�So, how have you been enjoying this wonderful city?� Marcella continued to lead Jesse quite forcibly through the parking lot of the crime lab. For a moment, Jesse had hoped that this was all a nasty dream. Hell of a let down.
�It�s ok. I like my new job.�
�Good. I knew San Francisco was the wrong place for you. I�m glad you chose to come toward family. You know how I feel about being close to family.� She flashed a million dollar smile, the one that always made Jesse want to vomit.
�Yeah.�
�Oh, here we are.� Jesse was quit forcibly led to a black Cadillac that shimmered in the early morning sunlight. It would have been blinding if the sun had been but a few degrees higher. True to form, a man stepped out of the driver�s seat, standing easily a foot above Jesse�s head. He trotted over to Marcella and kissed her cheek, sending a dark chill up Jesse�s spine. Oh. This must be my newest replacement father. Joy.
�Jesse, I�d like you to meet Francesco Fontana. Francesco, this is my daughter, Jesse.�
�Marcella�s been talking about you non-stop since we got on the plane. Even during the ceremony last night she spoke of nothing else.� The rather handsome older man took her hand and kissed the back, and Jesse pulled her hand away just a little too quickly.
�So,� Marcella broke in, leading them back toward the car, �Shall we then?�
The restaurant was as Jesse expected. Extravagant. Exclusive. Expensive. And of course, she was nowhere near dressed for the establishment. Yup, she�s in rare form today. Bitch.
They were seated, and the stunning, super model wannabe waitress looked down her nose at Jesse and proceeded to pay much closer attention to her mother and new husband. Of course, Marcella ordered for everyone in French. Jesse knew the language, but she wasn�t about to step on her mother�s toes in public. Not yet, anyway.
�Well, my dearest, you�re probably wondering what brought me to Las Vegas.�
�I�m assuming it was him.� Jesse looked pointedly at her �new daddy�, using every trick her mother ever had to make him squirm. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie in record time. He�ll last six months before he can�t stand her anymore. Either that or he�ll be so subservient to her that she�ll get bored with him. Either way, out will go Husband #4 for one Marcella Ecklie. And not a moment too soon.
�So, tell me all about your new office.�
�You were just there, Mom.�
�Oh I know, but who was that man who we met just before leaving?� Oh, finally. Ammunition had arrived.
�Dr. Gil Grissom. He�s a friend of Uncle Norman�s, you know. Dad tipped him off to my coming to Vegas, and he spoke at length with Dr. Grissom before I got here. He�s been very kind.� Marcella�s wondrously fake smile waned slightly, and Jesse couldn�t help but smirk.
�Oh. Well, he seems like a very nice man.� Dismissive, forced, with a smile to match. How very her of her. Marcella and Norman hated each other with a passion, and in her eyes anyone who was a friend of Norman�s was low-class filth. This was going to be fun.
�He is very nice. He�s actually my boss. He�s the supervisor of night shift, as Uncle Comrade had said, and he is truly a gifted forensic analyst.�
�Really, you must change off of working nights. It�s simply not healthy for you to be so pale. You need more sunlight.� She took a sip of the wine they were provided, while Francesco took her unoccupied hand lightly. They made such a picture perfect couple. Too bad the frame was so screwed up.
�Having a child this pale is what you get for rutting with an Irishman, Mother. The hair and eyes were just a perk to prove I was actually his, I guess.� Her voice shifted to sugary, and Francesco balked a moment, obviously uncomfortable with talk of Marcella�s previous husbands. He wants to be another one of her conquests? Fine. He gets to know what happens to the men she goes through and just why she goes through them.
