Title: New Evidence
By: Macx

"You look good on TV."

Conrad Ecklie grimaced and removed the tie, throwing it carelessly onto the dresser.

"Really, you do," Franklin insisted, grinning.

"It's my job."

"To look good?"

Ecklie chuckled a little, but he didn't comment. Franklin moved past him, lithe as a cat and with so much grace only a feline or a vampire could manage, kissing his neck as he did so.

Conrad shivered a little. Clever fingers slipped into his half-open shirt, sliding over skin and Franklin placed another kiss onto his neck. He closed his eyes, enjoying the tender kisses, the caresses, and he felt Franklin smile.

"Tough case?" the vampire asked softly.

"High profile. You saw it on the news."

A nod. The fingers never stopped their caress.

"When are you going back in?"

Ecklie sighed. "Shower, something to eat, fresh clothes - I guess that's the time I'm allowed."

Franklin nodded, still holding him, still warm against Conrad's back, and he relaxed a little more.

"You go shower, I'll whip something up, okay? What are you in the mood for?"

"Something light. No alcohol."

"Won't see a drop."

Another kiss, then Ecklie was released, missing the support immediately. Franklin's gray eyes were warm, loving and he smiled, making a shooing motion toward the shower. Conrad went, smiling, tossing his shirt on the way. He really had little off time with the mayor, the sheriff and the press haunting him, but he would make the most of the small interlude he had right now.

And a shower really did sound nice.
 
 

An hour later he was back in the car, on his way into the PD to deal with matters at hand. Franklin remained behind, working on office matters from their home.

* * *

"Man, that was one of the weirdest cases I ever had," Nick muttered, shaking his head as he opened the fridge and hunted for a soda.

"Weirder than the diver in the tree?" Grissom asked with a fine smile.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Yep. I never would have thought people do that kinda stuff. Y'know... adult baby play? Freaking."

Grissom's face was set in a philosophical expression. "We all deal with our past differently. Some people can't let go of their childhood, others want to go back and relive it in a way it had never been."

Nick popped the soda open and took a swallow. "And people were afraid of that guy. He had dirt on everyone who was anyone in this town, but at home he was living in fear."

"That's Vegas, Nicky."

He chuckled. "Yeah. Home of the freaks and weirdos."

"And where do we fit in?" Gil asked, tilting his head, an almost angelic smile on his lips.

Nick grinned. "Depends. No kinks, no obsessions - aside from the bugs..."

He laughed at Gil's expression.

"We just have a gene problem."

The older man joined him at the fridge and took out a bottle of water. "We're freaks of nature, Nicky."

"No, we're human, Gil," Nick contradicted softly, seriously, brown eyes firm. "We're not freaks."

Grissom gazed at him, then placed a hand against one clean-shaven, angular cheek, caressing it with his thumb. "What about this?" he asked quietly.

"This is us," Nick replied, voice still not changing. "This is an emotion. Nothing kinky, no repressed feelings, no going back to something we never actually managed to work through somewhere in our lives..."

Gil smiled a little. "There are people out there who would call us freaks for loving each other. There are others out there hunting the paranormal element in the form of vampires and werewolves."

"Those are the freaks. Not us."

"It's all in the eye of the beholder, Nick. You cannot judge anyone without getting judged yourself."

Nick sighed. "Yeah. I know." He took the hand and kissed the palm. "But for me there's a difference between what we have... our love... our connection... and people like Eiger."

"There is a difference," the older man agreed.

"A huge difference."

"But we're hiding, just like Eiger."

"Not in fear," Nick contradicted.

He wasn't afraid to stand by Gil should their relationship ever be known publicly, but he knew it would have consequences. Which ones, that was debatable. But it would.

Grissom pulled him close, kissed him gently, and Nick left the soda on the kitchen counter as he wrapped his arms around Grissom's waist. He felt a questing hands run over one thigh, caressing him through the soft fabric of his jeans.

