Ooh, maybe fruit is a bad choice considerin' the situation. Just as she grabbed a slice of cheese to make a sandwich, there was a knock on the door. "Ugh. He must have left his damn car keys as an excuse to come back and get in a few more jabs."
Shaking her head, she marched for the door. "Look, Mr. Sanders, no matter what you say, I'm not gonna be happy my brother is gay!" When she opened the door Eileen was surprised to see a sexy woman in a tight, low cut blouse standing in the doorway. "Oh. I'm sorry, who are you?"
Still stunned by what she heard being yelled through the door, Catherine replied, "I'm uh...I'm a very close friend of Nick's." She extended her hand. "Catherine Willows. I've been at LVPD Crime Lab with Nick since his first day on the job. From what I heard, I assume you are one of his five sisters."
"Yes, I'm Eileen Stokes Maxwell." She pointed into the house. "Nicky's not home, but you probably knew that, right? First Greg, and now you. How many other defenders of my brother's sexuality should I expect? I wouldn't have put on my pajamas and robe if I knew there was going to be a gay pride parade here tonight. Why did they send you? Are you supposed to reason with me woman to woman? Or are you one of those lipstick lesbians?"
Catherine laughed her reply, "No, I'm not a lesbian, lipstick or otherwise, but I used to kiss girls for cash when I worked as a stripper."
"They let you work in law enforcement after taking your clothes off for money?"
"Are you kidding? I didn't even have to interview, the Lab Director took one look at my resume and my boobs and hired me on the spot."
"Sin City." Eileen rolled her eyes. "Look, I'll tell you exactly what I told my brother's lover, nothing you say will influence me more than the words of my Lord. Homosexuality is a sin. I don't care how loving and caring my brother is, or how many little girls he saves from bad guys, he's still going to burn in hell if he doesn't change his wicked ways. So, save your breath."
"Oh, I get it." Catherine pushed past her shock to defend her friend. "You're one of those judgmental Holy Roller types. Yeah, I never get along well with your kind."
"I can't imagine why."
"Mostly because you say stupid things and I have a very low tolerance for people who say stupid things like 'no matter how many little girls he saves, he's going to burn in hell'." Sighing, Catherine said, "So, you're the reason Nick and Greg have been extra stressed lately. Why can't you just let them be happy?" She stealthily slipped into investigator mode, "After all, they've been together for…how long is it now?"
"I shudder to think how long my brother has been fallin' into bed with that man."
"How do you know they have sex?" CSI Willows casually posited as if she were challenging the woman's theory. "That's a pretty big conclusion to jump to, isn't it?"
"It doesn't take a CSI to figure out the score. I found a used condom in the shower the other night after Greg and Nick had spent quality time locked in the master bedroom together and I saw them snuggled naked in bed the other morning when they forgot to shut the door."
"Oh." Holy shit! "I guess that would be adequate proof then." Holy shit!
"Is that a gift basket you're holding?"
"Oh." Catherine handed it over. "Could you leave it on the counter for Nick? Thanks."
"Yes, now goodnight, Ms. Willows."
"Good…" When the door suddenly slammed shut in her face, Catherine turned and hurried for her car. Holy shit!
"Griss!" When Greg saw his boss getting out of his Mercedes, he rushed over. "I need to talk to you about some time off, just a couple of nights."
"What month?" the CSI Supervisor asked while visualizing the vacation calendar in his head.
"Thursday and Friday of this week actually."
"What? You just had time off when you skipped out of the conference early and you know I can't spare anyone while Nick's out on leave."
"Sara already said she'd come in on Friday on her night off, so really the only day is Thursday and I think I can get Louie from Swing to work a double, because I covered for him a couple of months back. If…"
"No." Grissom started walking for the building. "I was already going to ask Sara to work on Friday because we're backlogged, Greg. You're just going to have fun some other time."
"It's a family emergency."
"Are your parents okay?"
"It's not my…" Greg lowered his voice, "It's Nick. I need to fly to Dallas with him and help him work things out with his family. Please, Griss. His sister surprised him with a visit and found out about us. It's been very ugly and I have a feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't critical. There's no way he can go there alone. They're like shotgun toting rednecks and his sister has pamphlets on Gay Rehab Centers. I honestly don't trust them. Please."
"The problem is you can't mark it as a family emergency on your time card." Grissom somberly explained, "Nick isn't part of your family on paper and unlike some places of employment, LVPD doesn't have Domestic Partner Benefits. You can't call it vacation time either, because vacations are suspended when we're short, you know that. We'll hear it from Ecklie. You'd need a doctor's note to…"
"I have an idea." Greg suggested, "My parents are coming to town tomorrow to take Jenni home. Can we just explain to Ecklie that it's critical for me to be a part of the homecoming? It really is a huge deal and I'm going to see her in the morning. If we weren't so strapped at work, I really would have asked to take off for the occasion."