Marcella looked up with a guarded smile. Oh yes, the hackles were up and the game was on. �Well, your father always did have a temper-�
�Oh, that he did, Mother, especially in regards to you. I remember vividly how the two of you used to fight about just about everything. �
�Hmm. Well, I suppose that�s why we�re not together anymore.�
�Really? I thought it was because he left you high and dry and took me with him after he found out you�d had an abortion just to cover up the fact that you�d been sleeping around. How kind of your lover at the time to rescue and eventually marry you, especially since he didn�t know about being an almost father.� Jesse looked back at her mother�s new toy, her bereavement broken only by her smiling eyes. �It truly was a tragedy when he suffered that fatal heart attack, especially with such a clean health record up until that point. Though leaving my mother all his money was a stroke of profound luck, don�t you think?�
�Yes, well, while this trip down memory lane is lovely, my dear,� Marcella said quite tightly, �I�m really more concerned about you.�
�Concerned? Why would you be concerned about me? You only lost me my last two jobs because you didn�t think I was suited for anything but getting married and becoming a baby factory.� That comment turned a few heads. Marcella turned to dismiss them with a smile, returning to Jesse with a stern look.
�This is not the time nor the place to have this discussion.�
�Well, since you seem so intent on talking, I say we make the time, Mother.� Jesse�s voice was steadily rising, getting more attention drawn as more people stopped talking in order to eavesdrop.
�I�ve been spending the better part of my adult life bowing to your wishes, but as soon as I find just a shred of happiness, you have to go and yank it out from under me just because I�m not the mirror image of you that you�ve wanted me to be since day one.�
�I only wanted what was best for you. And since you don�t seem to see what that is the way I do, I intervened when necessary to keep you on the correct path.� Francisco looked at Marcella as if for the first time, but Jesse paid him no heed.
�My Gods, do you listen to yourself? You never wanted a daughter. You wanted a clone. Someone who would be just like you in every way, understand you, make you feel good about the horrible choices you�ve made in your life.�
�My dear child, where does this anger come from? I have worked our whole lives trying to make life better for you.� Oh, and out comes the drama. Ever the martyr, she did it all for the family. And boy did she know just how to sell it. Every head in this section of the restaurant was turned, staring at their table and the insolent little girl causing all the trouble for her poor mommy. Well, if they wanted a show, she�d give them one.
�You never cared about me. You only wanted to use me to get back at my father and show me off to the world. Well, you know what? Fuck you, Mother. You don�t like who I�ve turned out to be? Maybe you should start asking where I get it. I�d start with a mirror.� With that she was on her feet, their waitress just behind her suddenly flying chair falling flat on her overly bony ass, soup everywhere. Jesse looked to her left one last time to sneer down at a man she would no doubt never see again. And it�ll still be too soon.
�Lovely to meet you, Francesco, but you might want to think about an annulment. She�s really not worth the time or trouble, and the alimony she�ll wring out of you in the divorce is positively obscene.� Several snickers were heard throughout the room, and Jesse couldn�t hold in a smirk as her mother looked completely aghast. Serves her right, the cow.
�Good-bye, Mother. The next time I see you better be in hell.�
She wasn�t honestly sure how she�d gotten there, but as her key turned in the lock to her front door, Jesse took a breath for what felt like the first time in hours. The door opened in silence, that same silence echoing within. Maybe she�d get a cat. And maybe monkeys would fly out of her ass right after the Wicked Witch of the East and half the population of Munchkin Land.
The door shut with the force of doom itself, shutting her in and the world out. She watched in half horror and half awe as the colors around her shifted in the thin shafts of sunlight that were allowed through the curtains, touching gently the real and the unreal as she worked her way into the kitchen. A single glass in the cabinet glowed faintly, and she grabbed it up along with the small bottle of the only alcohol she would ever touch: Russian Vodka. It wasn�t open yet, but she changed that with a green sparkling twist of her wrist. Love the green sparkles. Means this time I won�t be awake past the second drink. She poured out the glass until full, and took the bottle with her as she made her way into the living room.
The first sip was rough, especially since she hadn�t eaten since before she�d gone to work. But that didn�t stop the second sip, or the third. But that was as far as she could get before the rabbit showed up. Stupid rabbits, always pick the wrong times to come bouncing through a room. And she also wasn�t passing out, which was strange. She usually never made it this far into any drinking binge. First time for everything, I guess.
