Title: The Diner Wars
By: Caster
Pairing: gen
Rating: PG

***

It was the lab rat's diner, too. Jacqui found it around the same time Sara did, and although both groups frequented Frank's, they rarely ran into each other. But David supposes all good things must come to an end, because he's sitting alone in a booth while the CSIs are taking up a whole table right across from him. To top it off, he feels like an idiot. If Jacqui or Bobby or someone were there with him, he wouldn't appear so bare. Perhaps a book or laptop would do just as well, but as it is, he's just sitting there without any company besides the salt and pepper shaker. He sighs. He doesn't usually come here by himself –the lab rats mostly come together- but they couldn't make it and he was hungry and now Catherine's laughing about something. David grinds his teeth. They're probably joking about him, about how pathetic he is, and he hates himself for thinking any of them actually cared.

He's about to get up and leave when a pair of hands presses against David's table. He looks up to see Nick smiling at him.

"Hey Hodges," he greets, wearing that ever present grin.

"Stokes," David acknowledges.

"C'mon and sit with us, man," Nick says. "We can't stand to see you here alone."

And David's planning to explain that he was just leaving when Nick all but yanks him to where Warrick and Catherine have made room for one extra person, and he thinks he might as well stay since he's already paid for his meal.

FIN.