The Retreat
- Thread starter Zan1781
- Start date
(Thanks fer reading my fic! I hope you like this chapter!)
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Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.
Title: The Conversation
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High Ropes
“Shit!” Warrick screamed, as he dizzily watched the ground approach his head. “Shit!” he repeated, tightly closing his eyes.
Down below, Sara gasped, as her mind tried to process what her eyes were telling her was actually taking place. Did he fall? Did he really just fall?
“What the hell!” Nick yelled, his eyes widening, when he observed Warrick slip from the rope. How could this have happened?
“Oh my God,” Catherine added, moving toward the obstacle course, although she realized that there was nothing that she would be able to do in order to help Warrick.
Grissom just calmly took in the entire scene, his hands hanging loosely by his sides.
“Damn,” Warrick muttered under his breath, as his body twisted from side to side in the air, still fighting with gravity. “Well ain’t that a bitch,” he frowned, as he hung upside down, suspended from the tightrope.
“Well at least we know that the safety cords work,” Greg brightly pointed out, looking up at Warrick with a smile. Although I can’t believe that Sara made it across, and you didn’t.
Catherine rolled her eyes at Greg, before glancing up at Warrick. “You okay?” she questioned him.
“I’m fine,” he sighed. “I think my pride is more wounded than my body, at this point,” he added, still gently swaying from side to side.
“Stuff happens, man,” Nick told him, trying not to think about the fact that Warrick—strong, cool, calm, and collected Warrick—just plummeted to the ground. Because if he struggled with this, I know that I will, too, he thought to himself.
“Yeah, Nicky. Enjoy this thing, okay? It’s great,” Warrick dryly mumbled to his friend, as Max started to lower him the rest of the way down to the ground.
“So you’re going to go try again, though, right?” Sara immediately asked him, once he was standing on his own two feet.
Warrick slowly shook his head from side to side, staring at the ground. “Not right now, girl. My legs are too shaky. And so are my arms.”
Sara pursed her lips, staring at Warrick. “Would you let me quit?” she calmly asked him, her eyes unwavering.
“What?” Warrick asked, raising his gaze to meet hers.
“Would you let me quit?” Sara repeated her question, as if challenging him.
Nick stared at Sara, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “She’s got a point, man,” he chuckled.
Warrick ran a hand through his hair, looking upward at the rope. “But I’m shaky, Sara,” he pointed out. “Really shaky.”
“I understand that,” Sara quietly stated. “But would you let me quit, if our roles were reversed?” She continued to prod him.
“No,” Warrick let out a heavy sigh. “No, I wouldn’t.”
“So then you should think about getting back up there,” Sara swallowed, not giving up.
“Yeah, man,” Nick agreed. “You should get back up there, and try again.”
“We’re in no rush, Warrick,” Catherine pointed out. “We have all day.”
Warrick blinked, staring at the ground for a moment in order to collect his thoughts. “Okay,” he acquiesced. “Okay, I’ll try it again.”
“Who’s the man?” Greg asked, grinning. “You da man,” he immediately answered his own question, causing everyone around him to chuckle.
“Just take it slow and steady, Warrick,” Grissom advised him. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
“I know,” Warrick conceded, swaggering toward the rope ladder. “I got this,” he told himself, quickly climbing back up to the platform.
“C’mon, Warrick!” Greg cheered him on, loudly clapping. “You got this!”
“You got this, man!” Nick added, once again shielding his eyes against the glare from the sun.
Sara and Catherine just quietly watched Warrick, waiting to see what he would do.
“I got this,” Warrick repeated to himself, taking a tentative step out onto the rope. “I got this,” he continued to mumbled, sliding his hands along the guide rails, and taking another step forward. “Damn, I’m sweating!” he yelled down to his friends on the ground.
“We know!” Greg called back. “We’re catching the drops!”
Warrick grinned, holding back a chuckle. “Don’t laugh, it’ll shake the rope,” he ordered himself, sliding his hands and feet forward another couple of steps. Staring straight ahead of himself, Warrick frowned, shuffling a little bit further onto the tightrope. “It’s starting to shake!” he announced to everyone still on the ground.
“Just take tiny steps, Warrick,” Sara calmly called up to him. “It’s going to shake more and more, as you near the center. But you’re doing fine!” she tried to encourage him.
Warrick didn’t bother nodding or responding to Sara, as he very carefully lifted one arm off of the rope, in order to wipe the sweat out of his eyes. “Damn,” he whispered, staring down at the ground.
“Keep going, man!” Nick yelled up to him.
Warrick remained silent, as he neared the center of the rope, and immediately kept shuffling forward. “I’m going to get through this,” he informed himself, once again stopping, in order to wipe the sweat from his eyes.
“He’s going to make it,” Greg whispered to Sara, who merely continued to watch Warrick’s progress.
“I’m going to make it!” Warrick said more loudly, as he shuffled another couple of inches forward, nearing the three-quarters mark. “Hot damn, I’m going to make it!”
Catherine grinned, as she watched Warrick continue to conquer the obstacle. “Come on, Warrick!” she cheered him on. “You can do it!”
Warrick grinned, as he held one hand out in front of himself, reaching for the wooden platform. “One more step, c’mon, just one more step!” he muttered, taking a deep breath, and very carefully shuffling forward. “I did it!” he screamed in triumph, as his fingers slid to the very end of the guide rope, enabling him to hoist himself onto the platform. “Damn, I did it!”
“Alright, Warrick!” Sara called out.
“Congrats, man!” Nick grinned.
“I knew you could do it, Warrick,” Catherine told him, watching him, as he slowly made his decent back to the ground.
“Dude, you rock!” Greg smiled.
“You just had to trust yourself, Warrick. But I’m proud of you,” Grissom quietly told him, as Warrick strolled over to his friends and colleagues. “I really am.”
“Thanks, guys,” Warrick smiled at everyone, using his shoulder to wipe the remaining sweat off of his forehead. “But damn that was hard!”
“Uh-huh,” Greg agreed. “It was! But you did it!”
“I sure did,” came Warrick’s excited replied.
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On the trail back to the campsite
“I can’t believe that everyone got through the obstacle on the first try, except for me,” Warrick quietly told Nick, as they walked side by side back to their campsite, behind Grissom, Greg, Sara, and Catherine.
“It’s okay, man,” Nick smiled, turning to look at him. “Like I told you before, though, stuff happens.”
“I know, but I should have been able to do it!”
“… Why?” Nick prompted him.
Warrick shrugged, running a hand through his hair. “Because I just should have been able to.”
“You don’t have to be the best at everything, Rick,” Nick reminded him. “You’re not Superman or anything.”
“I know,” Warrick agreed with him. “But that was pretty embarrassing.”
Nick chuckled, before quickly sobering up. “I’m not laughing at you, don’t worry, man,” he told Warrick. “But…” he hesitated for a moment. “Falling wasn’t embarrassing. What would have been embarrassing, though, would have been you giving up on the spot.”
Warrick nodded, mulling that over in his mind. “Thanks, Nicky,” he finally conceded. “You’re right. I would have failed, had I not tried again.”
“Yup,” Nick smiled, once again facing forward.
“Hey, Grissom?” Greg spoke up.
“What?” Grissom asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What’s for dinner?” Greg asked, grinning. “I’m hungry!”
“What else is new?” Catherine chuckled, glancing at Sara.
Sara just smiled, observing the scenery around them, as they returned to camp.
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Much later that night
“Are you okay, Sara?” Catherine tiredly asked, rolling over in her sleeping bag, and cracking an eye open to study Sara’s expression.
“Yeah, I’m fine, Catherine,” Sara tried to assure her. “Just a little bit restless. I’m going to go sit outside by the fire pit for a little while; perhaps even go for a walk.”
Catherine shook her head no, frowning at her friend. “Lake Mead has a lot of wild animals, Sara,” she reminded her. “Night time is their time to explore the park. I wouldn’t leave the campsite,” she advised.
Sara sighed, before nodding her head in agreement. “You’re right, Catherine,” she mumbled. “In that case, I’ll just be sitting by the campfire.”
“Okay. Just be careful,” Catherine yawned, once again closing her eyes, and drifting off to sleep.
I will, but… I really need some fresh air, Sara thought to herself, crawling toward the door, and unzipping the tent flap. Cautiously poking her head outside, Sara gave a snort of surprise, as her eyes fell upon another person already seated around the fire pit. “Hi, Nick,” she quietly greeted her co-worker, before crawling the rest of the way out of the tent. And then a bit more excitedly, “You made a fire? Excellent!”
“Hey, Sara,” he smiled, nodding in her direction. “Yeah, I made a fire. But what are you still doing up?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Sara shrugged. “I guess today was a little bit too exciting for me,” she confided in him, sitting down on one of the logs facing him.
Nick nodded his understanding, clearing his throat. “Yeah… I’m sorry about that, by the way.”
“Don’t be,” Sara immediately replied. “You did nothing wrong.” Clasping her hands in her lap, Sara closed her eyes, letting the cool night air brush against her face. “Do you ever regret becoming a criminalist, Nick?” she then asked, her eyes still closed.
Nick slowly raised his gaze to Sara’s face, before realizing that she wasn’t even looking at him. “Why… do you ask?” he wanted to know. Sometimes I regret it; especially when inexplicably bad things seem to keep happening to myself and my friends.
Sara wrapped her arms tightly around herself, swallowing. “I don’t know. It just seems like in the past six years, we’ve all had to endure a lot. I mean,” she sighed. “Holly died; You had a gun pulled on you twice, you were thrown out a window, you were stalked, you were kidnapped and buried alive; I’ve been bait for a rapist, I’ve been attacked, I’ve been spit on, I’ve been lied to; Jim’s been shot; Catherine has… well, the list just goes on and on, you know? There’s really no use rehashing everything, I suppose.” But thinking back on the past six years, we’ve had one disaster right after another.
Nick frowned, staring at the ground. Rehashing it? But you just brought it all back up again. Why did you have to do that? “Well,” he mumbled rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t necessarily regret becoming a CSI, but sometimes I wonder how we can all continue to do our jobs. I mean, let’s face it, Sar: we have dangerous jobs. Most people only read about violent crimes in the newspapers, or hear about them on television. We actually have to get into the minds of the killers, in order to solve the crimes. That’s not an easy thing to do, and sometimes… it just plain sucks,” he concluded.
“Yeah, it does,” Sara admitted, staring into the depths of the fire, letting the small flames calm her slightly frayed nerves down. “I’ve thought about quitting before, too; going back to California, picking up a surf board, and maybe just opening up a bed and breakfast.”
Nick nodded, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a smile. “That actually sounds kind of nice,” he told her. “Quiet; peaceful. I’ve actually considered returning to Texas,” he confided in her, once again looking up at her.
“Really?” Well that’s pretty surprising, Sara thought, her eyes widening in shock. “What would you do there?” she asked, turning to glance at him.
“I don’t know,” Nick shrugged. “Go to law school, be a cowboy, or even nothing,” he frowned, holding his hands up to the flames for a minute, in the hopes of warming himself up.
“A cowboy?” Sara asked, raising an eyebrow, and chuckling.
“Do you have a problem with cowboys, Sara?” he grinned.
“Uh… no, but…”
“But nothing,” Nick smiled. “But it’s just a thought. I don’t think that I’ll ever leave Vegas,” he immediately sobered up.
“Me, either,” Sara replied, glancing at the fire. “It’s my home now. I may not always like the job, but… I definitely like the people that I’ve met in Vegas.”
Nick stared at the ground, suddenly frowning.
“Are you okay?” Sara cautiously asked him. “You look a little bit unhappy.” Did I just say something wrong? Do you not like working with all of us?
“Yeah,” Nick hesitated. “I was just thinking about something. There was a time, you know, when I—” he started to say, before jumping, as he heard rustling coming from inside of the tent that Greg and Grissom shared.
“There was time when you what?” Sara prompted him, ignoring the noise coming from the tent.
“There was a time when I wanted—” Nick again started to say, his frown deepening, as he heard the zipper of the tent flap being pulled down.
Sara stared at the tent, raising an eyebrow.
“Hi, guys!” Greg whispered, poking his head out of the tent.
“Hey, Greg,” Sara smiled at him, waiting for him to join her and Nick by the fire pit.
“Hey, Greggo,” Nick dejectedly mumbled, staring at the ground. Thanks, man. I was just about to bare my heart and soul.
“Whatcha all doin’ out here?” Greg whispered, sitting down on the log next to Sara’s log.
“Just talking,” Sara informed him. “What were you going to say, Nick?” she quizzically asked, returning her gaze to him.
