Kiss Me, Lab Rat

Catherine stormed into Grissom office the next night, "Gil, what's this I hear, you gave Sara a week off?"

Gil locked eyes with her, "close the door and have a seat."

Catherine pushed the door close with a little more force than necessary. She walked with almost a stomp then plopped in the chair, barely keeping control of her mouth.

"Please, Catherine, let me explain." Gil paused to gather his thoughts, "I know I wouldn't let you have the time off this week, I'm sorry. But like I told you, day-shift is short handed and I don't know if one of us will have to help them out." Gil could see that Catherine was getting ready to blow so he pushed forward as quickly as he could. "Sara had a personal problem that she needed to deal with. One that meant she needed to be away from work to handle it." Gil gave her a slight smile, "I'm sure you remember that I arrange for you to have extra time off when you needed it. It wasn't always at the best of times for the lab. And a few times I had to talk Brass into it, and at a personal cost to me." Gil saw the acknowledgement of the last statement in the change of her body language. "Catherine, I'll make sure you get the next time off that you want if it's at all in my control. Okay?"

"So, are you going to tell me what the issue is?"

"Not unless you want me to share all your issues with her."

"I think not!" Catherine had stood and took a step or two, stopped then looked back at him, "Gil, did she finally find out about you?"

Gil stared at the computer hoping she would just leave.

When Gil wouldn't look at her she moved back to the chair, "How?"

He still had not looked at her but the slump of his shoulders told everything, "Does it really matter?" He felt the weight of the cruelty in how she found out once more. "She knows I'm gay. Also that Jim and I are lovers. Now if you'll leave, I need a few moments alone."

Catherine softened her voice, "Gil, what happened? Is that why you all left early?"

"Catherine," Gil looked at her, "leave it alone." His eyes told her that the conversation was over.

She stood and walked out of the office, quietly closing the door behind her. She headed straight for the DNA lab and the one person who always knew what was going on.

Greg turned smiling at her as she walked in. He picked up the report that he thought she was here to get. When she took it and didn't look at it, he knew something was up. He should have realized that she wanted more than the report when Catherine gave the door that little push that would cause it to close. Next, Greg found himself being given a third degree about the prior night and what had happened. Just before Greg reached the point of telling her about Nick, him and the supply room his lover came in and to his rescue.

"Hi Catherine, what's up?" Nick's eyes danced as he quickly glanced at her then past her and into his lover's eyes. His smile lit up the room but Catherine could see and feel it was meant for only one person. And that wasn't her.

"You know anything about Sara getting the week off and why?" Catherine stepped back, giving the spot next to Greg over to Nick.

"Not really, just heard she was off." Catherine turned to leave. Then came to an abrupt stop spinning back to face the guys when Nick continued. "Clerical is talking about Sara crying in the forms room; Lisa taking her home and Lisa being off for the week also."

Catherine gave Nick that anything-else look, "and?"

Nick had that look of the innocent-kid-who-really-has-no-clue-what-she-means.

"Nick, there's more! Now out with it!" Catherine stepped up close to Nick letting him know he wasn't going anywhere until he spilled the rest.

He added finally with that chestier cat look, "A couple of people saw Lisa go into Grissom's office. The captain stayed in there with them. One of them heard a few loud and choice words. Then the next thing they know, Lisa and Sara left, followed by Grissom and Brass a few minutes later. Some say that Brass had his protective but angry look and Gil had the weight of the world look. You know the one, when he feels he screwed up."

Catherine still had that stance of tell-me-the-rest, "What word?"

Nick felt Greg's hand on his back in loving support, "Just angry voices and Brass saying 'Gil' in that voice." As Catherine seemed to be lost in her thoughts Nick added one more thing to drive her crazy. "One of the clerical women is stating that she won't go in the supply room any more due to it being locked some of the time and the smell."

Catherine nodded her bye as she turned around to leave. She now thought back to Rick, her and the supply room then to the talk at Rick's. Her cheeks blushing as she remembered paying for the information on what Rick had seen in the supply room years before.

The sound of Nick telling his lover something drifted in, "Bobby saw Jim and Gil slip into the supply room after us."

All at once she realized what Sara must have seen. With the realization came a little bit of guilt over never telling Sara that Grissom was gay and in a relationship, instead just letting her keep the puppy dog crush going.

Catherine was so lost in her thoughts that she walked right into Rick. He caught hold of her keeping her steady. The touch of him on her body sent waves of little electric sparks.

Rick smile down, "Cath, you okay?"

The blush that had started as she left the lab now turned into a bright red one. Her eyes moved up the shirted chest, flooding her memory with how it felt to touch the bare skin. Her eyes continued on up, the feel and taste of those lips causing the need to kiss them. The noise of the lab registered before she did what she really wanted to do as her control locked back into place.

"Sorry Rick, I was lost in a thought. Thanks for catching me." Her eyes held his in a way that neither would've let happen before this morning.

"So, what's got you that deep into thought?" He still stood in what most would call her personal space but she didn't seem to care.

She motioned at one of the smaller empty labs. With the door closed they stood as if they were looking at her report. Catherine then filled him in on what she knew and what she thought must have happened. By the time they walked out, Nick was waiting in the hall for Warrick instead of the other way around. The two guys left minutes later on a call.