Seeing the desperation in his employee's eyes, Grissom relented, "I'll handle Ecklie. I'll spin the Jenni story as a positive for the lab since you were the one who saved her."
"Thanks, boss!" Greg opened the front door. "I'll catch up with Louie right now and make sure he takes my Thursday."
"You better catch up on your paperwork too!" Grissom shouted at the blur running down the hall.
"Will do!"
Sitting at the small motel table, Nick opened his lap top and connected to the Internet. While Greg was at work, he would be making the arrangements for their trip to Dallas. It would be the first time he ever stayed at a hotel while visiting his family who had always welcomed him with open arms.
This trip would be different in so many ways. His mother wouldn't be baking him Toll House cookies while he watched ESPN on the couch with his father. Instead of a happy family reunion, he knew they would spend the time mourning the loss of their son's salvation. Staring at the Southwest Airlines computer screen, he tried to work up the nerve to buy the tickets that would bring him to Dallas and distance him from his family. "What am I gonna to do if they show me the door?" he kept repeating as he watched the cursor blink on the screen. "What am I gonna do?"
What the hell am I going to say? Catherine asked her reflection. Standing in the lobby Ladies Room, she checked her watch. 5 am. Per the new 'anti-burnout' policy, she was on her mandated lunch break. I've been obsessing over this for hours. She knew she had to tell Greg about the confrontation with Nick's sister, because he would find out when he saw her and realize she had been working next to him all night without saying she knew. But how do I say it? She imagined returning to the Layout Room and striking a conversation with her friend, 'You know, a really funny thing happened on the way into work tonight, Greg. I stopped by your place and talked to Nick's sister Eileen. She told me that you were gay and sleeping with Nick. Way to go! There are women all over town who would give a kidney to trade places with you. Could you pass the ALS? Thanks'.
"Hey." Sara rushed by her co-worker on the way to a stall. "I drank waaaay too much coffee tonight." After closing her door, she unbuckled her belt. "Grissom is sending Warrick and me out to Boulder City Hospital. Some guy drove himself into the ER and I do mean literally. He crashed his car into the ER building because he was bleeding out from a gunshot wound. He died on the table. Warrick's already pulling the truck around back and he told me to tell you that he'll take a raincheck on lunch."
"Okay, thanks." This is perfect, now I'll have Greg all to myself. "You and Warrick have fun out there." Not that you could have as much fun as I had with him tonight. "I've got something to take care of ASAP, so I'll catch you later."
When she stepped into the hallway, Catherine tossed her purse on her shoulder and took a steadying a breath. As luck would have it, Greg was heading in her direction. "Sanders!"
"Yeah?"
"Taking your lunch break?" When he nodded, she offered, "Come with me." She dangled her purse. "I want to try that 24 Hour Chinese place across the street. Warrick was supposed to share my 'Buy 1 Get 1 Free' Coupon with me, but Grissom is sending him out with Sara. Wanna fill in for him?"
Greg ran over salivating from the offer. "Hell, yeah, I'm starving and I heard the Egg Rolls over there are extra long and as thick as Bratwurst." He rubbed his belly. "I'm jonesin' for some Jumbo Egg Rolls right now."
Walking out the front door with him, she snickered, "Yeah, but is quantity really more important than quality?"
"You tell me," he joked. "I think you've done enough sampling of the male population to draw a knowledgeable conclusion."
"Did you just call me a slut, Sanders?"
"Ha!" Greg flashed his naughtiest smile. "I was just kidding around with you." But not really.
"MmmHmm." Once they were outside in the quiet pre-dawn parking lot, Catherine replied, "In my vast personal experience, I've come to realize there is no correlation between size and my toes curling. I've been very disappointed by big boys and pleasantly surprised by many anatomically challenged men. It's all about knowing what to do with what you've got." Placing her hand on her friend's shoulder, she smiled, "Your turn, honey."
"My turn to do what?" Greg chuckled.
"To tell me about your experiences with men."
"Uh." He anxiously glanced around the parking lot. "You're funny."
"I stopped by your place on the way in tonight, because I had a relaxation gift basket for Nick." Softening her voice, she explained, "He wasn't home and I got a very interesting welcome from his sister. Something like 'No matter what you say, I won't stop wishing my brother wasn't having sex with Greg in the shower'."
"Oh! Her!" He shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, she's several cards short of a deck. I had to use Nick's shower the other night and she got this crazy idea that we were…"
"Gay? Yeah, so did I, when I saw the two of you at the dumpster last night. Grissom asked me to swing by there on the way to my assignment. Nick was feeding you."
"Ha! That. Yeah, we were rehearsing a scene for a play. It's a secret, but we joined this community theater group as part of Nick's relaxation therapy. It's his decompression hobby and…um…yeah, we're like totally gay." He anxiously laughed, "Surprise!"