Nick rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. I was just going to say that there was a time, before you and Grissom found each other, when I had feelings for you. And now I just want you to know how I feel, so that I no longer feel so awkward around you. “Uh…” he hesitated. “I was just going to say that there was a time when I… really wanted to be a lawyer,” he quickly finished up, unable to hide his frown.
“Ah,” Sara replied, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure that you weren’t going to say something else?” Because I really don’t think that that is what you were going to tell me.
“Yup, I’m sure,” Nick smiled, attempting to reassure her.
“So are you going to go to law school, Nick?” Greg eagerly asked him. “That’d be cool, if you were planning on it.”
Nick slowly shook his head no. “No, man, I’m happy being a criminalist. Although we have a lot of crime in Vegas, I still love my job.”
Greg nodded, glancing over at Sara. “And you’re not planning on leaving the city any time soon, right?” he grinned.
Sara softly chuckled. “No, Greg. I’m going to be in Vegas for a very long time,” she added, before yawning. “But if you boys will excuse me now, I think that it’s time for me to actually go to bed.”
“Okay, goodnight, Sara!” Greg cheerfully said.
“‘Night, Sar,” Nick added, trying not to sound so unhappy.
“Goodnight,” Sara told them both, frowning at Nick’s expression. Something’s definitely not right with him. “Hey, Nick?” she softly called out, standing up, and stretching.
“What?” Nick replied, removing his gaze from the fire, and refocusing his attention on Sara’s face.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked, waving him toward her with one of her fingers.
Nick simply nodded, standing up, and slowly moving toward Sara. “What’s up, Sar?” he whispered, walking a short distance away from Greg.
“I’m not mad at you, you know,” she informed him.
Nick blinked, looking over at her. “Okay.”
“I mean, I’m not mad about earlier. In fact,” Sara continued, clearing her throat. “I’m really sorry about what happened, Nick; I’m sorry that I reacted to you in the manner that I did, during the ropes course. I know that you would never do anything to intentionally hurt me. You’re one of my best friends. Hell, you’re like a brother to me,” she smiled at him, hesitantly reaching toward him, in order to wrap her arms around his body.
Nick softly chuckled, gingerly wrapping his arms around Sara, and loosely hugging her to himself. Like a brother? Fantastic; that’s just what I wanted to hear! “Okay, well, as long as you really know that I would never hurt you, Sar.”
“I do, Nick,” she quietly told him, pulling away from the embrace. “I’m lucky to have you as a friend; you would never do anything to hurt me, and I know that.”
Nick nodded, finally removing his arms from around Sara, and glancing over at her tent. “So… goodnight for now, then?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to smile.
“Goodnight, Nick,” Sara grinned, turning around, and unzipping the tent flap. Once inside, she turned around to re-zipper the flap, catching a quick glimpse of Nick’s slightly pained expression, before he turned back toward the camp fire. “What’s going on with you?” Sara whispered into the darkness, sighing.
“With whom?” Catherine immediately asked, causing Sara to jump.
“God,” Sara whispered. “I’m sorry, Cath; I didn’t mean to wake you up!”
Catherine chuckled. “It’s fine. What’s going on, though?”
Sara quietly climbed into her sleeping bag, frowning. “Something’s up with Nick. I thought that he might be upset about what happened earlier, but that isn’t the problem,” Sara admitted.
“No, that isn’t the problem,” Catherine confirmed, turning on her side to glance at the other woman.
“You know what’s going on?” Sara hesitantly asked, a little bit surprised.
“Uh-huh,” Catherine smiled. “Carpe Diem.”
“I don’t get it,” Sara frowned. “What does seizing the day have to do with anything?”
“Nick didn’t ‘seize the day,’ Sara.”
“…What do you mean?”
“He didn’t take the chance when he had it.”
“What are you talking about?” Sara curiously asked, now more confused than ever.
“It’s pretty obvious that Nick has feelings for you, Sara. Feelings that he can no longer act upon,” her words hung in the air.
“What?” Sara asked, her breath halting in her chest.
“He has feelings for you,” Catherine quietly repeated. “Or had feelings; I’m not entirely sure.”
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TO BE CONTINUED
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Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.
Title: The Conversation
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High Ropes
“Shit!” Warrick screamed, as he dizzily watched the ground approach his head. “Shit!” he repeated, tightly closing his eyes.
Down below, Sara gasped, as her mind tried to process what her eyes were telling her was actually taking place. Did he fall? Did he really just fall?
“What the hell!” Nick yelled, his eyes widening, when he observed Warrick slip from the rope. How could this have happened?
“Oh my God,” Catherine added, moving toward the obstacle course, although she realized that there was nothing that she would be able to do in order to help Warrick.
Grissom just calmly took in the entire scene, his hands hanging loosely by his sides.
“Damn,” Warrick muttered under his breath, as his body twisted from side to side in the air, still fighting with gravity. “Well ain’t that a bitch,” he frowned, as he hung upside down, suspended from the tightrope.
“Well at least we know that the safety cords work,” Greg brightly pointed out, looking up at Warrick with a smile. Although I can’t believe that Sara made it across, and you didn’t.
Catherine rolled her eyes at Greg, before glancing up at Warrick. “You okay?” she questioned him.
“I’m fine,” he sighed. “I think my pride is more wounded than my body, at this point,” he added, still gently swaying from side to side.
“Stuff happens, man,” Nick told him, trying not to think about the fact that Warrick—strong, cool, calm, and collected Warrick—just plummeted to the ground. Because if he struggled with this, I know that I will, too, he thought to himself.
“Yeah, Nicky. Enjoy this thing, okay? It’s great,” Warrick dryly mumbled to his friend, as Max started to lower him the rest of the way down to the ground.
“So you’re going to go try again, though, right?” Sara immediately asked him, once he was standing on his own two feet.
Warrick slowly shook his head from side to side, staring at the ground. “Not right now, girl. My legs are too shaky. And so are my arms.”
Sara pursed her lips, staring at Warrick. “Would you let me quit?” she calmly asked him, her eyes unwavering.
“What?” Warrick asked, raising his gaze to meet hers.
“Would you let me quit?” Sara repeated her question, as if challenging him.
Nick stared at Sara, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “She’s got a point, man,” he chuckled.
Warrick ran a hand through his hair, looking upward at the rope. “But I’m shaky, Sara,” he pointed out. “Really shaky.”
“I understand that,” Sara quietly stated. “But would you let me quit, if our roles were reversed?” She continued to prod him.
“No,” Warrick let out a heavy sigh. “No, I wouldn’t.”
“So then you should think about getting back up there,” Sara swallowed, not giving up.
“Yeah, man,” Nick agreed. “You should get back up there, and try again.”
“We’re in no rush, Warrick,” Catherine pointed out. “We have all day.”
Warrick blinked, staring at the ground for a moment in order to collect his thoughts. “Okay,” he acquiesced. “Okay, I’ll try it again.”
“Who’s the man?” Greg asked, grinning. “You da man,” he immediately answered his own question, causing everyone around him to chuckle.
“Just take it slow and steady, Warrick,” Grissom advised him. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
“I know,” Warrick conceded, swaggering toward the rope ladder. “I got this,” he told himself, quickly climbing back up to the platform.
“C’mon, Warrick!” Greg cheered him on, loudly clapping. “You got this!”
“You got this, man!” Nick added, once again shielding his eyes against the glare from the sun.
Sara and Catherine just quietly watched Warrick, waiting to see what he would do.
“I got this,” Warrick repeated to himself, taking a tentative step out onto the rope. “I got this,” he continued to mumbled, sliding his hands along the guide rails, and taking another step forward. “Damn, I’m sweating!” he yelled down to his friends on the ground.
“We know!” Greg called back. “We’re catching the drops!”
Warrick grinned, holding back a chuckle. “Don’t laugh, it’ll shake the rope,” he ordered himself, sliding his hands and feet forward another couple of steps. Staring straight ahead of himself, Warrick frowned, shuffling a little bit further onto the tightrope. “It’s starting to shake!” he announced to everyone still on the ground.
“Just take tiny steps, Warrick,” Sara calmly called up to him. “It’s going to shake more and more, as you near the center. But you’re doing fine!” she tried to encourage him.
Warrick didn’t bother nodding or responding to Sara, as he very carefully lifted one arm off of the rope, in order to wipe the sweat out of his eyes. “Damn,” he whispered, staring down at the ground.
“Keep going, man!” Nick yelled up to him.
Warrick remained silent, as he neared the center of the rope, and immediately kept shuffling forward. “I’m going to get through this,” he informed himself, once again stopping, in order to wipe the sweat from his eyes.
“He’s going to make it,” Greg whispered to Sara, who merely continued to watch Warrick’s progress.
“I’m going to make it!” Warrick said more loudly, as he shuffled another couple of inches forward, nearing the three-quarters mark. “Hot damn, I’m going to make it!”
Catherine grinned, as she watched Warrick continue to conquer the obstacle. “Come on, Warrick!” she cheered him on. “You can do it!”
Warrick grinned, as he held one hand out in front of himself, reaching for the wooden platform. “One more step, c’mon, just one more step!” he muttered, taking a deep breath, and very carefully shuffling forward. “I did it!” he screamed in triumph, as his fingers slid to the very end of the guide rope, enabling him to hoist himself onto the platform. “Damn, I did it!”
“Alright, Warrick!” Sara called out.
“Congrats, man!” Nick grinned.
“I knew you could do it, Warrick,” Catherine told him, watching him, as he slowly made his decent back to the ground.
“Dude, you rock!” Greg smiled.
“You just had to trust yourself, Warrick. But I’m proud of you,” Grissom quietly told him, as Warrick strolled over to his friends and colleagues. “I really am.”
“Thanks, guys,” Warrick smiled at everyone, using his shoulder to wipe the remaining sweat off of his forehead. “But damn that was hard!”
“Uh-huh,” Greg agreed. “It was! But you did it!”
“I sure did,” came Warrick’s excited replied.
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On the trail back to the campsite
“I can’t believe that everyone got through the obstacle on the first try, except for me,” Warrick quietly told Nick, as they walked side by side back to their campsite, behind Grissom, Greg, Sara, and Catherine.
“It’s okay, man,” Nick smiled, turning to look at him. “Like I told you before, though, stuff happens.”
“I know, but I should have been able to do it!”
“… Why?” Nick prompted him.
Warrick shrugged, running a hand through his hair. “Because I just should have been able to.”
“You don’t have to be the best at everything, Rick,” Nick reminded him. “You’re not Superman or anything.”
“I know,” Warrick agreed with him. “But that was pretty embarrassing.”
Nick chuckled, before quickly sobering up. “I’m not laughing at you, don’t worry, man,” he told Warrick. “But…” he hesitated for a moment. “Falling wasn’t embarrassing. What would have been embarrassing, though, would have been you giving up on the spot.”
Warrick nodded, mulling that over in his mind. “Thanks, Nicky,” he finally conceded. “You’re right. I would have failed, had I not tried again.”
“Yup,” Nick smiled, once again facing forward.
“Hey, Grissom?” Greg spoke up.
“What?” Grissom asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What’s for dinner?” Greg asked, grinning. “I’m hungry!”
“What else is new?” Catherine chuckled, glancing at Sara.
Sara just smiled, observing the scenery around them, as they returned to camp.
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Much later that night
“Are you okay, Sara?” Catherine tiredly asked, rolling over in her sleeping bag, and cracking an eye open to study Sara’s expression.
“Yeah, I’m fine, Catherine,” Sara tried to assure her. “Just a little bit restless. I’m going to go sit outside by the fire pit for a little while; perhaps even go for a walk.”
Catherine shook her head no, frowning at her friend. “Lake Mead has a lot of wild animals, Sara,” she reminded her. “Night time is their time to explore the park. I wouldn’t leave the campsite,” she advised.
Sara sighed, before nodding her head in agreement. “You’re right, Catherine,” she mumbled. “In that case, I’ll just be sitting by the campfire.”
“Okay. Just be careful,” Catherine yawned, once again closing her eyes, and drifting off to sleep.
I will, but… I really need some fresh air, Sara thought to herself, crawling toward the door, and unzipping the tent flap. Cautiously poking her head outside, Sara gave a snort of surprise, as her eyes fell upon another person already seated around the fire pit. “Hi, Nick,” she quietly greeted her co-worker, before crawling the rest of the way out of the tent. And then a bit more excitedly, “You made a fire? Excellent!”
“Hey, Sara,” he smiled, nodding in her direction. “Yeah, I made a fire. But what are you still doing up?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Sara shrugged. “I guess today was a little bit too exciting for me,” she confided in him, sitting down on one of the logs facing him.
Nick nodded his understanding, clearing his throat. “Yeah… I’m sorry about that, by the way.”