She watched as the fuzzy little critter watched her, twitching its violet nose and fluffing its orange and pink fur. This is new. Usually the rabbits are blue and yellow. She sat down in her favorite chair, fiddling gently with the heavy wooden handle in her hand. Good wood. Half to use this more often�
Not that it mattered. Her own mother hated her. Her colleagues thought she was a freak, and her former lover barely noticed her. Maybe this wood would be of use to her after all-
The knock echoed throughout the silent apartment, and Jesse didn�t even have it ask who it was. She knew only one person could be this relentless. Not to mention annoying. The rabbits fled, and the colors shifted back to normal with an alarming flash of light. And intoxication. Maybe that third drink wasn�t the wisest idea. She set the glass aside, fully intending not to touch it again as she approached the front door.
The latch gave way easily, even though the hard wood still hung heavily in her hand as she peered through the peephole. Before her stood a very interesting exercise in frustration. Jesse had to smile at that. Usually she was the one fuming. Good to know I can do at least some damage in the grander scheme.
�I thought I made it clear that you were no longer a part of my life.� She didn�t sound nearly as out of it as she felt, but she would have to pull it together if she was going to go toe to toe with the Bitch again. Twice in one day. Haven�t had this pleasure since we lived together. I hope that�s not some kind of sign. I�d hate to have to deal with her more regularly.
�I will always be a part of your life considering you are only alive because I happen to be Pro-Life. Now open this door.� Fuck her but she had a point. And for a moment Jesse wondered if it would have been easier to be a medical statistic as opposed to� nah. No fun in it. The door swung open slowly, the heavy wood tapping hard onto the small stand next to the hall closet. Marcella stood a moment and stared.
�Get in or get out, make up your mind.� As if stepping into the worst slum on earth, Marcella turned up her nose and gently toed her way inside. Jesse could almost hear her holding her breath.
�You and I must talk.� Marcella looked about quite a bit, surveying what she would no doubt consider �sub-standard living conditions� for her daughter. Bitch.
�Having fun in Vegas with your new hubby, Mother? Should I inaugurate the occasion as I was once forced to?� The words were out before she could stop them. Her hands shook as the full brunt of them hit home hard. Keep it together. Can�t show her fear or she�ll destroy me again. Keep it together�
�That was very uncalled for, young lady.� The door slammed shut, and Marcella jumped at the deafening void of sound it caused.
�So was getting me fired. So was uprooting my entire existence. So was putting me in Comrade�s lab knowing how much I loathe the sniveling whelp, but you managed, didn�t you?� Jesse pushed past her mother and back to her drink glass, taking a good healthy gulp of liquid courage. She was going to need it.
�That was for your own good.� Big Bitch.
�Always is, isn�t it? I can�t look after myself, so �Mommy Dearest� has to look after me.�
�It�s always about you, isn�t it? You never think about the people around you, do you?� Jesse slammed down the glass in her hand, sending shattered pieces and vodka in every direction.
�You will never know what I do for the people I care about, you heartless whore.� She threw the last bloodied shard at her mother, narrowly missing her. �You rip my life to shreds on a whim and expect me to bow at your feet. You drop out of the sky and expect me to drop everything in order to be at your beck and call for the few hours that you happen to be anywhere near me.� You betray me to your lover just to keep him at your side until you�re ready to ditch him for the next big man that bats his wallet at you. �You don�t call to see if I�m ok. You ask all your �friends� what they think of how I�m doing. Friends who are just like you, or at least know you well enough to know a meal ticket when they smell one. They�re so wrapped in your talons that they�ll say anything to stay in your good graces, even if it means lying about your daughter.� Jesse swayed heavily on her feet, but Marcella still swallowed hard.
�Every time I call, you lie to me about what�s really going on in your life.� She squeaked only once, but it was enough. The Marcella mouse had arrived, and the Jesse cat would pounce.
�Because I don�t want you anywhere near me! Why do you think I moved so far away from you? We were on opposite coasts for a reason!� She threw out her hand, spraying her mother with her own blood. A few drops was all it took to get Marcella flailing and Jesse laughing.
�Besides, the one time I told you the truth, you tried to have me committed! I told you I was in love, and you did everything in your power to stamp it out of existence.� Marcella stopped cold, the tiny blood droplets dripping down her face as Jesse stared wild-eyed at the stranger that was her mother. Stranger than most, at least.
