Trading Spaces (1/2)

By Joan Powers

This story is a little different from the type I usually write. In fact, when I first got the idea, I thought, "Where did that come from?" Anyway, it's fluff piece and it was fun to write. I'd love to hear your feedback!

Special thanks to Leslie and Kelly for their excellent input and beta skills!

Type: G/S and C/W romance

Rating: R

Summary: Catherine, Warrick, Sara, and Grissom are attending a mandatory NV State forensics function at a mountain retreat. While the talks are abysmal, couples are scheming to get some time to themselves, without the knowledge of the other.

Catherine thumbed through the conference program then, in disgust, slammed it onto the hotel bed. "This is a complete waste of time."

Lounging on the adjacent bed, Sara agreed. "They've outdone themselves with stupidity, there's not a single lecture worth attending tomorrow. We're more knowlegible about these subjects than the actual presenters. I can't believe Grissom couldn't get us out of this. You know how he hates this political stuff. What a waste." Not to be outdone by Catherine, she tossed her booklet into a nearby trashcan. It landed with a resounding crash.

Although the setting for the conference was pleasant enough, the mountains of Nevada were certainly breathtaking; no time had been allotted for any field trips or outings of a frivolous nature. Only the dreaded "mixer" was scheduled, a stiff gathering with limited liquid refreshment and minuscule quantities of hors d'oeouvres where everyone was forced to make dreary small talk with people they didn't care to ever meet again. Most of the members of the conference had been coerced into attending for similar political reasons rather than scientific ones.

Their accommodations were adequate at best. It was an average sized hotel room crammed with two standard beds, a dresser with a TV smaller than most homeowners possess, and a table with two chairs. The art on the wall was clearly indicative of bulk retail or possibly the owner made a great deal obtaining them from a guy selling stuff out of his semi-truck. The bathroom, though lacking in style and about the size of her walk-in -closet at home, was thankfully functional.

Worst of all, the walls were paper-thin; she could hear Grissom blasting the Discovery Channel in the neighboring room. Hadn't his hearing problem been fixed? Was he having a relapse or was it just one of those guy things? Her ex-husband, Eddy, had been fond of cranking up the volume while enjoying the game. She grinned as she wondered how Grissom's roommate was faring.

Just thinking about Warrick made the gears in her mind churn a little faster. She could salvage part of this miserable outing. This could still be a golden opportunity if only she could figure out how to make it work. If only it were as simple as trading places.

Catherine and Warrick had been seeing each other for over a month now. After they'd nearly kissed by the water drain, she'd taken matters into her own hands, which was her style. Warrick didn't object when she made her move. She'd invited him out for drinks after they'd both pulled a double and somehow they'd ended up in her bedroom. While they didn't keep company constantly, she'd be damned if he was going to sleep only several yards away in a nearby hotel room.

Besides, Grissom was supposed to have gotten his own room, being the boss, thus leaving Warrick to bunk solo until she slipped out of her room to join him. That was part of the original plan. That's what made it such an irresistible opportunity, to have some private time with Warrick while also earning her salary. She should've known it was too good to be true. She'd even purchased some fancy red lingerie as a special treat for Warrick. Sara had eyed the garment suspiciously as Catherine unpacked.

Of course, things hadn't worked out as planned. Even Grissom himself had seemed uncharacteristically irritated by the change in plans when upon their arrival he was informed that the hotel was full and could not accommodate their original rooming arrangements. He'd made quite a scene, though to no avail.

What to do?

She didn't especially care if their co-workers knew about their relationship. She hadn't gotten where she was in life by hiding or denying who she was. She hadn't particularly been trying to keep it a secret; as a parent, she was used to non-existent privacy.

Still, Warrick was a little sensitive, not wanting to offend the boss or show up too much on his radar. So she'd been a good girl and kept her hands off him at work, for the most part. That kiss at the last crime scene probably hadn't been a good idea, a major distraction in fact, but it'd felt fabulous. Besides they'd been alone in the middle of the desert, who would've known?

And if the relationship didn't work out, she'd deal with the consequences later. Live for today, that was her motto.

Not being one to mince words, she turned to present the situation to Sara. However, her bed was empty, she must've gone into the bathroom. Catherine used the opportunity to call Warrick on her cell.

