Since you asked me to read this, you should post the next part already. I think you should disregard your work today and go ahead and post!
Ok, you're back from vacation, and I even took your dogs out today for you. You should have plenty of time for a new post now!
**thanks for all the reviews...and everything. Please keep me informed on how you feel. I love to hear what you have to say!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick walked slowly into the house as the door squeaked further open. He stared at Grissom who looked beside himself. “She’s not making any sense, and I have tried calming her down. I…,” Grissom stopped as he rubbed his hands through his hair. “She makes things so damn difficult, and all I want to do is clear her.” Nick watched in amazement as his own boss seemed almost ready to give up on her. “Grissom she sounded very upset on the phone. I think she just needs someone to…,” Nick started before Grissom interrupted him. “She doesn’t need me at the moment. It seems all I do is upset her,” he stops short as he shakes his head lightly as he scoffs. “She says she doesn’t remember if she slept with him, and I’m pissed off at her lack of remembrance. How fair is that? I honestly can’t deal with her past now, it’s a good thing she called you. I have some serious thinking to do,” and with that Grissom grabbed his car keys and headed out the door. Stopping suddenly with his hand on her door knob, Grissom did not turn back as he spoke to Nick. “Just look out for her because she’s going to need it.” Then he was gone. Nick slowly turned towards the living room which was barely lit with any light. Did that really just happen? Did Grissom walk out on Catherine? No way…he had to be dreaming. He swallowed hard as he saw the sight of her. Sitting on the floor with her legs under her, she looked so lost. Vulnerable was a word he rarely was able to link to her. Her golden hair framed her delicate face as the tears threatened to spill down her soft cheeks. Walking quietly over to her, Nick gently sat down in front of her as he lightly touched her shoulder. The last thing he expected was for her to talk. For her to acknowledge any of the events that took place in her foyer only moments ago. “He’s really gone?” Her questioning voice so soft it barely registered to him at first. She chuckled as a tear fell down her smooth face. “That is what I thought I wanted. He’s doesn’t believe me, and now that my life is falling apart he walks away.” Nick sat motionless as he watched her chin quiver with desperate emotion. He was about to try and say something to comfort her, but she spoke up before he had a chance. “Running away is what men do best.” “Cath…I’m not about to analyze Grissom. I wouldn’t know where to begin, but I’m sure he loves you.” “I don’t want to talk about him,” she muttered as she looked away. “Okay, then why don’t you tell me why you can’t remember if you slept with McKean or not?” This seemed to get her attention immediately as her blue gaze quickly met his concerned darker one. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it as she suddenly looked away. “I’m surprise you asked this considering that Grissom never did.” Her throat felt immensely dry as she swallowed a huge lump. Something inside him told him that what she was about to say wasn’t going to be good. What she was about to say most likely would not sit too well with him. It usually was not a good sign when a woman could not remember an intimate act, and Nick was shocked that Grissom did not pick up on this. Catherine remained quiet as she looked at Nick wondering if opening up was even worth the challenge. She looked down and somehow managed to focus on a black string that happened to unravel on the bottom of her shirt. She clenched her eyes shut as the memories of that night tried to flood their way in. “Cath…please tell me.” It did not seem that she really needed the coaxing as she took in a deep breath before she spoke. “I met McKean when I worked at the French Palace. Grissom actually introduced me,” she stopped as she shook her head briefly. “Anyways, I had just finished my schooling, and Grissom was trying to get me a job. McKean wanted to meet me on my turf so to speak. We met, and well I didn’t hear from him until the following week when he showed up at my work alone. He was waiting for me in the dressing room, and I was caught off guard that he was there,” she stopped as she took in a shaky breath before she continued. “He was there for only one reason, and it was to proposition me for an interview. I told him that I didn’t work that way, but he was pretty persistent. He then gave me a drug, and I don’t remember anything after that.” Nick remained speechless for a moment until he rubbed at his neck. Man was this bad. Very bad. This sounded very sinister, and not necessarily on Catherine’s part. “Well…do you remember waking up or…anything like that?” She looked up at him before she quickly looked away. “Nick…I…no!” She cleared her throat before she continued. “Look…it, well it was a very long time ago. Is it cold in here?” Her sudden change of topic only intensified his feeling that she was hiding something. He could not help but notice as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms in a sense to comfort herself. For some reason he had a feeling she remembered more, but was keeping it quiet.