�I wanted what was best for you, and that was not some lesbian you worked with! She wasn�t right for you. You need a man who can support and shelter you so I won�t have to anymore.� Great Big Bitch.
�You never needed to shelter me, Mother. And the only protection I ever needed was from you.� Jesse picked up the still intact bottle of vodka and took a good healthy swig. It stung her throat badly, but she didn�t care. The bottle slipped easily from her bloodied hand as she set it back on the coffee table.
�You wanted the perfect little girl, but all you got was me. Well, life�s full of disappointments. Learn to live with it and get out of my life.� Jesse watched as the paper flowers cropped gently through the wooden planks of her floor, dying instantly around her mother, leaving a hole in the tiny field of life. Jesse smiled, knowing they hated the bitch as much as she. Marcella took out a handkerchief and wiped her well-made face, grunting gently as Jesse felt a single rabbit brush her leg. She looked down, and sure enough, one little blue and yellow bunny hid behind her legs. She looked back, at ease for the first time since her mother had walked into her door.
�You�re right, ma chere. I am disappointed. I�m disappointed that someone as smart as you are couldn�t see what I was really trying to accomplish. And I�m disappointed that after all I�ve done for you, I know now that you will never live up to your true potential.�
Grissom arrived back at the lab, half chiding himself for taking off so abruptly. He had paperwork to finish, and people to-
�Grissom, we have a body in the middle of Clark County.� Grissom turned suddenly, his youngest team member jogging up behind him, hair everywhere as usual.
�Greg? What are you doing here?�
�I�m working a double today. You knew that.� Yes, something about a memo on his desk, Greg requesting extra time. He�d signed it, grateful for the help on the current heavy caseload.
�I did, yes. Ok, I�ll be right with you.� Greg jogged back, probably to retrieve his kit. He really was becoming a very responsible member of the team. Which reminded Grissom� He ducked into his office and locked the door for once, his phone in his hand. He never thought he�d actually have to use this, but he pulled up Sara�s number on speed dial. She answered before the first ring completed�
Sara snatched up the phone from the center console of her car and didn�t even bother looking at the caller id. If it wasn�t Jesse, she�d just hang up.
�Any luck yet?� Grissom. Perfect, especially considering she had precisely nothing to tell him.
�No. Nothing on her cell or her home phone. I�m going over to Jesse�s apartment right now to see if she�s there.� She turned a sharp curve at top speed, thankful that Nick had given her those late night police pursuit driving lessons.
�All right. Call me on my cell if something comes up. I�m getting ready to go out on a scene with Greg.�
�Got it.�
Sara pulled onto Jesse�s street just in time to be cut off by a black Cadillac. Rental. Figures. She pulled ahead, having no trouble finding Jesse�s apartment. She worked her way up the stairs to the mailboxes, and found the correct number.
A song she hadn�t heard in several hard fought years rang out across the relative silence of the complex in harsh, maddening tones. Sara�s feet were moving before her mind could react, and her eyes at last regained focus as her hands closed around the knob to Jesse�s door.
Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaken?
�JESSE!� Sara pulled on the doorknob harshly, relived when it gave way without breaking. She moved through the front hall as fast as she could, only to be stopped by something under foot. She looked down, and for the first time took in the scene before her. The floor was covered in blood and water and glass. No not water, alcohol of some kind. Knowing Jesse, vodka, probably hard to find. She never drank except when she was at her wits end. The glass seemed to be moving toward the door, along with the blood spatter. Her mother must have been here.
Sara looked further, and saw as the only light from the outside came through a single curtain, held back by the slightest body, crowned in spun cinnamon. She reached out an adjusted the stereo volume to something a bit more tolerable.
But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying...
Sara stepped closer, and noted with rising alarm the wood handled knife in Jesse�s hand. Her left hand, the hand she used to throw any such knife with more precision than any person Sara had ever known, and she had known a few. The blade gleamed in the morning sun as it grazed perilously close to skin. Her hands were shaking, but she didn�t seem to even realize the knife was so close. Sara knelt down next to the prone, unmoving form, hoping with all she was that she would not startle this skittish creature before her.