"Yes, I was very surprised…about Nicky." She sweetly laughed, "You, I always figured you played for both teams."
"And that would be a correct assumption." Gripping his head, the concerned boyfriend whispered, "Nick only went to active status recently and he's very…honestly, he's gonna to die when he finds out that you know. Does Warrick know?"
"He was driving the truck when you were having an orgasm sucking Nick's fingers off, so I'd say he has his suspicions, yes."
"Oh God." Greg could hear Nick's ulcer gurgling already.
"Come on." Catherine slipped her arm around Greg's waist. "Let's talk over Magnum-size Egg Rolls."
"Okay."
"I'm really happy for you guys."
"You are?" he said with surprise.
"Yeah, because now I don't feel bad that neither of you wanted to sleep with me."
"I would have slept with you in a heartbeat when I first started working here," Greg giggled.
"Yeah, I know, I was just joking." Catherine joined in the laughter. "You didn't think I'd have a problem, did you?"
"You never really know how people will react, especially when you haven't been truthful with them, y'know?"
"Aww, I'll always love ya, Greggy. Nicky too."
"Thanks, Cath." He stopped to give her a hug. "We need all the support we can get, because we're flying to Dallas tomorrow to tell his parents and I have a feeling it's going to be hell."
"Want me to come with you and be your character witness? I'm sure a divorced ex-stripper speaking on your behalf would really help your cause."
"Thanks, but I'll spare you the pain and suffering."
"Do you know how many women in this city would kill to be you?" Sensing he needed some stress relief, Catherine ruffled his hair and joked, "The geek scored himself a sexy cowboy. Way to go, Greggy."
"Yeah, my parents are really psyched too. My dad in particular, because now he has someone to watch sports with on Thanksgiving. My mom is a nutjob. She's already planning a Commitment Ceremony for us on the beach in Maui. My parents have a place there."
"Maui, huh? Can I be a bridesmaid?"
"You bet."
"So, all joking aside, your relationship - it's not a casual thing."
"Nope. We're on a bullet train toward Happily Ever After." Greg showed off his bracelet. "I got this instead of an engagement ring. We're getting a dog and buying a house together too."
"A house and a dog. Wow, that is serious." Laughing, she said, "So, my blender really was an engagement present. Congratulations."
As the two CSIs embraced again, Wendy, Mandy and Jacqui stood motionless watching them. They had left the building to grab Chinese food across the street and were returning when they saw Greg and Catherine involved in an intense PDA.
"Looks like Peter Piper found himself a rebound woman to nurse his Skee Ball wounds," Jacqui remarked while Catherine stroked Greg's face. "No more coin shows for you, Mandykins. Don't worry, I'll let you look through the change in the bottom of my purse if you get withdrawals."
"Oh. My. God." Mandy stuffed her hands on her hips and heatedly whispered, "Don't you guys get it! That date was a CSI prank! They probably all got together drinking and concocted the plan. Greg's with Catherine and was never really interested in me. It totally makes sense, because I saw them together in the parking lot as I was pulling away yesterday. They were probably laughing their butts off at my expense!"
As she watched the couple laughing together standing nose to nose, Wendy replied, "It would certainly explain the bizarre patheticness of it all, because that date was too..."
"Greg Sanders!" Mandy stormed toward the bastard. "I'm not amused!"
"What the hell did you do to her?" Catherine asked as she wiped her red lipstick off Greg's cheek.
"I hope you and your CSI cronies had a good laugh at my expense! Ugh! I can't believe you're getting lovey dovey with Catherine 'Look at my Boobs' Willows right here on the night of our date from hell! It was all Brown's idea, wasn't it? How many times is he going to humiliate me?"
"Oh shit." Greg held up his hands. "It's not what you think. I wasn't lying to you tonight, not about Catherine or what I mean is I'm not with her and the date was a joke. Um…Catherine was just…"
"Shut up!" Mandy postured in front of the jerk. "If you weren't lying, then prove it. Show us your painful ass rash, asshole. The rash that was sooooo bad you couldn't sit comfortably. I can't believe I felt sorry for you!"
Jacqui whispered to Wendy, "I know we just ate Chinese, but I'm craving popcorn to go with this melodrama."
"Now, Sanders!" Mandy shrieked, "Drop trou!"
"Uh." Greg's cheeks flushed deep red. "Um…"
"Can you give us a minute, thanks?" Catherine yanked her friend away from the angry mob of affection-starved women who were constantly jealous of her sexy figure and good looks. "Ass rash, Greg?" She whispered, "Sweetie, you need to use lots of lube when you have…"
"I know that!" He covered his face. "I was lying about the ass rash to get out of the date, because it was a beard date and…help me."
"Help you how? Do you want me to help you fake an ass rash or…"
"No." Watching the irate women crack their knuckles, he whimpered, "How about you just shoot me?"
***
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