"Hey, how's it going?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"How do you think?" Warrick sounded peeved.

"Can you talk?" she whispered, conscious of the thin walls and that Sara might reappear at any minute. At least the Discovery Channel's "Secret Life of Birds" would be helpful for masking their conversation.

"Briefly, I'm getting a soda down the hall. Cath, this stinks in so many ways." His voice was filled with frustration and disappointment.

"I agree." Always direct, Catherine told him what she wanted. "I want you. Now."

"Don't do this Cath. You know I'd love that too but we have some roommate issues."

"I know, I'm going to talk with Sara. Maybe she'll agree to pop out for a while to give us some alone time." Anticipating his response, she quickly added, "I know she'd be discrete."

"That'd be sweet," he replied hopefully.

"Would you prefer to meet in some deserted utility closet?" she slyly suggested.

He laughed, "Tempting but too risky."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" she teased him. She'd done worse.

"Maybe I'll take a walk to scout out the place," he suggested.

"Don't wander too far. Keep your pager and phone nearby. I'll keep you posted."

She closed her phone and stretched out on the bed. There must be some viable option to solve this dilemma.

What was taking Sara so long in the bathroom?

When Sara finally emerged from the bathroom, Catherine was practically pacing about the room.

"Are you feeling okay?" the older woman asked with some concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sara seemed a little distracted as she collapsed onto her bed.

Catherine stepped over to sit beside her. With some urgency, she insisted, "We need to talk, but keep your voice low, we don't want to be over heard." She gestured to the adjoining room that the men shared.

"Okay." Sara was confused. "About what?"

Directness was one of Catherine's skills. "I have a problem. Did you know Warrick and I were seeing each other?"

Sara grinned. How could anyone not know? Last week when Sara had innocently entered the locker room, she encountered Catherine and Warrick lip locked in a passionate embrace. Catherine wasn't one to be discrete. Sara hoped that Warrick could handle it.

"Yeah."

"Our new room arrangement is causing some problems."

Sara's eyes widened with immediate understanding and her grin became infectious. "Let me guess, you'd like some alone time with your boyfriend?"

"You got it." Catherine scanned the other woman's face with some concern. "Got any suggestions?"

Sara rose and began to pace, "Well, I could check to see if there are any new vacancies."

"Forget that. Grissom made such a stink if that were an option he would've been contacted by now."

Sara thought, "How about I take a walk for a while? Maybe a few hours or even over night."

Catherine was pleasantly surprised by the suggestion yet taken aback. "What are you saying? You need a place to sleep. I can't just toss you out for the night." As much as she was dying to be alone with Warrick, she wasn't a callous person.

She was horribly tempted to suggest that Sara borrow the new red lingerie she'd bought for herself, and go to Grissom's hotel room with the intention of seducing him since it was so incredibly obvious that the two of them were attracted to one another. What man could resist the woman he loved in his bed? It was a setup she herself would've taken advantage of.

Still she sensed that Sara wouldn't appreciate that. If there'd been a way to maneuver to get those two together, Catherine would've gladly done it. Ultimately they'd have to do it on their own terms, though she'd no clue what those were.

Sara explained, "You know I have insomnia." The blonde nodded. "Some nights I sleep, some nights I don't. So what's the difference between me reading a forensics journal in this room, disturbing you, versus me reading that same journal in the hotel lounge? It's no big deal."

Catherine had her doubts but she was so overjoyed at the prospect of sleeping with Warrick that she allowed Sara to gloss over the details.

She continued, "I could visit Grissom with the idea of talking about an article in my journal, then I after I used his bathroom, I could conveniently sneak out some of Warrick's stuff."

"I like the sound of that," Catherine was getting excited.

"How do we get Warrick out of the room?" Sara wondered.

Catherine quickly snatched up her cell phone to determine Warrick's where-abouts.

"Hey, we've got a plan. Can you talk?" she spoke into her phone.

"Uh, hey, yeah, the conference is pretty lousy. You're lucky you got to stay in Vegas," Warrick answered awkwardly, trying to pretend that he was talking to someone else.

"You're in the room?" She was disappointed.

"Uh-huh, the speakers are pathetic."

"Come over to my room as fast as you can. And try to leave what you need in the bathroom for Sara to bring by later," she pressed.