�Jesse, don�t do this. Please, talk to me.�
�And say what? It�s happening again, Sara. I can�t make it stop.� And it was true. It had started with flowers and bunnies, but as she�d sat and watched the life grow around her in her little world, it had gone from day to night, and with it came the screaming. Her screaming, from ages past. Always at night, always in pain, and she couldn�t make it stop. She couldn�t make herself stop.
In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, dou, dou, dou, dou, dou...
�Let me help you, Jesse.� Jesse looked, and for a moment she wasn�t even sure what she was seeing. It was Sara and yet it wasn�t. The voice was unchanged, but the face seemed almost blurred, hazed as it tired to penetrate the veil of Jesse�s mind. She turned away before the image could truly plant itself in her memory. She knew if it did, she would never remember Sarah any other way, and Sara deserved better than that. She deserved better than Jesse could ever be for her.
Another mother's breakin',
Heart is taking over.
When the vi'lence causes silence,
We must be mistaken.
�My mother was here.� She sounded like she�d been crying. The blood and glass was enough for that, but Marcella had been here as well. Gods only knew what they�d talked about, but this much destruction told Sara enough not to ask.
�I know.�
�She just got married again.� Sara sighed heavily. So it had been her worst fears come true. She reached out automatically, but held herself back as Jesse flinched without being touched.
�I know. That�s why I�m here.� Jesse didn�t want to look. She didn�t want to risk going to her, to take the comfort in this world. If she did, it would mean the end of her older, better memories, replaced wit the fever dream that wouldn�t go away. Something cold hit her skin gently. Something realer than the colors than shifted across her mind. Was Sara even real, or was it all just a dream? The last comfort before the worst of it repeated as it always did? When would the screams come back? Would her own scream join them? Would he come for her again? Would she be able to run?
�I can�t make it stop, Sara.�
It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen.
In your head, in your head they're still fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are dying...
�We got through this before, Jesse. It�s been over two years. The fact that you lasted this long on your own is wonderful. It shows that you can beat this. You just need help. My help.� Sara watched in horror as the knife in Jesse�s hand got close enough to touch her. It didn�t break skin, but with her every breath her throat pushed against the gleaming metal, and Sara wasn�t sure she�d be able to reach for it in time if� No. Jesse wouldn�t do that. Would she?
In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, oh, oh,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, hey, oh, ya, ya-a...
�I saw him. The paper smile, the horrid scent of her all over him. I knew he wasn�t real, but I saw it happening all over again. I can�t make him go away.� Sara did the only thing she could do. She reached out, and for the first time since she�d left California, she wasn�t sure what to do about anything.
Playground school bell rings again Rain clouds come to play again
Her hand ran gently over Jesse�s arm. Her touch was met with Jesse�s free hand, distractedly at first but only at first, the touch becoming more as the shaking began. The makeshift bandage across that hand was badly stained. The knife blade shuddered, drawing slightly away from the soft flesh of Jesse�s neck. Sara let out a sigh as it dropped to the floor, Jesse�s fingers trembling as a single tear worked free of one eye. Sara reached further, and slowly she was allowed to envelope the tiny creature before her. She swept her hands through the sunfire curls before her as a single sob rocked them both.
Has no one told you she's not breathing?
Hello I am your mind giving you someone to talk to
Hello
Someone to talk to. The one thing she�d always needed, and rarely had. Sara knew all too well the world that Jesse submerged herself in when she didn�t want to deal with reality. Jesse had gone into painstaking detail once about her �Meditation Place�, the world she�d built as a child that she�d used to escape and calm herself when life became too much for her. From life to plants to the sky and clouds, she�d built her only safe existence in a world all her own.
The trouble came when Jesse had begun using that world more often that the real world, and the two began to merge. She�d developed a problem with pulling back from her own world and into the real one, until she couldn�t distinguish them anymore. Sara had been able to help by providing herself as an anchor, but in the process she had fallen in love with the pixie now in her arms. This terribly creative, beautiful, brilliant little Highland faerie.