“Don’t be,” Sara immediately replied. “You did nothing wrong.” Clasping her hands in her lap, Sara closed her eyes, letting the cool night air brush against her face. “Do you ever regret becoming a criminalist, Nick?” she then asked, her eyes still closed.
Nick slowly raised his gaze to Sara’s face, before realizing that she wasn’t even looking at him. “Why… do you ask?” he wanted to know. Sometimes I regret it; especially when inexplicably bad things seem to keep happening to myself and my friends.
Sara wrapped her arms tightly around herself, swallowing. “I don’t know. It just seems like in the past six years, we’ve all had to endure a lot. I mean,” she sighed. “Holly died; You had a gun pulled on you twice, you were thrown out a window, you were stalked, you were kidnapped and buried alive; I’ve been bait for a rapist, I’ve been attacked, I’ve been spit on, I’ve been lied to; Jim’s been shot; Catherine has… well, the list just goes on and on, you know? There’s really no use rehashing everything, I suppose.” But thinking back on the past six years, we’ve had one disaster right after another.
Nick frowned, staring at the ground. Rehashing it? But you just brought it all back up again. Why did you have to do that? “Well,” he mumbled rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t necessarily regret becoming a CSI, but sometimes I wonder how we can all continue to do our jobs. I mean, let’s face it, Sar: we have dangerous jobs. Most people only read about violent crimes in the newspapers, or hear about them on television. We actually have to get into the minds of the killers, in order to solve the crimes. That’s not an easy thing to do, and sometimes… it just plain sucks,” he concluded.
“Yeah, it does,” Sara admitted, staring into the depths of the fire, letting the small flames calm her slightly frayed nerves down. “I’ve thought about quitting before, too; going back to California, picking up a surf board, and maybe just opening up a bed and breakfast.”
Nick nodded, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a smile. “That actually sounds kind of nice,” he told her. “Quiet; peaceful. I’ve actually considered returning to Texas,” he confided in her, once again looking up at her.
“Really?” Well that’s pretty surprising, Sara thought, her eyes widening in shock. “What would you do there?” she asked, turning to glance at him.
“I don’t know,” Nick shrugged. “Go to law school, be a cowboy, or even nothing,” he frowned, holding his hands up to the flames for a minute, in the hopes of warming himself up.
“A cowboy?” Sara asked, raising an eyebrow, and chuckling.
“Do you have a problem with cowboys, Sara?” he grinned.
“Uh… no, but…”
“But nothing,” Nick smiled. “But it’s just a thought. I don’t think that I’ll ever leave Vegas,” he immediately sobered up.
“Me, either,” Sara replied, glancing at the fire. “It’s my home now. I may not always like the job, but… I definitely like the people that I’ve met in Vegas.”
Nick stared at the ground, suddenly frowning.
“Are you okay?” Sara cautiously asked him. “You look a little bit unhappy.” Did I just say something wrong? Do you not like working with all of us?
“Yeah,” Nick hesitated. “I was just thinking about something. There was a time, you know, when I—” he started to say, before jumping, as he heard rustling coming from inside of the tent that Greg and Grissom shared.
“There was time when you what?” Sara prompted him, ignoring the noise coming from the tent.
“There was a time when I wanted—” Nick again started to say, his frown deepening, as he heard the zipper of the tent flap being pulled down.
Sara stared at the tent, raising an eyebrow.
“Hi, guys!” Greg whispered, poking his head out of the tent.
“Hey, Greg,” Sara smiled at him, waiting for him to join her and Nick by the fire pit.
“Hey, Greggo,” Nick dejectedly mumbled, staring at the ground. Thanks, man. I was just about to bare my heart and soul.
“Whatcha all doin’ out here?” Greg whispered, sitting down on the log next to Sara’s log.
“Just talking,” Sara informed him. “What were you going to say, Nick?” she quizzically asked, returning her gaze to him.
Nick rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. I was just going to say that there was a time, before you and Grissom found each other, when I had feelings for you. And now I just want you to know how I feel, so that I no longer feel so awkward around you. “Uh…” he hesitated. “I was just going to say that there was a time when I… really wanted to be a lawyer,” he quickly finished up, unable to hide his frown.
“Ah,” Sara replied, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure that you weren’t going to say something else?” Because I really don’t think that that is what you were going to tell me.
“Yup, I’m sure,” Nick smiled, attempting to reassure her.
“So are you going to go to law school, Nick?” Greg eagerly asked him. “That’d be cool, if you were planning on it.”
Nick slowly shook his head no. “No, man, I’m happy being a criminalist. Although we have a lot of crime in Vegas, I still love my job.”
Greg nodded, glancing over at Sara. “And you’re not planning on leaving the city any time soon, right?” he grinned.
Sara softly chuckled. “No, Greg. I’m going to be in Vegas for a very long time,” she added, before yawning. “But if you boys will excuse me now, I think that it’s time for me to actually go to bed.”
“Okay, goodnight, Sara!” Greg cheerfully said.
“‘Night, Sar,” Nick added, trying not to sound so unhappy.
“Goodnight,” Sara told them both, frowning at Nick’s expression. Something’s definitely not right with him. “Hey, Nick?” she softly called out, standing up, and stretching.
“What?” Nick replied, removing his gaze from the fire, and refocusing his attention on Sara’s face.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked, waving him toward her with one of her fingers.
Nick simply nodded, standing up, and slowly moving toward Sara. “What’s up, Sar?” he whispered, walking a short distance away from Greg.
“I’m not mad at you, you know,” she informed him.
Nick blinked, looking over at her. “Okay.”
“I mean, I’m not mad about earlier. In fact,” Sara continued, clearing her throat. “I’m really sorry about what happened, Nick; I’m sorry that I reacted to you in the manner that I did, during the ropes course. I know that you would never do anything to intentionally hurt me. You’re one of my best friends. Hell, you’re like a brother to me,” she smiled at him, hesitantly reaching toward him, in order to wrap her arms around his body.
Nick softly chuckled, gingerly wrapping his arms around Sara, and loosely hugging her to himself. Like a brother? Fantastic; that’s just what I wanted to hear! “Okay, well, as long as you really know that I would never hurt you, Sar.”
“I do, Nick,” she quietly told him, pulling away from the embrace. “I’m lucky to have you as a friend; you would never do anything to hurt me, and I know that.”
Nick nodded, finally removing his arms from around Sara, and glancing over at her tent. “So… goodnight for now, then?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to smile.
“Goodnight, Nick,” Sara grinned, turning around, and unzipping the tent flap. Once inside, she turned around to re-zipper the flap, catching a quick glimpse of Nick’s slightly pained expression, before he turned back toward the camp fire. “What’s going on with you?” Sara whispered into the darkness, sighing.
“With whom?” Catherine immediately asked, causing Sara to jump.
“God,” Sara whispered. “I’m sorry, Cath; I didn’t mean to wake you up!”
Catherine chuckled. “It’s fine. What’s going on, though?”
Sara quietly climbed into her sleeping bag, frowning. “Something’s up with Nick. I thought that he might be upset about what happened earlier, but that isn’t the problem,” Sara admitted.
“No, that isn’t the problem,” Catherine confirmed, turning on her side to glance at the other woman.
“You know what’s going on?” Sara hesitantly asked, a little bit surprised.
“Uh-huh,” Catherine smiled. “Carpe Diem.”
“I don’t get it,” Sara frowned. “What does seizing the day have to do with anything?”
“Nick didn’t ‘seize the day,’ Sara.”
“…What do you mean?”
“He didn’t take the chance when he had it.”
“What are you talking about?” Sara curiously asked, now more confused than ever.
“It’s pretty obvious that Nick has feelings for you, Sara. Feelings that he can no longer act upon,” her words hung in the air.
“What?” Sara asked, her breath halting in her chest.
“He has feelings for you,” Catherine quietly repeated. “Or had feelings; I’m not entirely sure.”
---------------
TO BE CONTINUED
CSI_Trainee
CSI Level One
*pulls out pitchfork* Do I hear someones fingers on the keyboard doing a update... or is that just me I hear typeing this?
CSI_Trainee
CSI Level One
*pokes with pitchfork* hope that motivaties you 
:lol: but seriously your story has given me a perfect idea as to do with my friends and my suragate brother, especially after the fight me, my bro and his GF got into last night.
:lol: but seriously your story has given me a perfect idea as to do with my friends and my suragate brother, especially after the fight me, my bro and his GF got into last night.
(I hope you all enjoy this chapter!)
---------------
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS. The morning quote comes from www. Quotegarden.com /morning.html, and the Twilight Zone opening is from tzone.the-croc. com/open.html (no spaces for either).
Title: Ready? Okay! Falling! Fall Away!
---------------
Catherine and Sara’s Tent
Catherine’s words made Sara feel a little bit uncomfortable. He has feelings for you, she had announced. Or at the very least, he had feelings for you, at one point or another.
“Think back to last year’s retreat,” Catherine encouraged Sara. “What happened, after you told your story?”
Sara closed her eyes, attempting to remember exactly what had happened. “Nick tried to comfort me,” she carefully replied. “And he held me for the entire night. But friends hold other friends; that’s a part of being a friend.”
“True,” Catherine admitted. “But none-the-less, he has always had feelings for you.”
Sara slowly shook her head from side to side, getting comfortable in her sleeping bag. “I’m too tired to deal with this right now,” she mumbled, once again closing her eyes.
“Well, you’re probably going to have to deal with it sooner or later, Sara—and my guess would be sooner, rather than later—so keep that in mind,” she advised her colleague, before hunkering down into her own sleeping bag for the night, and resting her head on her arm. “But pleasant dreams.”
“‘Right. You, too,” Sara sighed, slowly drifting off to sleep.
---------------
Grissom and Greg’s Tent, the next morning
“What time is it, Grissom?” Greg asked, rolling over in his sleeping bag, and staring up at the ceiling.
“I don’t know,” Grissom replied, yawning, and climbing out of his sleeping bag. “But it’s light outside, the sun appears to be shining—” he noted the brightness on the walls of the tent—“The birds are chirping, and it is time to begin our day.”
“It can’t be any later than six-thirty in the morning, though,” Greg protested, slightly groaning as he sat up.
“It’s probably more like six,” Grissom titled his head toward Greg. “But like Richard Whately once said, ‘lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it.’”
“Who’s Richard Whately?” Greg asked, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes, and gingerly crawling out of his sleeping bag.
Grissom raised an eyebrow. “Richard Whately was a philosopher and a theologian. And he’s right: we need to get this day started, so that we don’t spend the rest of it rushing around wishing that we had woken up much earlier.”
Like that will ever happen; I like to sleep, Greg thought to himself, nodding, as he ran a hand through his mussed-up hair. Unzipping the tent flap, he crawled outside, taking a deep, cleansing breath of the fresh, crisp, clean air.
---------------
Around the campfire
“So good of you to join us, Greggo,” Warrick joked, already sitting around the fire with Nick on one side of him, and Catherine and Sara across from him. “We’ve been up for hours already!”
Catherine rolled her eyes, looking over at Greg. “Don’t listen to him. We’ve only been up for five or ten minutes,” she yawned, staring at the kettle of water on the grille resting just above the fire.
“Hey, you guys already started to make some coffee?” Greg eagerly asked. “Excellent!” Glancing into the pot, he sighed, before finding a place to sit down. “Why is it that a watched pot never boils?”
“Because when one is impatient,” Grissom started to answer his question, ducking out of his tent. “Things do not appear to move quickly enough,” he finished his statement, heading over to the fire. “Did everyone sleep well?”
“I slept like a baby,” Catherine announced.
“It was quiet around here,” Warrick agreed. “I think that almost everyone has gone back home already. But yeah, Gris; I slept well.”
“No complaints here,” Greg nodded. “Well, except for the lack of coffee,” he muttered.
Sara gave Grissom a half smile, before glancing around the fire. I would have slept better, had I not talked to Catherine before falling asleep, she thought to herself, as her gaze fell on Nick’s face. Nick, his head bent low, was absentmindedly kicking a stone into the dirt, his arms resting on his knees. You look incredibly defeated right now. I’m sorry, Nick; I really am. But if Catherine is right, and you really do, or even did, have feelings for me, you should have said something to me when we could have done something about it; because now it’s just too late. I’m in love with Grissom, and I’m not leaving him for you, or for anyone else, for that matter.
Nick cleared his throat, picking his head up, and blushing, when he noticed Sara studying his face. “What do we have planned for today, Grissom?” he asked, tearing his gaze away from her, and rubbing the back of his neck. “Something difficult?”
Catherine turned her head to look at Sara, catching the other woman’s gaze. Flashing her a knowing smile, Catherine shrugged, as if saying, see what I mean?
Sara cautiously nodded back, frowning. Apparently, Catherine was right.