***sorry that it is short...but please tell me what you think. I wasn't expecting this, and it just came as I wrote it.*** Time seemed to fly by slowly as she approached her second week of suspension. Her house was in immaculate condition when usually clothes were thrown about or dirty dishes were left over in the sink. She was in the middle of sweeping an already clean kitchen floor when the shrill ringing of her telephone caused her to jump. “Hello,” her voice sounded questioning. Her brows furrowed when she recognized his voice. Ecklie. Great. “Catherine, its Ecklie. Look, I think we should meet and go over your statement. Honestly it doesn’t look good, and well…,” he stopped purposely hoping the hanging tension over the line would get the best of her. She shook her head in disbelief. This could not be happening this way. What the hell was McKean after and why was he bringing something up from so long ago to drag his own name as well as hers through the mud. That was when it clicked for her as her lips pursed together in fury. “Frankly, Ecklie…I think you look at this the only way you know how too. All I can say is McKean wouldn’t want me to open my mouth.” The line went unbelievably quiet that she thought Ecklie had hung up. “Ecklie?” She heard him clear his throat before he spoke up slowly. “Why…why is that? What does McKean have to hide?” He chuckled lightly at the sudden position he found himself in. He was supposed to help railroad her out of the lab, yet for some reason it seemed Catherine had a few cards in her hand that could be very damaging. Or was she bluffing? He didn’t know, and honestly he did not want to find out. “Why don’t you talk to me about everything that happened between the two of you?” “I don’t think so. If I talk…and that is a big IF…I will only talk to Brass. The way I look at it now, you can’t do anything to me. You can’t fire me. In fact, I want to be taken off suspension now. This has gone on long enough,” she growled in the phone. “Catherine…I’m sorry but that’s not possible. I can’t take you off of…,” he stopped suddenly as she interrupted him. “Really? It sounds to me this accusation sounds bad on both parties involved. Why is one being punished while the other one isn’t? Don’t force my hand Ecklie. You know I will file suit.” He closed his eyes at her statement. He knew her too well, and Catherine was capable of anything. Hell, she was the daughter of Sam Braun. That alone should be terrifying enough. “Fine…you can come back tomorrow, but you report to me in the meantime.” “Whatever. See you tomorrow, but Ecklie…I’m still working nights,” and with that she hung up the phone. Not expecting her response, he could not help but listen to a dead dial tone. He slowly hung up his phone as he swallowed hard. McKean was not going to like this, and his wrath was better than her winning a discrimination/sexual harrassment lawsuit. He ran his hands through his thinning hair at his last thought. Holy shit...my world just turned more sour.