The work loads managed to stay with a reasonable amount for both the day-shift and the night-shift over the next week. Everyone was feeling the change in the mood around the lab. Most of the CSIs seem to be a little more understanding and nice, especially the night-shift. And even to Hodges. By time that Sara was due to return everyone was speculating on what would happen when she walked in.

Sara walked in with Lisa, after all her car had been left here at the office a week ago. Sara turned and walked into the locker area just as she had many times before. Lisa walked to her own office in the clerical area. Nothing appeared to be different about the women.

Sara sat in the briefing room waiting with her cup of coffee. Gil walked in a few minutes later. He pulled the chair next to her out and sat down facing her.

"Sara, I'm sorry that you found out about me and Jim the way you did. I should have told you a long time ago that I'm gay and was already in a relationship."

Sara smiled and jump in before he could continue, "It was hard, but maybe the only way for me to except it. It's okay. It really is okay now."

Gil started to get up then sat back down, "Sara, if you need …"

Sara reached out and touched Gil's hand, "I can handle having you as a boss. Your shinning armor may be scratched, chipped and dented a little but you're still a knight in my eyes, just not the lover kind anymore. That is one of the things I realized. You're one of the few people that I really trust. I'm not talking about with my life on the job because I know Nick, Warrick, Catherine and even Brass would be there for me. I mean the emotional soul-baring kind of trust. I'm really fine this time." Sara motioned with her body towards the door, "the rest are coming."

Gil got up and moved to the head of the table taking his normal briefing stances.

With a few moments of each other they all sat down. Each spoke a 'welcome back and how was it?' to Sara. She smiled and answered, 'it was good, just what I need, had great time' and etc.

Grissom let it go on for only a few minutes before interrupting it with the handing out of assignments. Sara and Catherine were sent off to the hospital for a rape case while the guys where each given a murder. Gil headed back to his office to finish the reports that were hanging over his head.

Jim closed all the blinds in Grissom's office as he waited for his lover's return. He had taken the night off knowing that Sara returned tonight and he wanted, needed to be here for his lover.

Jim looked up at the sound of Gil's return to his surprise there was a smile on his lover's face. "What happened?" He patted the couch for Gil to join him.

Gil quickly filled Jim in on what Sara had said. Gil leaned back into his lover letting the tension that had filled him drain away. He had expected the worst and had gotten, well, something a whole lot better than he deserved. His lover kissed his neck; again then continued up to the ear lobe were first he sucked on it than whisper into his ear.

"Baby, you think the supply room is open?" as Jim returned to the nuzzling of his neck.

"It doesn't matter because we're not going in there. You are heading home. I have too much to do tonight and so do you. Laundry, dishes and the rest of the cleaning remember?" Gil tried to move out of Jim's arms.

Jim loosened his hold on his lover so they could look each other in the face. And the look told Jim he had lost this round but he was far from being out, "Okay, I'll leave in a few minutes." He paused as Gil moved towards his desk but continued before he reached it, "I still think you should put up a schedule for use of the supply room."

Gil stopped and slowly turned around as his lover was talking. "I am not going to do that! Go tell Ecklie about it if you must but stop trying to get me to do it." Gil's expression of anger faded as soon as he saw the disappointed look on his lover's face. "Jim, please drop the supply room thing." Gil had returned, sitting next to Jim.

He leaned into Jim and kissed him. The first kiss light, a gentle kiss of love, and the next one deeper, speaking of passion, "I love you, I'll see you in the morning."

There was a twinkle in Jim's eye, "You should at least work out a signaling system. I mean it use to be just us and Bobby & friend that used it. Now we have deal with Nick & Greg, Catherine & Warrick and I think Sara & Lisa also. So you see you really need to do something. Because if Hodges finds someone there's bound to be a major problem and then we'll never get to use it."

Gil stared at his lover, finally the words broke free. "What do you mean Catherine and Warrick? And just because Lisa and Sara are friends how do you make the jump to lovers?"

Jim stood up pulling Gil with him, "I'll just head home and let you do your work now," Jim gave his lover a goodbye kiss and made a move towards the door.

Gil blocked his way, "I want an answer now."

"Catherine been floating most of the week and Rick is smiling most of the time. She blushes almost every time they are near the supply room. I'm betting he made a trade for the goods on us."

"But she's known about us for years."

"Not about Warrick catching us in the supply room."

"Okay, still… Lisa and Sara?"

"It's really very simple, Lisa is a lesbian and Sara still sees you as a knight but not a lover. Hence, she's found a new lover, and my money is on Lisa. Why do you think Lisa wanted her to go? Lisa been doing everything she could to get close to Sara. I think that's part of the reason she took the promotion here instead of the one in the traffic department. They were both the same pay and the traffic one was a day job. Is this a problem for you?"

Their arms just naturally started holding each other as they had been talking. Gil now leaned into the embrace, "No, I want Sara to find someone. But she's never shown any signs that it was anything except men for her."

"Maybe Lisa is her Grissom, my love." Gil blushed as Jim captured his lips.

After catching his breath, "Just as long as Lisa is as good to her, as you have been to me," then they kiss a few more soft kisses. "I really do need to get the reports done."

"I know. I'm going home," Jim smiled then added, "to make it all nice for my lover. Clean clothes, dishes and the rest, see you in the morning."

Jim left and Gil sat down at his desk to finish the pile of reports.