If I smile and don't believe
Soon I know I�ll wake from this dream
Don�t try to fix me I�m not broken
Hello I am the lie living for you so you can hide
Don�t cry
And how many times had Jesse said those words? �Don�t try to fix me, I�m not broken.� Even in the worst of moments. Even when the tears had streamed down her face. Even when Sara had held her, just like now, showing her that she was not alone. Even when alone was what Sara had left her.
�Something new?� The words came from her mouth unbidden, almost a question onto herself. Jesse pulled back a little, but Sara only wiped her rosebud face.
�Yeah. I found this sing just before I came here.� Jesse forced a watery smile, one she knew Sara would see right through. She wasn�t disappointed. Sara gathered her back again, and she went willingly, watching intently as the darkness ebbed, giving way to the tiny beams of sunlight filtering in through the heavy curtains all around her. Sara�s voice resonated through her, a welcome feeling against the cold of wood and bone running through and around her.
�Just before you found me.�
Suddenly I know I�m not sleeping
Hello! I�m still here
All that's left of yesterday
And did she still feel so lost? Did Sara deserve the chance to help her again? Would she accept it? Sara�s arms tightened, clinging that much more to the one person who truly did mean more to her than any job.
�Song�s a bit morbid for my taste.� Jesse thankfully chuckled.
�This coming from a woman who deals with dead people for a living.�
�And that from a woman who plays with blood-borne pathogens for fun.�
�Touch�.� Another little laugh, one that set Sara to breathe more evenly. Jesse was calming, coming out of it. And not a moment too soon. Sara reached down and gently batted away the knife, just to be safe before wrapping all the tighter around her now smiling little love.
�You scared me, you know.�
�She scared me. He did, too.�
�I know. I got here as fast as I could.� Sara lifted her chin a moment to meet her still sparkling emerald eyes. �I wasn�t going to let her near you again if I could help it. I�m sorry I couldn�t be here.� Jesse snuggled closer, her face buried deep in the softness of her former lover. Former, missed, but never forgotten. So many nights she�d dreamed of this. So many nightmares had been so filled with everything she�d ever feared that this -this warmth, this safety- that she�d clung to it to keep her wits until the nightmares passed, and they always did. It was always Sara, leading her back to the light, just as she�d always wished the real Sara would return to do just that.
�I wanted it to be you, Sara.�
�What about Grissom?� Bucket of cold water. Jesse practically shivered with it.
�What about him?�
�Well, ever since you got here, you�ve been getting pretty friendly.�
�And he didn�t drive me crazy for two years without even being there.� Sara almost sounded angry. So that�s what this whole thing had been about. She too thought she�d been forgotten. Jesse reached up to play with a single stray strand of Sara�s long hair. It does look better long. And Dark. Always loved it dark. Dark as the night. Gods, I love this woman. �He could never be to me what you are, and I�m not truly what he wants.�
�What do you mean?�
�Grissom is in love with Nick.� Jesse had to grin as Sara eyes shot to the size of saucers.
�Stokes?!� She smiled wider as her beloved squeaked like the mouse she certainly was not.
�The one and only. It�s pretty obvious when you think about it.�
�Maybe for you. I barely found out today that the man was even gay. Here I thought he just hated my guts on principal or something�� All other thoughts were swept aside in the wake of soft lips against her own. A curtain of dawn shrouded them both as Jesse pressed almost playfully against her mouth. As suddenly as it began it was over, and Sara was left only with the warmth of that smile across her lips.
�You always were oblivious to that kind of thing, Sara.�
�Not anymore, Jesse. I promise you, not anymore.� She leaned down and captured Jesse�s supple mouth, pliant lips molding against her own, opening to give her the taste she�d missed so much. Bitter liquor all but gone, it left behind only the sweet, succulent flavor of her former lover, and she knew they would not be former much longer if she could help it. Tongues dueled gently, slowly as they rediscovered each other. Slender fingers carded through midnight hair as Jesse stretched further into the kiss. They pulled back in the same instant, each gasping for breath as green eyes stared longingly into brown. �I�m so sorry you had to do this alone.�
�I got used to it.� Soft lips nuzzled Sara�s neck, familiar shivers racing across her skin, raising goose bumps as they went. �I missed you.�
�Missed you, too.�
�So why�d you leave?� Sara held a measure tighter, tucking Jesse�s head snuggly beneath her chin.