Grissom sat down on the rock next to Nick’s log, clasping his hands together. “This morning, after breakfast, we have trust falls. Trust falls are extremely easy compared to everything else that we’ve done, and you might even enjoy them.”
“Enjoy them?” Catherine asked, standing up in order to quickly check the coffee pot. Frowning at the fact that the water still hadn’t boiled, she sat back down. “I find it hard to believe that anything with the name of ‘fall’ in it, used in a context other than the season, can be fun.”
“They’re actually not bad, Cath,” Warrick told her, stretching his legs out in front of himself. “Someone stands a couple of feet up off of the ground, turns around, and falls backwards into the waiting arms of his or her friends.”
“So let me get this straight,” Sara cleared her throat. “We have to fall backwards, and cross our fingers that someone catches us?”
Warrick softly chuckled, nodding at her. “Yup. But it’s not that bad, girl,” he added. “Really.”
“I’m not concerned,” Sara shrugged, standing up and stretching her legs. “You’ll all catch me; I’ve learned that by now.”
But will you be able to catch me? Grissom asked. I’m not the lightest man here, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.
“Yo! Coffee’s done!” Greg eagerly announced. “Get it while it’s hot!”
“I’ll grab the cereal,” Nick mumbled, standing up, and walking over to the supplies tent.
“And milk, Nicky; don’t forget the milk,” Catherine reminded him.
“And the bowls,” Warrick added. “And spoons.”
“Got it,” Nick tried to smile, opening up containers, and getting ready to carry everything back to the fire. Before getting too far, however, he heard someone else coming up behind him. Please, let it be anyone other than Sara. Please.
“Hi,” Sara softly said, clearing her throat.
“…Hey,” Nick uneasily replied, slowly turning around, his gaze meeting hers. Damn. It’s Sara.
“Can we talk?” she hesitantly asked him.
“Uh,” Nick swallowed. “I, uh, have to go give the food to everyone else,” he stammered, walking away, and leaving a very stunned Sara in his wake. Does she know? Why does she want to talk? What’s going on?
Sara sighed, watching him leave. Slowly following Nick back to the campfire, she shrugged, once again taking her seat next to Catherine. We have to talk; we really, really do.
“So, are we done with the talking sessions, Grissom?” Catherine asked, carefully scooping a spoonful of cheerios into her mouth.
“No,” Grissom shook his head. “We’re going to have one more conversation during lunch, and then you will all have time after we eat in order to go swimming, before we have to return home to Vegas.”
“Alright!” Greg cheerfully interrupted, bringing his cereal bowl up to his lips, in order to drink the remaining milk. “Sounds good to me!”
“Me, too,” Warrick added, standing up, and heading toward the supplies tent to deposit his spoon and bowl.
“Did anyone bring suntan lotion, though?” Catherine asked. “I think I left mine at home,” she frowned.
“I’ve got some,” Sara told her, trying to shake away her uneasy feeling.
“Then it’s settled,” Grissom nodded, also getting to his feet. “Let’s head out, so that we can do the trust falls.”
Nick simply rubbed his neck, staring at the ground. Oh, boy, he sighed to himself.
---------------
Trust Falls
“Well, this doesn’t look so bad,” Greg commented, as they stood in a group in front of a shoulder-length wooden platform. “Actually, it looks kind of fun,” he mused.
Warrick squinted up at the platform, running a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would,” he spoke up. “But we still have to fall backwards.”
“Still, though,” Catherine cleared her throat, once again shielding her eyes against the sun’s glare. “We trust each other, right?” she asked the group. When no one answered her, she put her hands on her hips, smiling. “That wasn’t rhetorical, guys. We all trust each other, right?” she repeated her question.
Sara slowly nodded, mulling things over. “Yes, I think that we do,” she finally agreed.
“Uh-huh,” Greg added. “We’re like the Musketeers, remember?”
Warrick chuckled. “I think that we trust one another, although I can’t say that no one has fallen yet,” he grinned. “But it’s all good.”
Nick nodded, staring up at the platform. “We should be fine,” he mumbled. “I mean, how bad can this be?”
“Not bad at all,” Grissom quietly told him. Unless you can’t catch me, because I’m not as light as the rest of you; although, I’m not that heavy, right? This shouldn’t really be a problem. I don’t think.
“This definitely won’t be bad,” Max assured everyone, moving so that he was standing in front of the platform, and facing the gathered criminalists. “But let me explain what you’re going to be doing,” he smiled, making eye contact with each and every one of them. “Trust falls are fairly easy. I’m going to illustrate how to be the faller, and I would like all of you to be my catchers.”
“Okay,” Greg shrugged, looking over at him. “So what do we have to do?”
Max headed toward the platform, waving at the CSIs in order to get them to follow him. “I would like Sara, Warrick, and Greg to stand side by side on the ground, just below the left-hand side of the platform, so that Sara, your left shoulder is just next to the edge of the platform. Warrick, please stand next to her, shoulder to shoulder, and Greg, I’d like you to stand next to Warrick, shoulder to shoulder,” Max arranged them.
Sara got into place, glancing at Warrick and Greg. “So, we don’t actually face the platform?” she asked, slightly confused.
“No,” Max replied. “You’ll see,” he added, as he pointed to Nick, Catherine, and Grissom. “Nick, please stand across from Sara, so that you are an arm’s-length away from her, and so that your right shoulder is just next to the edge of the platform.”
Nick hesitantly nodded, his face slightly paling. I don’t want to stand across from her. “Okay,” he mumbled.
“Catherine, please stand next to Nick,” Max continued, ignoring Nick’s unhappy facial expression. “So that your right shoulder is just next to his left one, and so that you are standing an arm’s-length away from Warrick. And last, but certainly not least, Grissom, you’re going to stand shoulder to shoulder with Catherine, and an arm’s-length away from Greg.”
“Howdy, partner,” Greg grinned at Grissom.
“Hello, Greg,” Grissom dryly replied, before returning his attention to Max.
Nick, meanwhile, refused to raise his gaze to meet Sara’s, while Sara could not wipe the scowl from her face. If you would just talk to me, we would be able to end this awkwardness right now.
Warrick, noticing the tension emanating from Nick, cleared his throat. “You okay, man? You look a little bit uncomfortable. There’s nothing to be nervous about, you know,” misreading Nick’s expression. Nothing to be worried about, man. Nothing to it.
“Seriously, Nick. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Catherine added, although she knew what his problem really was. Talking, Nicky, will help you deal with your issues surrounding Sara; trust me, because I know these things.
“I know,” Nick tried to assure them, flashing Warrick and Catherine a very small smile. Snap out of it. You have to snap out of it. They’re all going to know that something is up! But why are Grissom and Sara bothering you so much all of a sudden? They’ve been together for a year now, and you know that. Why are you being bombarded with these emotions this weekend, of all weekends?” After a moment of thought, Nick answered his own question. “Because they maintain their professionalism at work, meaning that you rarely have to see them interact with one another, that’s why. And Sara doesn’t need you anymore; she has Grissom.
Greg, glancing first at Sara, and then at Nick, smiled. “You two should really see your expressions right now,” he pointed out. “This will be fun, I promise!” What’s gotten into the two of you? he thought to himself. Geesh!
After hearing Greg’s comment, Grissom turned to look at Sara, raising an eyebrow. Then, glancing at Nick, he frowned. Why do you look so tense, Nick? And Sara, why do you look so upset? Are you tense over the activity, Nick? Or… is that… sexual tension that I’m seeing? No, it can’t be. It’s not, he anxiously rubbed his beard. And why are you feeling a little bit jealous, anyhow? She chose you, Grissom. Not him, and not anyone else. She chose you, so stop being so insecure!
“I know it will,” Sara briefly smiled at Greg. “I’m looking forward to this one, actually.” And then later on, Nicky, you and I are going to talk. You’re not going to avoid me for the rest of our lives. Turning to look at Grissom, Sara raised an eyebrow, catching the frown on his face. Are you okay? she mouthed to him.
Grissom slowly nodded. Are you? Sara’s response was an encouraging smile, relieving some of Grissom’s fear and anxiety.
“So, if I can have everyone’s attention,” Max grinned, clapping his hands together. “We’ll get started!” When six pairs of eyes turned to look at him, he nodded. “Okay. Sara, you are going to put your left arm, facing upwards, just next to the platform. Nick, your right arm, facing upwards, is going to go right next to hers, touching it.”
Nick took a deep breath, finally raising his gaze to meet Sara’s. “Okay,” he quietly said, holding his right arm up, so that it was touching Sara’s left arm.
“And then, Sara,” Max continued. “Your right arm is going to go next to Nick’s right arm, and Nick, your left arm is going to go next. Just follow the pattern, everyone,” he said, watching as the six criminalists placed their arms next to one another, all facing upwards, so that they formed a human platform of alternating arms. “Greg, don’t ball up your fist though, okay?” he asked. “Keep your palms facing upwards at all times.”
Greg nodded his understanding, relaxing his fist. “Are you sure about this, though, Max? How are twelve arms going to be strong enough to catch someone?”
“You’ll see,” Max winked, before turning toward the platform, and climbing up the few steps that would enable him to reach the top. Standing next to the edge, he faced the CSIs. “We have a phrase that we’re going to say. The faller is going to say, ‘ready,’ and the catchers reply with, ‘okay.’ Next, the faller says, ‘falling,’ and the catchers say, ‘fall away.’ This ensures that everyone is ready, and that there is no miscommunication about when someone is going to fall.”
“Damn,” Warrick commented, letting his breath out. “We’ve got this, though,” he added. No problem.
Catherine nodded, glancing up at Max. “So, you’re going to demonstrate this for us?”
“Yup, in a moment,” Max nodded. “There’s one more thing that you have to be aware of. When you fall, you need to fall flat. Let me explain what I mean,” he smiled. “Cross your arms across your chest, and stand stiff. When you get ready to fall, do not bend your legs. You want to be as stiff as a board. Got it?”
“Got it,” Greg eagerly nodded at him. “Ready?”
Max chuckled, turning around on top of the platform, and tightly holding his arms across his chest. “Here we go! Ready?”
“Okay!” Six voices replied in unison.
“Falling!”
“Fall away!” they replied, tensing their arms.
Within moments, Max was comfortably resting on six pairs of arms. “Piece of cake!” he smiled, as they gently set him down. “So, who wants to go first?”
“I DO!” Greg immediately yelled, breaking the chain, and moving toward the platform.
Max, taking his place, smiled. “Okay, Greg. Stiff as a board.”
Once on top of the platform, Greg nodded, as he turned around, placing his arms across his chest. “Ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling!”
“Fall away!” they told him.
Laughing, Greg fell backwards, landing in the arms of his friends. “Excellent!” he chuckled, as they gently set him down.
“My turn,” Warrick announced, as Greg took his place, and he climbed the ladder, turning around. “Ready?”
“Okay!” they replied.
“Falling!”
“Fall away!” the six waiting people ordered him.
Within seconds, Warrick was on the ground, chuckling. “That was actually kind of fun,” he commented, as he switched places with Catherine.
“You sure about this?” Catherine asked, climbing to the top of the platform.
“It’s seriously fun, Cath,” Warrick told her. “Promise. You’ll love it!”
Without thinking too hard about it, for fear of talking herself out of doing the activity, Catherine nodded, turning around. “Ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling!” she stated.
“Fall away!”
Falling backwards, stiff as a board, Catherine screamed on the way down, her scream instantly turning into a fit of laughter as she landed in the arms of her colleagues. “That was… fun!” she smiled, as they put her back down on the ground.
“My turn,” Sara spoke up, as she hesitantly crawled to the top of the ladder, sighing. “I’m just going to do this,” she informed everyone, turning around, and crossing her arms across her chest. “So… ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling!”
“Fall away!”
It took her another deep breath, but Sara tightly shut her eyes, immediately falling backwards, only opening her eyes when she felt herself safely in the grasp of her friends. “Alright, I have to admit it,” she grinned. “That really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
“I told you so, girl,” Warrick replied. “It was fun!”
Yeah, I’m sure. Fun. With a heavy sigh, Nick slowly climbed up the ladder to the platform, dejectedly saying, “Ready.”
“Okay!”
“Falling.”
“Fall away!”
With another sigh, Nick fell into the arms of his waiting friends, not saying much at all. [/i] I just want to go home, [/i] he thought to himself, as he headed toward Grissom, relieving him of his place, so that he could take his turn.
“So… I guess I’m up?” Grissom nervously asked, carefully walking toward the ladder. What are the physics of this thing? How fast will I fall, based on my weight, coupled with the height of the platform? He asked himself, climbing up the ladder.
“Grissom, you’ll be fine,” Catherine tried to reassure him, noticing his anxious expression.
