01 – Notice of Intent

Some things never change.

Even thousands of miles away, Gil Grissom can still cause more than his fair share of mayhem and mischief. This time it’s just a different sort of mayhem and mischief.

Follows “Going with the Living” and takes place circa Winter/Spring 2009.

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Notice of Intent

Two Weeks Previously, Costa Rica

It was getting to be rather late on that particular Saturday and Sara was just beginning to think that the whole divide and conquer approach to that week’s supply list was perhaps not such a good idea after all, when she spotted a very calm and collected looking Gil Grissom perched, pen in hand, in front of one of the many sodas, or local diners, that punctuated the town’s market district.

The better to get a good view of what he seemed to be so intent on scribbling, she crept up behind him and leaned in.

“Yes, dear?” he said without bothering to look up.

“Since when do you send post cards?” she inquired keenly.

“I believe you were the one who told me that a note to Catherine was overdue,” Grissom replied evenly. “Besides, I saw this one and couldn’t resist. Cairina moschata, a Moscovy Duck,” he explained as he flipped it over to reveal the words Greetings from Costa Rica emblazoned over of all things a photograph of a brightly plumaged duck.

Readily recalling her former co-worker’s almost passionate loathing of all waterfowl (thanks in part to Catherine’s having had to share her office with a duck-loving supervisor from day shift for while), Sara grinned and said, “Oh, she is going to just love that.

“But wouldn’t email be faster?”

“But not nearly so much fun,” he countered and returned to his writing.

As Sara put down her packages and took a seat across from him, she said in a suspicious voice, “You’re up to something.” To which he merely smiled and finished inscribing the address pane. This done, he slid the card over for her to peruse.

It was a short message, not more than a few lines. The first of which must have referred to some sort of private joke between Grissom and Catherine as Sara had no clue what it was referring to, but when her eyes fell on the postscript, she smirked and said, “Well, that will certainly give them all something to talk about.”

*******

Las Vegas

Catherine Willows was on her way to the break room in order to inhale one last quick cup of coffee before evening assignments when she decided to stop and pay a visit to Grissom’s office. Although it had been well over a month since her former boss and friend had occupied the space, she still thought of it that way, as Grissom’s office. She supposed old habits died hard.

It had taken her nearly that long to have the rest of the boxes of books and specimens (apart from a handful of ones that Grissom had requested she send to Costa Rica after the first of the year) picked up and placed into storage.

Thankfully, the space hadn’t remained empty for long. While she certainly had no designs on it herself, having become rather comfortably ensconced in her own office over the last several years, Nick didn’t have any qualms about moving in, providing that he didn’t have to occupy it all by himself. Greg and Riley had both readily jumped at having a real office even if it was shared.

Catherine took a few slightly reluctant steps inside and peered around, still trying to get used to this new status quo. As the trio had only taken up residency a few days before, the office still had that not quite moved in yet look to it.

“Getting settled in okay?” she asked Nick who was at the moment the room’s only occupant.

Nick Stokes peered up from the case file he was reviewing and replied with a noncommittal shrug, “Still takes some getting used to.”

She nodded and gave him a soft, knowing smile. It would probably take a while for all of them to get used to all of the changes. But then as Grissom used to say, the only constant in the universe was change.

Then something unexpected caught her eye. She quickly strode over to the half-empty bookshelf in order to investigate. While it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen a fetal pig in a jar in this office before, she didn’t expect to find it there now.

“Where did you get Miss Piggy?” she inquired curiously.

“Office warming present from Hodges,” Nick supplied.

“That was sweet of him,” said Catherine. “Although I am not quite sure I want to know how or where he got it from.”

“Probably not,” Nick readily concurred. Then seeing the thick stack she was grasping he rejoined almost flippantly, “Enjoying all the extra paper work?”

Catherine pursed her lips. She still had no idea how paperwork could multiply so fast in just twelve hours. She began to thumb through the pile and rued over the fact that somehow part of her mail had gotten mixed up with the evening’s assignment slips.

Nick closed the file he had been working on and glancing up at the clock said as he got to his feet, “You planning on handing out those assignments tonight, boss? Or are you going to just let us duke it out? Because while I know I can take Greg, I am not quite so sure about Riley.”

When she didn’t answer, but merely continued to stand there seemingly preoccupied with the papers in her hands, Nick came up and said, “You okay?” Then when a slow smile began to spread across her face, he was even more baffled.

“Since when does paperwork make anyone smile?” he asked.

“It’s not paperwork,” she replied, pulling a glossy postcard from the stack.

“Costa Rica?” Nick queried. “Who do you know in Costa Rica?”

“Same person you do.”

“Grissom?” came his incredulous reply. “But what’s in Costa Rica?”

“More like who.”

“Sara?”

Catherine smirked. “Who did you think?”

Nick shrugged and sighed. “I guess I just never thought of Grissom as the run off in order to get the girl kind of guy.”

At this, she let out a soft chuckle. “I have the feeling there is a lot to Grissom that we never thought about. But he must have had one heck of a reception,” she said, handing him the card.

Nick flipped it over and read.

“‘We have some news.’ What the heck is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“Knowing the two of them, who knows.”

Nick eyed her suspiciously. “You don’t look all that surprised.”

She only grinned and taking the card back from him, turned towards the door.

“Catherine,” Nick called, suddenly realizing exactly what her silence meant. “You knew. You knew all along why he was leaving and didn’t say anything.”

“It wasn’t my place to tell.”

“Like that’s ever stopped you before,” he protested. “I can’t believe he actually told you.”

“He didn’t,” she replied. “He didn’t have to.”

Nick rolled his eyes and said dismissively, “So you just worked it all out on your own.”

“You do know what they say.”

“No, what’s that?”

Catherine leaned on the doorframe and said, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me.”

“Does this mean along with your new supervisory duties you are going to be providing quotations as well?”

“Petulance doesn’t suit you, Nicky.”

Continued in Calling In

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