�Because you told me to.�
�I know.� Lick. �I lied.�
�So you came for me.� Shiver.
�She forced me here.� Another lick. Sara let her fingers roam just under the hem of Jesse�s top.
�You�re mother is a major pain in the ass, but right now, I want to kiss her.� Jesse looked up at her with a plaintive pout.
�Would you settle for me instead?�
Sara grinned so bright she practically glowed. Jesse reached up on tiptoe as she heard that voice she loved so much curl into a warm purr. �What do you think?�
�So, how�d it go?� Greg filed in behind Grissom just as the police were leaving. They were alone, and of course, Greg had to play �Chatty Cathy�. Or in this case, �21 Questions�.
�How�d what go?�
�Oh, come on. Nick�s been fuming about it for what feels like weeks now. He saw you and Jesse in that back room at Catherine�s last night. What I want to know is how was she?�
�I didn�t do anything with her, Greg, and if you�d actually do some work around here, you�d realize that it doesn�t concern you either way.�
�Ok, ok, I get the message.� Finally, Gil thought as he bent down to take a sample of blood from the floor. A moment�s peace- �She is cute though.�
�Greg�� His tone was warning, but it only fueled Greg�s smirk.
�She�s not my type, to be honest, but she is very, very cute.� A bag closed somewhere over Gil�s shoulder, and it held a kind of finality Gil knew he couldn�t ignore any longer. What the hell was he going to do about this whole thing? Jesse, Nick, the fact that everyone seemed to be having sex around here except him. Which begged the question�
�And what, for the sake of morbid curiosity, is your type?� Greg regarded him a moment, his signature half-smirk rearing its adorably annoying little head.
�5�7�, medium build, dark hair, bubble butt and pecks I can really sink my teeth into.� Pecks?
�Wait. Are you telling me�?�
�What, you didn�t know?� Gil stood, opened mouthed as Greg�s head fell back in fits of giggles. �Oh, sorry. I thought everybody knew by now.� Gil could barely understand him through the laughter, which now had his thin face turning unnatural shades. What, was everyone keeping something about their sex life secret these days? Not that he tended to go around asking about such things, but Gil didn�t think his �Gay-dar� was that off these days. He obviously needed to get out more.
�You had a girlfriend when last I checked. Granted that was a while ago, but still.�
�I had a girlfriend, yes. Then I discovered the wonders of not having one. I like it this way much better.� That damned smirk. What, was he practicing for something? Not that Gil wouldn�t mind putting it to work in other ways� Ok, need to suppress that. That�s�just�no.
�Oh.�
�You really should say something to her, Grissom.� Greg reached out, but Gil in his usual way found something important pertaining to the investigation to do across the room. Greg was cute, but he was also a kid. He could have his fun, but he was not going to invade Gil�s life. Gay or not, intelligent or not, he still knew nothing of this.
�I would like to say we should get off this subject.� Greg followed suit, more than expecting such a brush off.
�All right, but if you�re not careful someone�s going to beat you to the punch.� Gil watched as Greg carried a box of evidence bags out to the Tahoe, his walk like that of a contented cat wagging its tail. Stupid little half-assed punk that he could be, why did Greg have to be right, too?
A sharp chirp caught his attention, and his phone was in his hand and at his ear before his mind caught up to the action.
�Grissom.�
�Gil, we have a car crash. Ecklie wants you on this one personally.� Judy always came out so warm across the phone. He wondered a moment why she would work in a place like the crime lab. Then again, that could be asked of all of them.
�Why is that?�
�He seems to think you know the victims.� Gil�s stomach fell away as only two faces came to mind. Sara. Jesse. Sweet Christ.
�I�ll be right there.�
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