“Yeah, this is fun, Grissom,” Warrick pointed out, quickly swatting a mosquito away from his face.
Grissom simply nodded, as he made it to the top of the platform, turning away from everyone. Crossing his arms over his chest, he nervously swallowed. “Ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling,” Grissom tried to calmly utter.
“Fall away!”
But Grissom didn’t fall. Standing still at the very top of the platform, he froze. What if they can’t catch me? I don’t want to hurt anyone! Maybe I shouldn’t do this.
“Grissom?” Sara softly called out. “You can do this,” she tried to encourage him.
“Yeah, Grissom,” Greg added.
“Right,” Grissom mumbled, nodding, and glancing behind himself and noticing everyone’s waiting arms. “Right,” he repeated. “Ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling,” he mumbled.
“Fall away!”
But again, Grissom refused to fall.
Down on the ground, everyone exchanged surprised glances, unsure of what to say, or what to do, to help Grissom feel comfortable enough to fall.
What’s going on? Sara silently wondered. I’ve never seen you behave like this before. You’re usually the unflappable one.
Warrick squinted, staring up at Grissom. Damn. This is a first.
Nick stared up at Grissom, slightly confused, while Catherine sighed. Grissom, this is so unlike you. What’s going through your mind? she wanted to ask him.
Greg, on the other hand, couldn’t stop smiling. I can’t believe that you’re struggling with this, Grissom. We must be in an alternate reality or something. Chuckling to himself, he continued. ‘You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead—your next stop, the Twilight Zone.’
---------------
TO BE CONTINUED
---------------
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS. The morning quote comes from www. Quotegarden.com /morning.html, and the Twilight Zone opening is from tzone.the-croc. com/open.html (no spaces for either).
Title: Ready? Okay! Falling! Fall Away!
---------------
Catherine and Sara’s Tent
Catherine’s words made Sara feel a little bit uncomfortable. He has feelings for you, she had announced. Or at the very least, he had feelings for you, at one point or another.
“Think back to last year’s retreat,” Catherine encouraged Sara. “What happened, after you told your story?”
Sara closed her eyes, attempting to remember exactly what had happened. “Nick tried to comfort me,” she carefully replied. “And he held me for the entire night. But friends hold other friends; that’s a part of being a friend.”
“True,” Catherine admitted. “But none-the-less, he has always had feelings for you.”
Sara slowly shook her head from side to side, getting comfortable in her sleeping bag. “I’m too tired to deal with this right now,” she mumbled, once again closing her eyes.
“Well, you’re probably going to have to deal with it sooner or later, Sara—and my guess would be sooner, rather than later—so keep that in mind,” she advised her colleague, before hunkering down into her own sleeping bag for the night, and resting her head on her arm. “But pleasant dreams.”
“‘Right. You, too,” Sara sighed, slowly drifting off to sleep.
---------------
Grissom and Greg’s Tent, the next morning
“What time is it, Grissom?” Greg asked, rolling over in his sleeping bag, and staring up at the ceiling.
“I don’t know,” Grissom replied, yawning, and climbing out of his sleeping bag. “But it’s light outside, the sun appears to be shining—” he noted the brightness on the walls of the tent—“The birds are chirping, and it is time to begin our day.”
“It can’t be any later than six-thirty in the morning, though,” Greg protested, slightly groaning as he sat up.
“It’s probably more like six,” Grissom titled his head toward Greg. “But like Richard Whately once said, ‘lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it.’”
“Who’s Richard Whately?” Greg asked, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes, and gingerly crawling out of his sleeping bag.
Grissom raised an eyebrow. “Richard Whately was a philosopher and a theologian. And he’s right: we need to get this day started, so that we don’t spend the rest of it rushing around wishing that we had woken up much earlier.”
Like that will ever happen; I like to sleep, Greg thought to himself, nodding, as he ran a hand through his mussed-up hair. Unzipping the tent flap, he crawled outside, taking a deep, cleansing breath of the fresh, crisp, clean air.
---------------
Around the campfire
“So good of you to join us, Greggo,” Warrick joked, already sitting around the fire with Nick on one side of him, and Catherine and Sara across from him. “We’ve been up for hours already!”
Catherine rolled her eyes, looking over at Greg. “Don’t listen to him. We’ve only been up for five or ten minutes,” she yawned, staring at the kettle of water on the grille resting just above the fire.
“Hey, you guys already started to make some coffee?” Greg eagerly asked. “Excellent!” Glancing into the pot, he sighed, before finding a place to sit down. “Why is it that a watched pot never boils?”
“Because when one is impatient,” Grissom started to answer his question, ducking out of his tent. “Things do not appear to move quickly enough,” he finished his statement, heading over to the fire. “Did everyone sleep well?”
“I slept like a baby,” Catherine announced.
“It was quiet around here,” Warrick agreed. “I think that almost everyone has gone back home already. But yeah, Gris; I slept well.”
“No complaints here,” Greg nodded. “Well, except for the lack of coffee,” he muttered.
Sara gave Grissom a half smile, before glancing around the fire. I would have slept better, had I not talked to Catherine before falling asleep, she thought to herself, as her gaze fell on Nick’s face. Nick, his head bent low, was absentmindedly kicking a stone into the dirt, his arms resting on his knees. You look incredibly defeated right now. I’m sorry, Nick; I really am. But if Catherine is right, and you really do, or even did, have feelings for me, you should have said something to me when we could have done something about it; because now it’s just too late. I’m in love with Grissom, and I’m not leaving him for you, or for anyone else, for that matter.
Nick cleared his throat, picking his head up, and blushing, when he noticed Sara studying his face. “What do we have planned for today, Grissom?” he asked, tearing his gaze away from her, and rubbing the back of his neck. “Something difficult?”
Catherine turned her head to look at Sara, catching the other woman’s gaze. Flashing her a knowing smile, Catherine shrugged, as if saying, see what I mean?
Sara cautiously nodded back, frowning. Apparently, Catherine was right.
Grissom sat down on the rock next to Nick’s log, clasping his hands together. “This morning, after breakfast, we have trust falls. Trust falls are extremely easy compared to everything else that we’ve done, and you might even enjoy them.”
“Enjoy them?” Catherine asked, standing up in order to quickly check the coffee pot. Frowning at the fact that the water still hadn’t boiled, she sat back down. “I find it hard to believe that anything with the name of ‘fall’ in it, used in a context other than the season, can be fun.”
“They’re actually not bad, Cath,” Warrick told her, stretching his legs out in front of himself. “Someone stands a couple of feet up off of the ground, turns around, and falls backwards into the waiting arms of his or her friends.”
“So let me get this straight,” Sara cleared her throat. “We have to fall backwards, and cross our fingers that someone catches us?”
Warrick softly chuckled, nodding at her. “Yup. But it’s not that bad, girl,” he added. “Really.”
“I’m not concerned,” Sara shrugged, standing up and stretching her legs. “You’ll all catch me; I’ve learned that by now.”
But will you be able to catch me? Grissom asked. I’m not the lightest man here, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.
“Yo! Coffee’s done!” Greg eagerly announced. “Get it while it’s hot!”
“I’ll grab the cereal,” Nick mumbled, standing up, and walking over to the supplies tent.
“And milk, Nicky; don’t forget the milk,” Catherine reminded him.
“And the bowls,” Warrick added. “And spoons.”
“Got it,” Nick tried to smile, opening up containers, and getting ready to carry everything back to the fire. Before getting too far, however, he heard someone else coming up behind him. Please, let it be anyone other than Sara. Please.
“Hi,” Sara softly said, clearing her throat.
“…Hey,” Nick uneasily replied, slowly turning around, his gaze meeting hers. Damn. It’s Sara.
“Can we talk?” she hesitantly asked him.
“Uh,” Nick swallowed. “I, uh, have to go give the food to everyone else,” he stammered, walking away, and leaving a very stunned Sara in his wake. Does she know? Why does she want to talk? What’s going on?
Sara sighed, watching him leave. Slowly following Nick back to the campfire, she shrugged, once again taking her seat next to Catherine. We have to talk; we really, really do.
“So, are we done with the talking sessions, Grissom?” Catherine asked, carefully scooping a spoonful of cheerios into her mouth.
“No,” Grissom shook his head. “We’re going to have one more conversation during lunch, and then you will all have time after we eat in order to go swimming, before we have to return home to Vegas.”
“Alright!” Greg cheerfully interrupted, bringing his cereal bowl up to his lips, in order to drink the remaining milk. “Sounds good to me!”
“Me, too,” Warrick added, standing up, and heading toward the supplies tent to deposit his spoon and bowl.
“Did anyone bring suntan lotion, though?” Catherine asked. “I think I left mine at home,” she frowned.
“I’ve got some,” Sara told her, trying to shake away her uneasy feeling.
“Then it’s settled,” Grissom nodded, also getting to his feet. “Let’s head out, so that we can do the trust falls.”
Nick simply rubbed his neck, staring at the ground. Oh, boy, he sighed to himself.
---------------
Trust Falls
“Well, this doesn’t look so bad,” Greg commented, as they stood in a group in front of a shoulder-length wooden platform. “Actually, it looks kind of fun,” he mused.
Warrick squinted up at the platform, running a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would,” he spoke up. “But we still have to fall backwards.”
“Still, though,” Catherine cleared her throat, once again shielding her eyes against the sun’s glare. “We trust each other, right?” she asked the group. When no one answered her, she put her hands on her hips, smiling. “That wasn’t rhetorical, guys. We all trust each other, right?” she repeated her question.
Sara slowly nodded, mulling things over. “Yes, I think that we do,” she finally agreed.
“Uh-huh,” Greg added. “We’re like the Musketeers, remember?”
Warrick chuckled. “I think that we trust one another, although I can’t say that no one has fallen yet,” he grinned. “But it’s all good.”
Nick nodded, staring up at the platform. “We should be fine,” he mumbled. “I mean, how bad can this be?”
“Not bad at all,” Grissom quietly told him. Unless you can’t catch me, because I’m not as light as the rest of you; although, I’m not that heavy, right? This shouldn’t really be a problem. I don’t think.
“This definitely won’t be bad,” Max assured everyone, moving so that he was standing in front of the platform, and facing the gathered criminalists. “But let me explain what you’re going to be doing,” he smiled, making eye contact with each and every one of them. “Trust falls are fairly easy. I’m going to illustrate how to be the faller, and I would like all of you to be my catchers.”
“Okay,” Greg shrugged, looking over at him. “So what do we have to do?”
Max headed toward the platform, waving at the CSIs in order to get them to follow him. “I would like Sara, Warrick, and Greg to stand side by side on the ground, just below the left-hand side of the platform, so that Sara, your left shoulder is just next to the edge of the platform. Warrick, please stand next to her, shoulder to shoulder, and Greg, I’d like you to stand next to Warrick, shoulder to shoulder,” Max arranged them.
Sara got into place, glancing at Warrick and Greg. “So, we don’t actually face the platform?” she asked, slightly confused.
“No,” Max replied. “You’ll see,” he added, as he pointed to Nick, Catherine, and Grissom. “Nick, please stand across from Sara, so that you are an arm’s-length away from her, and so that your right shoulder is just next to the edge of the platform.”
Nick hesitantly nodded, his face slightly paling. I don’t want to stand across from her. “Okay,” he mumbled.
“Catherine, please stand next to Nick,” Max continued, ignoring Nick’s unhappy facial expression. “So that your right shoulder is just next to his left one, and so that you are standing an arm’s-length away from Warrick. And last, but certainly not least, Grissom, you’re going to stand shoulder to shoulder with Catherine, and an arm’s-length away from Greg.”
“Howdy, partner,” Greg grinned at Grissom.
“Hello, Greg,” Grissom dryly replied, before returning his attention to Max.
Nick, meanwhile, refused to raise his gaze to meet Sara’s, while Sara could not wipe the scowl from her face. If you would just talk to me, we would be able to end this awkwardness right now.
Warrick, noticing the tension emanating from Nick, cleared his throat. “You okay, man? You look a little bit uncomfortable. There’s nothing to be nervous about, you know,” misreading Nick’s expression. Nothing to be worried about, man. Nothing to it.
“Seriously, Nick. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Catherine added, although she knew what his problem really was. Talking, Nicky, will help you deal with your issues surrounding Sara; trust me, because I know these things.
“I know,” Nick tried to assure them, flashing Warrick and Catherine a very small smile. Snap out of it. You have to snap out of it. They’re all going to know that something is up! But why are Grissom and Sara bothering you so much all of a sudden? They’ve been together for a year now, and you know that. Why are you being bombarded with these emotions this weekend, of all weekends?” After a moment of thought, Nick answered his own question. “Because they maintain their professionalism at work, meaning that you rarely have to see them interact with one another, that’s why. And Sara doesn’t need you anymore; she has Grissom.