"You know," Grissom whispered as they separated. "You've been driving me crazy ever since you put on those pants."

"Really?" Nick's eyes twinkled.

"Really. It was... distracting."

"Is that so? I guess we have to do something about it then," he teased. "Like... I won't be wearing them again?"

"Don't you dare," Grissom growled and took his mouth into another possessive kiss, while equally possessive hands kneaded his butt through the offensive material.

Nick groaned into the kiss, hips pushing his groin against his lover's. Grissom's fingers were on the hem of his shirt, then underneath and he gasped as they caressed his stomach.

The shirt went not a minute later and they were on their way into the bedroom no more than five after that. Looking into the blue eyes above him as Grissom straddled his still clothed thighs, his hands caressing, stroking and petting, Nick whimpered in need as the jeans proved to be rather constricting. He tugged impatiently at Gil's shirt and smiled when it was removed, then fiddled with the belt and button.

His own last pieces of clothing came off to his relief and he moaned appreciatively as Gil took care of the straining need now exposed to his eyes, hands and mouth.
Nick could never get enough of watching his lover go down on him and he spread his legs a little further. Pushed up on his elbow, he watched every move, biting his lower lip as sensations started to flood him. His hips started to twitch on their own accord and Grissom held him down, relentlessly teasing and licking, sucking and caressing, fondling and stroking. When he came, it was a like a massive relief and he gasped his pleasure, hips coming off the bed.

Strong hands soothed him, running over his flanks, and he tried to still his breathing.

"Ah hell," he whispered.

He had needed that.

Taking the edge off.

And Nick knew it wasn't over yet. He felt a yearning for his lover, deep down inside, and he knew that it was answered by the expression in Gil's eyes. By the way he licked his lips, by the way his hands still touched him.

He smiled, the smile full of sated pleasure, and Grissom blanketed his body, his own hardness still unabated and quite prominent against Nick's thigh. They kissed, leisurely, deeply, until Nick let one hand run deeper, stroking over soft spots.

"Gil," he murmured, spreading his legs encouragingly.

The invitation was taken without hesitation and Nick gave himself to the pleasure Gil could bring him, listening to the harsh breaths and pants of himself and Grissom as he took him deep inside.

* * *

Catherine sat in the break room, a cup of tea between her hands, raised to her lips without drinking from it, and watched people walk by. She looked almost as if she was meditating and in a way, she was. No one else was using the room at the moment since it was between shifts, and it gave her enough privacy while putting her smack in the middle of things.

Grissom walked by, stopped, glanced inside, and then entered. He walked over to the coffee machine and got himself a mug, then approached.

"May I?" he asked, voice soft.

Catherine smiled at him. "Of course."

Ever since the Bruce Eiger case, Catherine had tried to get a few things into perspective. Maybe even sooner. First Sara's outbreak and subsequent insubordination, then the strange way of Ecklie's throughout the Eiger case.

No, wait, stop. Not just there. Before that.

She had never taken much notice until now. She hadn't noticed the changes in Ecklie until he had arrived with Gil and taken charge of having their backs.

That the two men had come in the same car hadn't really struck her until now. Grissom had to have been at the lab already, Ecklie still there, and then the call had come in. All hands on deck. So Grissom had taken Ecklie along... to do what?

'I run interference' he had said.

And he did it damn well. He had handled the reporters and he had taken care of the stolen crime scene photos as well.

'It's my job.'

Sure it was. He was an administrator now, and he had always been. Being a CSI and later a shift supervisor had only been an interims phase. He had been going to this administrator job, come hell or high water, and somewhere along the way he had started to... change.

Damn, Conrad. You're not the man I loved to hate.

Catherine became aware of the sharp blue eyes watching and she took a sip of her tea.

"Contemplating the world in general or a specific problem?" he asked with mild curiosity.

"Actually, both," was her answer.

Eyebrows rose in a wordless 'go ahead, I'm listening if you want to'.

