Budding

Grissom walked briskly through the halls of CSI, assignments for his nightshift team in hand.

He got to the break room, and saw Warrick and Catherine.

"Hey," he said. "What are you two doing back from New Orleans so early?"

"Oh, well, nice to see you too Grissom," Catherine greeted him.

"We finished the case early," Warrick explained. "It was weird. Turns out it was an elaborate scheme. The police was selling evidence in all kinds of murder trials. Come to find out they've been doing it for years. We broke that case wide open."

"Oh, well, nice to have you two back," Grissom said. "Because I have another murder for you to solve."

Catherine got up and took the slip from Grissom.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm driving Warrick."

"Oh Lord," he said as he followed her out.

"Nick, you've got a robbery at an exclusive night club, one person shot," Grissom said, handing him the slip. "Be thorough."

"Will do boss," Nick said on the way out.

"Sara, you're with me," Grissom explained. "I saved the fun stuff for us. A floater down in Lake Mead."

"Ooh," she said with a smile. "Sounds like lots of fun."

***

Nick caught up with Warrick on the way to the DNA labs.

"Hey Warrick," he said.

"Hey," Warrick said as he looked through some photos of the crime scene.

"So, did you and Cath have a nice time in New Orleans?" Nick asked with a sly smile.

"Nick man, it wasn't a vacation," Warrick chuckled. "We were down there for a murder case, not for Mardi Gras."

"I know, but that didn't stop you two from seeing the nightlife," Nick said. "From what I hear, they had you two working days, which means-"

"That nights were for sleeping," Warrick interrupted. "What exactly are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything," Nick said defensively. "I was just asking if you ever checked out the city. By the way, I didn't ask about Miami."

"I'm not having this conversation with you," Warrick said as they entered the realm of Greg.

As usual, Greg was listening to his head phones, so he was inattentive at the moment.

"Hey Einstein," Warrick shouted into his ear.

Greg jumped and took off the headphones.

"Jesus, Warrick," he said, rubbing his ear. "You want me to go deaf."

Nick picked up the blasting headphones. "I think you're doing that to yourself bro."

Greg mocked amusement. "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

"Get us our results," Nick said. "Hurry up, my case is hot."

"Lab scuttlebutt tells me something's hotter," Greg said, looking over at Warrick. "Just what exactly did you and Catherine do down in the Big Easy?"

"What is this?" Warrick asked, irritated. "Love Connection? We went down there to investigate a murder."

"That's not what I hear," Greg said teasingly.

"Anyway," Warrick said. "What have you got?"

"Well, for your case, the hair from the carpet isn't a match to your victim," Greg told Warrick. "Sorry dude. Now Nick, the fingernail left by the desk, match to a Brenda Guada-jada- something."

He handed them their papers.

Catherine walked into the DNA lab, also looking for results.

"Hey guys," she said.

"Hey," they all said.

"Cath, the hair from the carpet doesn't match the victim," Warrick told her.

She groaned. "Then who else was at that scene?"

"I don't know," Warrick said. "People say that this woman was practically a hermit. She didn't let anybody in or out of her house."

"Greg run this hair through CODIS, see if you can identify its owner," Catherine said. "Well, I have some good news. I know the cause of death."

"Really?" Warrick asked. "What was it?"

Catherine smiled. "Follow me."

Warrick opened the door for her and they walked out, heading for the morgue.

Nick and Greg looked at each other.

"Did you see that?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, they've totally got the hots for each other, that's been pretty evident for the past what? Seven years?" Greg said.

"I know, but I think they've acted on it," Nick said with a smile. "While they were in New Orleans."

"It's very possible that could've happened," Greg said. "Without Grissom supervision, anything goes."

***

"So, do you think that it was a suicide?" Warrick asked Catherine as they chatted in the hallway.

"Doc said that it's quite possible," Catherine mentioned. "Unless we get a hit off that sample-"

"Catherine, Warrick," Grissom interrupted them. "Could you two come to my office please?"

They looked at each other strangely before following Grissom to his office.

"What's up," Warrick asked.

"Close the door please," Grissom said.

Catherine closed the door, then she sat down.

Grissom took off his glasses and set them aside. Catherine knew that a touchy subject was going to arise, she didn't know whether it was going to be about the case, her daughter, or what. But Warrick was in there, so it had something to do with the both of them.

"Just what exactly happened in New Orleans?" Grissom asked.

"What do you mean?" Catherine asked.

"I mean, did something strange happen while you two were down there?"

Catherine and Warrick looked at each other. This line of questioning was leading down some dangerous territory. In their eyes, they could both see that they hadn't forgotten about the little incident that happened that also happened to change their relationship as far as being friends goes, but other than that, what was Grissom implying?

"What do you mean strange?" Catherine asked.

"I mean, like something happened other than what I sent you two down there for," Grissom said.

"No, nothing out of the ordinary happened," Warrick said. "That city is a little freaky, but other than that, everything went smoothly."

Grissom nodded at this.

"Well, there have been…implications that you two were not doing what you were supposed to do," Grissom said.

"Well, those implications aren't true," Catherine said, looking nervously at Warrick. "Look, we went down there, sweated like pigs in that unbearable heat, solved a case, and came back. We didn't do anything 'strange' as you put it while we were down there."

"Okay," Grissom said.

Warrick and Catherine got up and left the office.

What happened in New Orleans?