Greg, glancing first at Sara, and then at Nick, smiled. “You two should really see your expressions right now,” he pointed out. “This will be fun, I promise!” What’s gotten into the two of you? he thought to himself. Geesh!
After hearing Greg’s comment, Grissom turned to look at Sara, raising an eyebrow. Then, glancing at Nick, he frowned. Why do you look so tense, Nick? And Sara, why do you look so upset? Are you tense over the activity, Nick? Or… is that… sexual tension that I’m seeing? No, it can’t be. It’s not, he anxiously rubbed his beard. And why are you feeling a little bit jealous, anyhow? She chose you, Grissom. Not him, and not anyone else. She chose you, so stop being so insecure!
“I know it will,” Sara briefly smiled at Greg. “I’m looking forward to this one, actually.” And then later on, Nicky, you and I are going to talk. You’re not going to avoid me for the rest of our lives. Turning to look at Grissom, Sara raised an eyebrow, catching the frown on his face. Are you okay? she mouthed to him.
Grissom slowly nodded. Are you? Sara’s response was an encouraging smile, relieving some of Grissom’s fear and anxiety.
“So, if I can have everyone’s attention,” Max grinned, clapping his hands together. “We’ll get started!” When six pairs of eyes turned to look at him, he nodded. “Okay. Sara, you are going to put your left arm, facing upwards, just next to the platform. Nick, your right arm, facing upwards, is going to go right next to hers, touching it.”
Nick took a deep breath, finally raising his gaze to meet Sara’s. “Okay,” he quietly said, holding his right arm up, so that it was touching Sara’s left arm.
“And then, Sara,” Max continued. “Your right arm is going to go next to Nick’s right arm, and Nick, your left arm is going to go next. Just follow the pattern, everyone,” he said, watching as the six criminalists placed their arms next to one another, all facing upwards, so that they formed a human platform of alternating arms. “Greg, don’t ball up your fist though, okay?” he asked. “Keep your palms facing upwards at all times.”
Greg nodded his understanding, relaxing his fist. “Are you sure about this, though, Max? How are twelve arms going to be strong enough to catch someone?”
“You’ll see,” Max winked, before turning toward the platform, and climbing up the few steps that would enable him to reach the top. Standing next to the edge, he faced the CSIs. “We have a phrase that we’re going to say. The faller is going to say, ‘ready,’ and the catchers reply with, ‘okay.’ Next, the faller says, ‘falling,’ and the catchers say, ‘fall away.’ This ensures that everyone is ready, and that there is no miscommunication about when someone is going to fall.”
“Damn,” Warrick commented, letting his breath out. “We’ve got this, though,” he added. No problem.
Catherine nodded, glancing up at Max. “So, you’re going to demonstrate this for us?”
“Yup, in a moment,” Max nodded. “There’s one more thing that you have to be aware of. When you fall, you need to fall flat. Let me explain what I mean,” he smiled. “Cross your arms across your chest, and stand stiff. When you get ready to fall, do not bend your legs. You want to be as stiff as a board. Got it?”
“Got it,” Greg eagerly nodded at him. “Ready?”
Max chuckled, turning around on top of the platform, and tightly holding his arms across his chest. “Here we go! Ready?”
“Okay!” Six voices replied in unison.
“Falling!”
“Fall away!” they replied, tensing their arms.
Within moments, Max was comfortably resting on six pairs of arms. “Piece of cake!” he smiled, as they gently set him down. “So, who wants to go first?”
“I DO!” Greg immediately yelled, breaking the chain, and moving toward the platform.
Max, taking his place, smiled. “Okay, Greg. Stiff as a board.”
Once on top of the platform, Greg nodded, as he turned around, placing his arms across his chest. “Ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling!”
“Fall away!” they told him.
Laughing, Greg fell backwards, landing in the arms of his friends. “Excellent!” he chuckled, as they gently set him down.
“My turn,” Warrick announced, as Greg took his place, and he climbed the ladder, turning around. “Ready?”
“Okay!” they replied.
“Falling!”
“Fall away!” the six waiting people ordered him.
Within seconds, Warrick was on the ground, chuckling. “That was actually kind of fun,” he commented, as he switched places with Catherine.
“You sure about this?” Catherine asked, climbing to the top of the platform.
“It’s seriously fun, Cath,” Warrick told her. “Promise. You’ll love it!”
Without thinking too hard about it, for fear of talking herself out of doing the activity, Catherine nodded, turning around. “Ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling!” she stated.
“Fall away!”
Falling backwards, stiff as a board, Catherine screamed on the way down, her scream instantly turning into a fit of laughter as she landed in the arms of her colleagues. “That was… fun!” she smiled, as they put her back down on the ground.
“My turn,” Sara spoke up, as she hesitantly crawled to the top of the ladder, sighing. “I’m just going to do this,” she informed everyone, turning around, and crossing her arms across her chest. “So… ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling!”
“Fall away!”
It took her another deep breath, but Sara tightly shut her eyes, immediately falling backwards, only opening her eyes when she felt herself safely in the grasp of her friends. “Alright, I have to admit it,” she grinned. “That really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
“I told you so, girl,” Warrick replied. “It was fun!”
Yeah, I’m sure. Fun. With a heavy sigh, Nick slowly climbed up the ladder to the platform, dejectedly saying, “Ready.”
“Okay!”
“Falling.”
“Fall away!”
With another sigh, Nick fell into the arms of his waiting friends, not saying much at all. [/i] I just want to go home, [/i] he thought to himself, as he headed toward Grissom, relieving him of his place, so that he could take his turn.
“So… I guess I’m up?” Grissom nervously asked, carefully walking toward the ladder. What are the physics of this thing? How fast will I fall, based on my weight, coupled with the height of the platform? He asked himself, climbing up the ladder.
“Grissom, you’ll be fine,” Catherine tried to reassure him, noticing his anxious expression.
“Yeah, this is fun, Grissom,” Warrick pointed out, quickly swatting a mosquito away from his face.
Grissom simply nodded, as he made it to the top of the platform, turning away from everyone. Crossing his arms over his chest, he nervously swallowed. “Ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling,” Grissom tried to calmly utter.
“Fall away!”
But Grissom didn’t fall. Standing still at the very top of the platform, he froze. What if they can’t catch me? I don’t want to hurt anyone! Maybe I shouldn’t do this.
“Grissom?” Sara softly called out. “You can do this,” she tried to encourage him.
“Yeah, Grissom,” Greg added.
“Right,” Grissom mumbled, nodding, and glancing behind himself and noticing everyone’s waiting arms. “Right,” he repeated. “Ready?”
“Okay!”
“Falling,” he mumbled.
“Fall away!”
But again, Grissom refused to fall.
Down on the ground, everyone exchanged surprised glances, unsure of what to say, or what to do, to help Grissom feel comfortable enough to fall.
What’s going on? Sara silently wondered. I’ve never seen you behave like this before. You’re usually the unflappable one.
Warrick squinted, staring up at Grissom. Damn. This is a first.
Nick stared up at Grissom, slightly confused, while Catherine sighed. Grissom, this is so unlike you. What’s going through your mind? she wanted to ask him.
Greg, on the other hand, couldn’t stop smiling. I can’t believe that you’re struggling with this, Grissom. We must be in an alternate reality or something. Chuckling to himself, he continued. ‘You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead—your next stop, the Twilight Zone.’
---------------
TO BE CONTINUED
CSI_Trainee
CSI Level One
Great chapter.. ya i never trust people when it comes to the trust falls cause one of my exs dropped me on a cemet floor one time.... needless to say i hasve a few trust issuse
hollie and CSI Trainee, thank you for your comments! I'm going out of town tomorrow and Thursday, so I'll try to start writing when I get home. Maybe a chapter by Saturday? We'll see!
Thank you for still reading, though!
Oh, and CSI Trainee, I don't like trust falls, either. They are... uh... hard!
Thank you for still reading, though!
Oh, and CSI Trainee, I don't like trust falls, either. They are... uh... hard!
(Thanks for still reading this!)
---------------
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS. The quotes all came from: www. heartquotes. net / fear. Html (without the spaces!).
Title: Trust
---------------
Trust Falls
Up on the platform, Grissom anxiously rubbed his beard, still facing away from the rest of the waiting criminalists. I don’t want to do this, and I’m not going to, he told himself. Not after what happened last time.
“Uh, Grissom?” Max hesitantly asked. “Is there a problem?”
“No,” Grissom immediately replied, still remaining completely still.
“Then why are you still standing up there?” the guide persisted, screwing his face up in confusion.
“I was trying to figure something out in my head, and I forgot to fall backwards,” Grissom calmly explained, his hands at his sides, rather than across his chest. Closing his eyes, he tried to take one deep breath after another, hoping to alleviate some of the tension and fear coursing through his body.
“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” Catherine kindly asked.
“No,” Grissom again stated. “I was trying to figure something out in my head, and I just forgot to fall.” Didn’t I just say that?
“I don’t think you’re telling the truth,” Greg shook his head from side to side, staring up at his supervisor in wonderment. “You’re definitely afraid.”
“No, I am not,” Grissom repeated for the third time in as many moments.
“It’s okay to be scared,” Warrick shrugged, squinting up at Grissom. “It happens to everyone.”
“Except,” Nick cleared his throat, a slightly confused look on his face. “I don’t understand. Don’t you trust us to catch you?”
Sara immediately shot Nick a look, narrowing her eyes at his comment. “Of course he trusts us,” she assured him. “Don’t you, Grissom?” she asked, turning her gaze to study him. Why won’t you turn around to look at us? Are you embarrassed about this? Hell, I’ve already had problems with several different obstacles, and Warrick had a rough time with the last one. There is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.
But Grissom did not reply to Sara, instead choosing to bow his head in order to stare down at the ground by his feet.
“Gil?” Catherine questioned him, her own face mirroring Nick’s expression. “Why don’t you trust us? We would never let you fall,” she frowned. After six years of working with us, you seriously don’t believe that we would keep you safe? I think that we would all do anything in our power to protect you.
Greg blinked, not entirely sure how to take Grissom’s silence. But I don’t understand, he wanted to say, clearing his throat. We’re your team; your family. Why don’t you believe us, when we tell you that you’ll be fine? At least with Warrick, his accident was his own fault, and Sara just, Greg swallowed. Sara panicked because we touched her.
Damn, Warrick thought. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the great Gil Grissom not trusting any of us. What does that say about me, and my trustworthiness?
Do you not trust me, either? Sara wanted to ask him. Because I thought that you trusted me with your life. Actually, I thought that you trusted all of us with your life. Sighing, Sara again looked up at him. “Grissom, we won’t let you fall; honest.”
I’ve trusted you with my life in the past, so why don’t you trust me with yours? Nick sadly thought, taking Grissom’s reaction extremely personally. “You just… lean back, and we’ll catch you,” he spoke up. “Nothin’ to it, Grissom.”
“The hardest part is doing it backwards, Gil,” Catherine told him, her hands on her hips. “But you can do this; you’ve done worse.”
“Hell,” Warrick gave him a slight smile, even though Grissom was still facing away from everyone. “You’ve processed a DB after it’s been sitting out in the desert for over seventy-two hours,” he pointed out. “This is nothing, compared to that.”
“Uh-huh,” Greg tried to encourage him. “‘Never let the fear of striking out get in your way,’” he announced.
“Hey, man,” Nick grinned. “Babe Ruth? Excellent.”
Grissom, still not facing his team, once again nervously rubbed his beard. “That isn’t the problem,” he finally admitted.
“Well what is the problem, then?” Warrick prompted him, squinting up at the back of his supervisor’s head. “Because I know that we sure as hell won’t let anything happen to you.”
Grissom sighed, finally turning around to look at everyone. “‘Fear is only as deep as the mind allows,’” he quoted an old Japanese proverb. “And unfortunately, my fear of being dropped goes all the way back to the 1960s,” he told everyone, lowering himself to the very edge of the platform, and sitting down. “Although I don’t typically like to share personal information about myself, you all deserve an explanation; and lucky for you, I remember the incident like it was yesterday.”
---------------
The Grissom Residence, early 1960s
Seven-year-old Gilbert Grissom sat in front of his family’s only television set, rapturously studying the characters on “Car 54, Where Are You?” Sitting cross-legged in front of the screen, his entire attention focused on the antics of Toody and Muldoon, he didn’t even notice his mother walk into the room, until she was tapping him on the back.
Gilbert, she signed, once she had his undivided attention. Did you already do your homework? Although only in first grade, Grissom was already starting to show his intellect, taking advanced classes in most of his subjects.