yay, an update. it was good. i hate ecklie! good that she's finally going back to work. i need to know what happens next so please don't wait too long until you post the next update. and yes, he can be sure that Catherine's capable of anything
****Reviews would be highly appreciated here. I'm kind of unsure of how this story is going, and I want to know if you like it? Is it too much drama? Do you like the drama? Let me know...Thanks!!!**** ~~~~~~~~~~ Reporting back to work was a lot easier than she expected, and she contributed it to the fact that Nick picked her up from her house. The ride to the lab was quiet, and the tension seemed to grow in the pit of her stomach as the acid churned causing her to feel nauseated. However, it was his comment to her as they approached the lab door that eased much of the tension that continued to stir through her. “Cath…,” Nick started as he placed both of his hands on the tops of her shoulders. “You are the same person regardless of what is going on. You worked hard to get where you are so don’t let this eat at you. We’ve all missed you.” She could not help but smile at him as she pulled him into a tight embrace. “Thanks, Nicky…,” she whispered as the smell of his musky cologne drifted into her nose. Moistening her lips, she quickly pulled apart as she realized the closeness she just shared with him. It wasn’t necessarily the closeness that alarmed her, but her desire to want it that filled her with slight panic. “I…should go…,” she stopped suddenly shifting uncomfortably as her feelings started to get the best of her. “Check in with Ecklie. I will see you later.” Nick watched her until she rounded the hallway as she approached Ecklie’s office. He took in a deep breath as he lightly tapped his chest with his fingers. “Damn…,” he whispered as he slowly shook his head. He had felt the same connection that she had, but he was far from being afraid of it. He strolled to the locker room unmissed to his surrounding as he whispered to himself. “If I have to wait—then I wait.” He gently placed his items in his locker as his head spun at the thought of her. Maybe the thought of waiting for her was crazy to most, but to him he was more than willing to wait if he was able to claim the love he always wanted and cherished. Things were in fact difficult at the moment because she was still with Grissom. Or were they even an item? Catherine never mentioned Grissom, and he never pressed her for answers regarding Grissom. The time they had spent together these past two weeks were nothing but amazing to him, and his feelings for her only intensified. The desire to kiss her grew so strong that he found himself kissing her temple instead just to get a small taste of what could possibly come. His thoughts were quickly cut short as Warrick entered the same room and patted Nick’s back. “What up man?” “Nothing…just getting ready for the day ahead of us. Uhhh…hey man…you know Catherine is back today? I think we should do our best to support her.” “Sure man…no problem. Where is she now?” Warrick asked as he shoved a spare change of clothes in his locker. “Checking in with Ecklie I think.” Nick said lightly. “Ecklie? She’s got it rough then. Maybe we can all meet up for breakfast afterwards,” Warrick said as they both exited the locker room and made their way to the break room. “Yeah…maybe,” Nick commented as his mind went elsewhere as he watched Grissom head to the same location that they were going. He noticed that he seemed bothered though or maybe it was just the brisk walk he carried on down the hallway instead of his calm pace. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Glad everyone could make it on time,” Grissom started as he stared at his staff. “Looks like we have a busy night, and it’s a good thing that Catherine is back.” He stopped as the silence in the room seemed deafening. “Is she back for good Griss?” This question popped up suddenly from Greg who poured himself a cup of coffee. “Honestly, she got the shaft in my opinion. She’s always been a hard worker for as long as I’ve known her, and I stand behind her 100 percent.” Grissom let out a small breath as he looked towards the door knowing Catherine would be walking in any moment after Ecklie finished grilling her. He blew Greg’s comment off because he was in a rush to say what he needed to his team. “Catherine has been demoted. She’s now just a CSI level 3. Even though she has her level 3 status, she is forbidden to work alone. She will always be paired with someone. Her role as supervisor has been taken away, and even though technically she will be working with us she will be reporting directly to Ecklie. I realize this all seems harsh, but its out of my hands. This wasn’t my decision,” he stopped briefly again as he looked at the door before he turned his attention to Greg. “She’s going to need our support because she won’t take this lightly at all.” It seemed everyone remained quiet from the shock of what Grissom just informed them about. Nick’s jaw tensed as his anger grew from the absurdity of what the LVPD was putting her through. Or should he say McKean. She was a damn good CSI, and losing her would affect the whole team and the lab for that matter. “Griss…this is ridiculous. She hasn’t been found guilty of anything,” Warrick spoke harshly as he shook his head in frustration. “I know…trust me I agree, but unfortunately I can’t control anything from here. Its literally out of my hands.” Grissom's response was cut short as the break room door flew open as Catherine entered. She took a deep breath from the tension filled silence as she looked at Grissom. Her cheeks flushed red with anger as she spoke. “I guess you informed them of my demotion. So who am I working with tonight?”