"Ecklie has changed," she only said.

"Well, yes, he's the Assistant Director to the Crime Lab now."

She shot him a dark look. "I noticed. I meant in a... personal way. I know we never saw eye to eye with him, you more than anyone, but lately... well, maybe even before that... he... I don't know. I guess that cute blond's good for him."

Now those eyebrows shot up and Grissom peered at her over his mug. "Cute blond?"

She chuckled. "Don't play dumb, Gil. I know you noticed the guy, too."

Of course he had. She had seen them talking once or twice. In a friendly way. There had been many friendly moments between Grissom and Ecklie, and them arriving at the crime scene together... and talking almost amiably... If it weren't for Nick, Catherine would have very dirty thoughts by now. But Grissom and Nick were tight and there was no room for anyone else.

And Ecklie had the cute blond guy.

"He's a bit young, but hey, whatever keeps you going. And whoever he is, he's good for Conrad. He's become... accessible, human..."

Grissom smiled. "I never doubted he was anything but a homo sapiens, Catherine."

Another dark look. Grissom was playful tonight.

"As for the age difference, you could say the same thing about Nick and I."

She laughed. "Keeps you young."

"Keeps me on my toes."

"It also changes a lot of things in your personal life, Gil. I noticed it about you, and it's even more noticeable in Ecklie."

"It might also be that he finally found his true calling," Grissom pointed out.

"Administrative work, yeah. He is good at it," she granted. "He does a great job with the lab, though I could have strangled him for splitting us up and giving me swing shift."

Grissom was silent and let his eyes wander over the almost deserted corridors. "It was an opportunity for you, Catherine. You wanted the supervisor position."

"Yeah. And now I know the pain it is. Running interference for you was one thing, having it all up on my front another." She sighed. "But I'm getting the hang of it."

"No one's judging you, Cath. No one's trying to kick you down." Grissom's voice was suddenly very serious. "You know that Ecklie's decision on the Eiger case was right. It was a high profile case and I have seniority. It has nothing to do with you as a person and doubts into your abilities."

"It was for the lab," she quoted Ecklie.

"No, it was for you. If something went wrong, I would take the heat."

She fell silent. Something had gone wrong and Grissom had taken the heat, though not as badly as she had expected. That reminded her of the conversation they had had over the missing card from her digital camera.

How long had Ecklie been standing in that office?

And why had he been there?

"You and Conrad have become more friendly," she switched topics.

"We found a way around our differences. He likes his job, I like mine. We're happy."

"Looks like it. And getting laid on a regular basis in his case makes a big difference," she grinned.

Grissom chuckled. "Probably."

"You know the kid?"

"He's hardly a kid, and yes, I know him. We met before."

Catherine emptied her mug and rose. "Well, I'll be off. I need my beauty sleep."

Grissom smiled and carried his own mug over to the sink as well. Catherine left no twenty minutes later, casting a look at the dark office of the AD, then smiled to herself.

Yep, the cute blond was good for Ecklie. She had a million questions about those two because it was an even more unlikely combination than Gil and Nick. The criminalist was curious. As was the woman in her. Her instincts told her that the blond wasn't just a part-time plaything. He wasn't there for entertainment, and she sure as hell didn't think that Ecklie was paying him to be a companion.

Well, she decided, it wasn't her life. It was Conrad's, and Conrad Ecklie had changed for the better because of his partner.

Everyone around her seemed to get laid on a regular basis, found partner they trusted. Even Ecklie, damnit.

Where am I going wrong? she wondered.

She didn't want more than they had. She didn't want commitment like a marriage, but faithfulness would be nice. Nick and Grissom were unquestionably faithful and tight. Ecklie and his blond lover... she suspected this was a tight thing, too. Why not her?

Sighing, feeling the by now almost habitual frustration rise, she left the precinct. She had to distract herself or she would spend the rest of the day, or even the week, thinking about Conrad Ecklie's love life.