Yes, Mother, Grissom signed back. I finished my science in a couple of minutes; Mrs. Reece told us to find five leafs, and trace them on a piece of a paper, creating a mini-guidebook. I found ten leafs, and dissected each one of them down to their smallest parts, in order to better document their appearances.
Grissom’s mother raised an eyebrow, staring down at her son. How can you dissect a leaf? She wanted to know.
Simple! You just pull them apart at the stems, he explained. And then you can get good images of the individual fibers, he slowly signed, proud of himself for his creativity, and for his dedication to science.
Grissom’s mother nodded, instantly looking up, as she noticed lights flashing—her own personalized doorbell—in the living room. Gilbert, can you please get the door? She asked her young son, who immediately ran off to do as she asked.
Cautiously opening the door, Grissom stuck his head outside, a flicker of excitement coursing through his body when he processed who was actually standing in front of him. “Hi!” he eagerly greeted Peter Simmons and Mike Walters, two kids from his class. “What are you guys doing here?” Mike immediately snickered, frowning, when Pete elbowed him in the side. Although Grissom noticed the exchange, he chose to ignore it, as it wasn’t every day that someone his age showed up on his doorstep, looking for him.
“We, uh,” Peter grinned at Grissom. “We’re going to go fly kites down by the beach, and we wanted to know if you wanted to come along with us? If your mom will let you out of the house, that is,” he glanced at Mike, who was once again snickering.
“I’ll go check with her. Wait here, please!” Grissom happily told them both, running into the kitchen, and excitedly tapping his mother’s shoulder in order to get her attention. Mom, he signed. Two kids from school are outside, and they want me to go fly kites with them. Can I go? Please? He asked, “Car 54” already forgotten. They’re going down to the beach, he anxiously continued. But I’ll be careful, I promise! It’s a two minute walk! Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?
Grissom’s mother thought about it for a moment, tempted to say no; although they lived in an extremely safe neighborhood, the beach was still not their backyard, and she really did not want him out of her sight. But that being said, it wasn’t every day that someone showed up at the door, wanting to play with her son. Okay, she finally acquiesced. But put some sunscreen on, and be careful!
Grissom was already out of the kitchen, before she had the chance to tell him to have fun.
“What took you so long?” Mike asked him, when Grissom finally emerged from his home, five minutes later.
“Uh… sorry,” Grissom hesitated, his face instantly flushing. “I had to get my kite,” he explained, holding it up to show them. “And I had to put some sunscreen on.”
Mike rolled his eyes, glancing at Peter, before both boys took off at a run.
“Hey, wait up!” Grissom called after them, trying to keep up. “I can’t run that fast!” he panted, as they rounded a corner at the end of his street, still heading toward the beach.
“What’s the matter, Gil?” Peter suddenly stopped, waiting for him to catch up. “Haven’t you ever run before? You’re slower than a girl!” he taunted him.
“And you have a sissy name!” Mike added, standing beside Peter, an evil look on his face.
Grissom stopped running, his smile slowly fading. Why are they being so mean to me? He asked himself. I thought they wanted to play with me, and I thought they wanted to be my friend!, he swallowed, slightly confused. Although Peter and Mike had never asked him to play with them before, he had hoped that they would truly allow him to be a part of the “cool kids club.” “I can run faster,” he tried to assure them, taking a step toward them.
“Oh, yeah?” Mike asked the seven-year old Grissom. “Then let’s see you go!” he smirked, grinning, as the little boy took off down the sidewalk.
“See?” Grissom called back over his shoulder, stopping one hundred yards later. “See? I can run fast!” he pointed out.
Peter and Mike exchanged a glance that Grissom could not see, before breaking out into fits of laughter. “Okay, Gil,” Pete agreed. “You can run. Come on back!” he grinned.
Grissom, slightly relieved that he had proven his point, trotted back to his two new friends. Now they’ll like me, he reasoned. I can run, so they have to like me! “So… are we still going to the beach?” he nervously asked, glancing down at the kite clutched tightly in one of his tiny fists.
“Nah,” Peter shrugged, staring over at Grissom. “Actually, Gil, we need your help,” he admitted.
Grissom shifted from foot to foot, anxiously running his free hand through his hair. “Okay,” he hesitantly mumbled. “What do you need? Do you need help with your homework?” Now I know why they wanted me to play; they just wanted me to do their homework for them.
“No,” Peter chuckled. “It’s nothing like that. But look up,” he ordered Grissom.
Grissom slowly looked up into the branches of a tall tree, spying something caught up at the very top. “Is that a kite?” he cautiously asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“Uh-huh!” Mike grinned at him. “It’s my kite, and it’s stuck. I need you to climb up there in order to get it for me!”
Grissom cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with the entire conversation. “I’m not allowed to climb trees,” he quietly informed the two other boys, staring down at the ground. And besides, I really don’t want to climb to the top of the tree.
“C’mon, Gil,” Peter persisted. “Just go up there, get the kite, and we’ll help you down! It’ll be fun, I promise.” Grissom swept his gaze up the tree again, frowning at the distance that he would need to climb in order to reach the trapped kite. “And once you come down,” Peter continued. “We’ll go to the beach, and have some fun.”
Grissom slowly conceded, as he gently set his kite down on the ground. Glancing at the tree, he hesitantly touched the trunk with one hand, before leaping for the nearest branch. Grabbing it in his sweaty palms, he very carefully pulled himself up, swinging both legs over the branch, and sitting down on it for a very brief moment.
“Can’t you go any faster?” Mike complained, shielding his eyes against the glare from the sun, and watching Grissom’s slow progress. “My grandmother can climb a tree faster than you can!”
Grissom quietly nodded, standing up, and continuing to climb higher. Five minutes, and two cuts later, he reached the top of the tree, dislodging the kite, and sending it to the ground. “Got it?” he asked his two new friends.
“Got it, Gil! Good job!” Mike happily replied, as he gingerly picked up his kite, looking it over for any damage. “But you’re wasting time! Let’s go!”
“Okay!” Grissom smiled at Mike’s praise, before starting to climb back down the tree.
“Just jump, Gil,” Peter mumbled, when Grissom was finally half-way back down. “I want to go to the beach, and it’s taking you forever!”
“I’ll just be a minute more,” Grissom calmly told him, grunting, as he hung from one of the branches, trying to step on the one just below him. “Just one minute more,” he repeated, as his hands scraped against the rough bark of the tree, causing him to gasp in pain as little pinpricks of blood appeared on one of his palms.
“Just jump,” Peter repeated. “We’ll catch you,” he added, as he and Mike held their arms out in front of themselves as if to prove their point. “It will take you less time to jump, and you’ll stop getting hurt,” he tried to reason with him.
Grissom slowly nodded, mulling this fact over. “Do you promise to help catch me, though?” he asked, glancing down at the ground. “I’m not that far up… I should be okay, right?”
“Of course you will,” Peter frowned. “We’re strong kids!”
“Uh-huh,” Mike agreed with him, glancing up at Grissom. “Don’t you trust us?”
Grissom hesitantly nodded his head yes, before releasing his death hold on the tree, and stepping to the edge of the branch. “Okay,” he mumbled. “One, two, three—” he jumped.
Just as Grissom was saying the word ‘three,’ however, Peter and Mike glanced at one another, taking a step backward, and laughing hysterically, as the young boy fell to the ground.
Landing on top of his wrist, Grissom howled in pain, as he heard the bone snap.
---------------
Trust Falls
“So, let me get this straight,” Warrick was the first person to speak up, after listening to Grissom tell his story. “Those little bastards let you fall on purpose?”
Grissom slowly shook his head yes, staring down at the ground. “I jumped, and they purposely moved backwards, so that I would fall. I ended up going to the hospital, because my wrist was shattered in three different places.”
“What an asinine thing to do,” Catherine sighed. And yet, now I understand why you are reluctant to make new friends. You wanted to fit in with your classmates, and they used that fact to ridicule, and even hurt, you; essentially, they burned you. But we’re not like them, Catherine mused. We would never let you get hurt.
“Did they say why they did it, Grissom?” Greg quietly asked, not wanting to force Grissom to relive an embarrassing situation in his life, but at the same time, very curious. “Were they just trying to get back at you or something?”
Grissom cleared his throat, his face slightly reddening.
“What is it, Gris?” Warrick asked.
“They said that I was too big,” he informed everyone. “And they didn’t want me to break their arms.”
Nick’s eyes rose in confusion, as he stared up at his supervisor. “You do know that you’re thin, right?” he quizzically asked. “I mean, you’re not going to hurt any of us.”
“I know that,” Grissom unconvincingly replied. “But just to be on the safe side, I don’t believe that I should complete this activity.”
Sara slowly shook her head no, glancing up at Grissom. “You have to do it, Grissom. I mean, you don’t have to do it, but you should. Do you trust us?” she quietly asked him.
Grissom hesitated, his eyes still on the ground.
“Grissom?” Sara’s voice once again calmly prodded him. When he looked up at her, she tried to smile at him. “Do you trust us?”
“Yes,” he cautiously told her. “But—”
“But nothing, Gil,” Catherine interrupted him. “Sara is right. If you trust us, then complete this activity. You need to learn that we’re a team, and that we’re not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Ditto on what the ladies just told you,” Greg flashed him a crooked smile.
“You’ll be fine, Gris,” Warrick tried to reassure him. “Really.”
“You’ve been there for us in the past, Grissom,” Nick quietly spoke up. “So now let us get you through this,” he added, as he motioned for everyone to take their assigned places by the obstacle.
“Okay,” Grissom sighed, slowly getting to his feet, and once again shuffling to the very edge of the platform. Hesitantly turning around, he took a deep breath, moving his arms so that they were crossed against his chest. “Ready?” he whispered.
“Okay,” the five criminalists and one guide seriously replied.
“… Falling,” Grissom swallowed.
“Fall away!” they told him, bracing their arms and legs to ensure that they would not drop him.
Grissom took one more deep breath, before shuddering. “Falling,” he repeated himself.
Everyone exchanged anxious glances, wondering whether or not he would actually go through with the task. “Fall away!” they again chanted together.
With one more deep breath, Grissom forced his body to stiffen, falling backwards into the waiting arms of his colleagues, who as promised, easily caught him.
---------------
TO BE CONTINUED
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Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS. The quotes all came from: www. heartquotes. net / fear. Html (without the spaces!).
Title: Trust
---------------
Trust Falls
Up on the platform, Grissom anxiously rubbed his beard, still facing away from the rest of the waiting criminalists. I don’t want to do this, and I’m not going to, he told himself. Not after what happened last time.
“Uh, Grissom?” Max hesitantly asked. “Is there a problem?”
“No,” Grissom immediately replied, still remaining completely still.
“Then why are you still standing up there?” the guide persisted, screwing his face up in confusion.
“I was trying to figure something out in my head, and I forgot to fall backwards,” Grissom calmly explained, his hands at his sides, rather than across his chest. Closing his eyes, he tried to take one deep breath after another, hoping to alleviate some of the tension and fear coursing through his body.
“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” Catherine kindly asked.
“No,” Grissom again stated. “I was trying to figure something out in my head, and I just forgot to fall.” Didn’t I just say that?
“I don’t think you’re telling the truth,” Greg shook his head from side to side, staring up at his supervisor in wonderment. “You’re definitely afraid.”
“No, I am not,” Grissom repeated for the third time in as many moments.
“It’s okay to be scared,” Warrick shrugged, squinting up at Grissom. “It happens to everyone.”
“Except,” Nick cleared his throat, a slightly confused look on his face. “I don’t understand. Don’t you trust us to catch you?”
Sara immediately shot Nick a look, narrowing her eyes at his comment. “Of course he trusts us,” she assured him. “Don’t you, Grissom?” she asked, turning her gaze to study him. Why won’t you turn around to look at us? Are you embarrassed about this? Hell, I’ve already had problems with several different obstacles, and Warrick had a rough time with the last one. There is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.
But Grissom did not reply to Sara, instead choosing to bow his head in order to stare down at the ground by his feet.
“Gil?” Catherine questioned him, her own face mirroring Nick’s expression. “Why don’t you trust us? We would never let you fall,” she frowned. After six years of working with us, you seriously don’t believe that we would keep you safe? I think that we would all do anything in our power to protect you.
Greg blinked, not entirely sure how to take Grissom’s silence. But I don’t understand, he wanted to say, clearing his throat. We’re your team; your family. Why don’t you believe us, when we tell you that you’ll be fine? At least with Warrick, his accident was his own fault, and Sara just, Greg swallowed. Sara panicked because we touched her.
Damn, Warrick thought. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the great Gil Grissom not trusting any of us. What does that say about me, and my trustworthiness?
Do you not trust me, either? Sara wanted to ask him. Because I thought that you trusted me with your life. Actually, I thought that you trusted all of us with your life. Sighing, Sara again looked up at him. “Grissom, we won’t let you fall; honest.”
I’ve trusted you with my life in the past, so why don’t you trust me with yours? Nick sadly thought, taking Grissom’s reaction extremely personally. “You just… lean back, and we’ll catch you,” he spoke up. “Nothin’ to it, Grissom.”
“The hardest part is doing it backwards, Gil,” Catherine told him, her hands on her hips. “But you can do this; you’ve done worse.”
“Hell,” Warrick gave him a slight smile, even though Grissom was still facing away from everyone. “You’ve processed a DB after it’s been sitting out in the desert for over seventy-two hours,” he pointed out. “This is nothing, compared to that.”
“Uh-huh,” Greg tried to encourage him. “‘Never let the fear of striking out get in your way,’” he announced.
“Hey, man,” Nick grinned. “Babe Ruth? Excellent.”
Grissom, still not facing his team, once again nervously rubbed his beard. “That isn’t the problem,” he finally admitted.
“Well what is the problem, then?” Warrick prompted him, squinting up at the back of his supervisor’s head. “Because I know that we sure as hell won’t let anything happen to you.”
Grissom sighed, finally turning around to look at everyone. “‘Fear is only as deep as the mind allows,’” he quoted an old Japanese proverb. “And unfortunately, my fear of being dropped goes all the way back to the 1960s,” he told everyone, lowering himself to the very edge of the platform, and sitting down. “Although I don’t typically like to share personal information about myself, you all deserve an explanation; and lucky for you, I remember the incident like it was yesterday.”
---------------
The Grissom Residence, early 1960s
Seven-year-old Gilbert Grissom sat in front of his family’s only television set, rapturously studying the characters on “Car 54, Where Are You?” Sitting cross-legged in front of the screen, his entire attention focused on the antics of Toody and Muldoon, he didn’t even notice his mother walk into the room, until she was tapping him on the back.
Gilbert, she signed, once she had his undivided attention. Did you already do your homework? Although only in first grade, Grissom was already starting to show his intellect, taking advanced classes in most of his subjects.
Yes, Mother, Grissom signed back. I finished my science in a couple of minutes; Mrs. Reece told us to find five leafs, and trace them on a piece of a paper, creating a mini-guidebook. I found ten leafs, and dissected each one of them down to their smallest parts, in order to better document their appearances.
Grissom’s mother raised an eyebrow, staring down at her son. How can you dissect a leaf? She wanted to know.
Simple! You just pull them apart at the stems, he explained. And then you can get good images of the individual fibers, he slowly signed, proud of himself for his creativity, and for his dedication to science.
Grissom’s mother nodded, instantly looking up, as she noticed lights flashing—her own personalized doorbell—in the living room. Gilbert, can you please get the door? She asked her young son, who immediately ran off to do as she asked.
Cautiously opening the door, Grissom stuck his head outside, a flicker of excitement coursing through his body when he processed who was actually standing in front of him. “Hi!” he eagerly greeted Peter Simmons and Mike Walters, two kids from his class. “What are you guys doing here?” Mike immediately snickered, frowning, when Pete elbowed him in the side. Although Grissom noticed the exchange, he chose to ignore it, as it wasn’t every day that someone his age showed up on his doorstep, looking for him.
“We, uh,” Peter grinned at Grissom. “We’re going to go fly kites down by the beach, and we wanted to know if you wanted to come along with us? If your mom will let you out of the house, that is,” he glanced at Mike, who was once again snickering.
“I’ll go check with her. Wait here, please!” Grissom happily told them both, running into the kitchen, and excitedly tapping his mother’s shoulder in order to get her attention. Mom, he signed. Two kids from school are outside, and they want me to go fly kites with them. Can I go? Please? He asked, “Car 54” already forgotten. They’re going down to the beach, he anxiously continued. But I’ll be careful, I promise! It’s a two minute walk! Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?
Grissom’s mother thought about it for a moment, tempted to say no; although they lived in an extremely safe neighborhood, the beach was still not their backyard, and she really did not want him out of her sight. But that being said, it wasn’t every day that someone showed up at the door, wanting to play with her son. Okay, she finally acquiesced. But put some sunscreen on, and be careful!
Grissom was already out of the kitchen, before she had the chance to tell him to have fun.
“What took you so long?” Mike asked him, when Grissom finally emerged from his home, five minutes later.
“Uh… sorry,” Grissom hesitated, his face instantly flushing. “I had to get my kite,” he explained, holding it up to show them. “And I had to put some sunscreen on.”
Mike rolled his eyes, glancing at Peter, before both boys took off at a run.
“Hey, wait up!” Grissom called after them, trying to keep up. “I can’t run that fast!” he panted, as they rounded a corner at the end of his street, still heading toward the beach.
“What’s the matter, Gil?” Peter suddenly stopped, waiting for him to catch up. “Haven’t you ever run before? You’re slower than a girl!” he taunted him.
“And you have a sissy name!” Mike added, standing beside Peter, an evil look on his face.
Grissom stopped running, his smile slowly fading. Why are they being so mean to me? He asked himself. I thought they wanted to play with me, and I thought they wanted to be my friend!, he swallowed, slightly confused. Although Peter and Mike had never asked him to play with them before, he had hoped that they would truly allow him to be a part of the “cool kids club.” “I can run faster,” he tried to assure them, taking a step toward them.
“Oh, yeah?” Mike asked the seven-year old Grissom. “Then let’s see you go!” he smirked, grinning, as the little boy took off down the sidewalk.
“See?” Grissom called back over his shoulder, stopping one hundred yards later. “See? I can run fast!” he pointed out.
Peter and Mike exchanged a glance that Grissom could not see, before breaking out into fits of laughter. “Okay, Gil,” Pete agreed. “You can run. Come on back!” he grinned.
Grissom, slightly relieved that he had proven his point, trotted back to his two new friends. Now they’ll like me, he reasoned. I can run, so they have to like me! “So… are we still going to the beach?” he nervously asked, glancing down at the kite clutched tightly in one of his tiny fists.
“Nah,” Peter shrugged, staring over at Grissom. “Actually, Gil, we need your help,” he admitted.
Grissom shifted from foot to foot, anxiously running his free hand through his hair. “Okay,” he hesitantly mumbled. “What do you need? Do you need help with your homework?” Now I know why they wanted me to play; they just wanted me to do their homework for them.
“No,” Peter chuckled. “It’s nothing like that. But look up,” he ordered Grissom.
Grissom slowly looked up into the branches of a tall tree, spying something caught up at the very top. “Is that a kite?” he cautiously asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“Uh-huh!” Mike grinned at him. “It’s my kite, and it’s stuck. I need you to climb up there in order to get it for me!”
Grissom cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with the entire conversation. “I’m not allowed to climb trees,” he quietly informed the two other boys, staring down at the ground. And besides, I really don’t want to climb to the top of the tree.
“C’mon, Gil,” Peter persisted. “Just go up there, get the kite, and we’ll help you down! It’ll be fun, I promise.” Grissom swept his gaze up the tree again, frowning at the distance that he would need to climb in order to reach the trapped kite. “And once you come down,” Peter continued. “We’ll go to the beach, and have some fun.”
Grissom slowly conceded, as he gently set his kite down on the ground. Glancing at the tree, he hesitantly touched the trunk with one hand, before leaping for the nearest branch. Grabbing it in his sweaty palms, he very carefully pulled himself up, swinging both legs over the branch, and sitting down on it for a very brief moment.
“Can’t you go any faster?” Mike complained, shielding his eyes against the glare from the sun, and watching Grissom’s slow progress. “My grandmother can climb a tree faster than you can!”
Grissom quietly nodded, standing up, and continuing to climb higher. Five minutes, and two cuts later, he reached the top of the tree, dislodging the kite, and sending it to the ground. “Got it?” he asked his two new friends.
“Got it, Gil! Good job!” Mike happily replied, as he gingerly picked up his kite, looking it over for any damage. “But you’re wasting time! Let’s go!”
“Okay!” Grissom smiled at Mike’s praise, before starting to climb back down the tree.
“Just jump, Gil,” Peter mumbled, when Grissom was finally half-way back down. “I want to go to the beach, and it’s taking you forever!”
“I’ll just be a minute more,” Grissom calmly told him, grunting, as he hung from one of the branches, trying to step on the one just below him. “Just one minute more,” he repeated, as his hands scraped against the rough bark of the tree, causing him to gasp in pain as little pinpricks of blood appeared on one of his palms.
“Just jump,” Peter repeated. “We’ll catch you,” he added, as he and Mike held their arms out in front of themselves as if to prove their point. “It will take you less time to jump, and you’ll stop getting hurt,” he tried to reason with him.
Grissom slowly nodded, mulling this fact over. “Do you promise to help catch me, though?” he asked, glancing down at the ground. “I’m not that far up… I should be okay, right?”
“Of course you will,” Peter frowned. “We’re strong kids!”
“Uh-huh,” Mike agreed with him, glancing up at Grissom. “Don’t you trust us?”
Grissom hesitantly nodded his head yes, before releasing his death hold on the tree, and stepping to the edge of the branch. “Okay,” he mumbled. “One, two, three—” he jumped.
Just as Grissom was saying the word ‘three,’ however, Peter and Mike glanced at one another, taking a step backward, and laughing hysterically, as the young boy fell to the ground.
Landing on top of his wrist, Grissom howled in pain, as he heard the bone snap.
---------------
Trust Falls
“So, let me get this straight,” Warrick was the first person to speak up, after listening to Grissom tell his story. “Those little bastards let you fall on purpose?”
Grissom slowly shook his head yes, staring down at the ground. “I jumped, and they purposely moved backwards, so that I would fall. I ended up going to the hospital, because my wrist was shattered in three different places.”
“What an asinine thing to do,” Catherine sighed. And yet, now I understand why you are reluctant to make new friends. You wanted to fit in with your classmates, and they used that fact to ridicule, and even hurt, you; essentially, they burned you. But we’re not like them, Catherine mused. We would never let you get hurt.
“Did they say why they did it, Grissom?” Greg quietly asked, not wanting to force Grissom to relive an embarrassing situation in his life, but at the same time, very curious. “Were they just trying to get back at you or something?”
Grissom cleared his throat, his face slightly reddening.
“What is it, Gris?” Warrick asked.
“They said that I was too big,” he informed everyone. “And they didn’t want me to break their arms.”
Nick’s eyes rose in confusion, as he stared up at his supervisor. “You do know that you’re thin, right?” he quizzically asked. “I mean, you’re not going to hurt any of us.”
“I know that,” Grissom unconvincingly replied. “But just to be on the safe side, I don’t believe that I should complete this activity.”
Sara slowly shook her head no, glancing up at Grissom. “You have to do it, Grissom. I mean, you don’t have to do it, but you should. Do you trust us?” she quietly asked him.
Grissom hesitated, his eyes still on the ground.
“Grissom?” Sara’s voice once again calmly prodded him. When he looked up at her, she tried to smile at him. “Do you trust us?”
“Yes,” he cautiously told her. “But—”
“But nothing, Gil,” Catherine interrupted him. “Sara is right. If you trust us, then complete this activity. You need to learn that we’re a team, and that we’re not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Ditto on what the ladies just told you,” Greg flashed him a crooked smile.
“You’ll be fine, Gris,” Warrick tried to reassure him. “Really.”
“You’ve been there for us in the past, Grissom,” Nick quietly spoke up. “So now let us get you through this,” he added, as he motioned for everyone to take their assigned places by the obstacle.
“Okay,” Grissom sighed, slowly getting to his feet, and once again shuffling to the very edge of the platform. Hesitantly turning around, he took a deep breath, moving his arms so that they were crossed against his chest. “Ready?” he whispered.
“Okay,” the five criminalists and one guide seriously replied.
“… Falling,” Grissom swallowed.
“Fall away!” they told him, bracing their arms and legs to ensure that they would not drop him.
Grissom took one more deep breath, before shuddering. “Falling,” he repeated himself.
Everyone exchanged anxious glances, wondering whether or not he would actually go through with the task. “Fall away!” they again chanted together.
With one more deep breath, Grissom forced his body to stiffen, falling backwards into the waiting arms of his colleagues, who as promised, easily caught him.
---------------
TO BE CONTINUED
quoth_the_raven
Corpse
Awwww! Sometimes I hate kids! They're always portrayed as such small, innocent little creatures that want nothing more in the world than to eat the gooey blue stuff growing under the sink But now their true colors show! Poor Grissom, I understand why he would be so reluctant!
Nice chapter
But now their true colors show! Poor Grissom, I understand why he would be so reluctant! Nice chapter