He answered, "Sure, you can borrow my kit but you better take good care of it."

"See you soon, lover." Catherine was practically purring as she closed her phone then focused her attention on Sara again. "Okay, Warrick's coming over. You're dropping by Grissom's to pick up his toothbrush and a few essentials. I think we're set." She was almost glowing with anticipation. "I owe you Sara."

The younger woman quickly skimmed through her journal, searching for her 'cover'. "I guess this article's as good as any." She rose to put on her shoes. "You guys have fun. I'll try to drop off Warrick's stuff within ten minutes then I won't return until 7am. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.' She strode towards the door.

"Don't worry, we will, "Catherine replied, with a naughty grin. A moment later, she added, "Wait a minute Sara."

The brunette turned.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? You must've been in the bathroom over fifteen minutes. I don't want to put you in a bad position."

An odd smile covered her face. "Oh, don't worry about me, Catherine. I'll be fine."

While speaking with Catherine, Warrick had been careful not to face Grissom. His heart was beating a mile a minute. He was thrilled at the prospect of being with Catherine but how was he going to pull this off so that Grissom didn't suspect? Not that it was that big a deal, they were all consenting adults; he just wanted to maintain the boss's respect.

Something simple would be best. He considered his options as he skimmed the contents of the suitcase that he hadn't bothered to unpack. It was a fruitless exercise; he didn't care about clothes or tomorrow. He wanted Catherine. He grabbed some clean underwear to shove into his kit along with his toothbrush, toiletry items and condoms. That's all he really needed. He'd worry about the rest of the details in the morning. As instructed, he stowed the bag on the sink in the bathroom.

Thankfully Grissom seemed oblivious during the entire process. He simply sat on his bed, scowling, apparently engrossed in an entomology journal, while the TV blasted the Discovery Channel. Now the parenting behaviors of cats were being showcased.

The boss seemed more tightly wound than usual. However, it had been a challenging week in which they'd all accumulated massive overtime. And the nature of the cases was more stressful than usual too. It had certainly taken its toll on him; Grissom was probably just tired and stressed out, like the rest of them. Other than roller coasters, God only knew what the man did to unwind.

Damn, what excuse could he use? He perched on the foot of his bed, feeling like a caged animal. He'd already gotten a drink and gone for a walk. Or did he even have to make an excuse? He was an adult; it wasn't like Grissom was his parent or chaperone. He just felt uncomfortable.

Maybe he should tell him the truth? Although Grissom had indeed established himself as more than a boss, not firing him over the business with Holly or his former gambling troubles, he wasn't the type to inspire confessions of a personal nature.

Warrick spent several minutes, seemingly staring mindlessly at the television while spinning his wheels to come up with an excuse to leave the room. At one point, Grissom peered over his glasses to examine him quizzically, but he hadn't said a word to him.

Okay, this was it. He was going to just leave. He had to; otherwise he was going to lose his mind. In just one minute, he'd walk out the door without an explanation or a second glance. He was practically holding his breath as he watched the second hand sweep around the clock face.

A knock on the door broke his concentration.

"Hello?" Sara's voice called.

Grissom abruptly looked up from his journal. "Can you get that Warrick?"

Warrick hurried over to open the door. He greeted Sara. "Hey"

"Hey," she responded.

Grissom was most definitely being antisocial; he didn't even raise his head or acknowledge Sara.

"What's up?" Warrick struggled to make 'normal' conversation.

"Just wanted to show you an article," Sara spoke towards Grissom, yet he still didn't budge.

As she approached the bed, he glared over his glasses. "Not now." He growled, and then he continued to ignore her.

Sara and Warrick exchanged confused glances. Then Sara improvised beautifully, "Hey Warrick, we're having trouble with our TV remote. Maybe you could help us out?"

He had to catch himself before he almost foolishly laughed at the inane request, fully aware that either female CSI was more than capable of solving such a minor problem. He recognized the opportunity presented. And if Sara wasn't able to retrieve his belongings, it wasn't a problem.

"Yeah, sure." He practically bolted out of the room.

Although they weren't able to use their scented bubble bath, for the bathtub was much too small for two to soak comfortably, Warrick and Catherine were able to utilize many of their other 'toys'. After Sara had dropped off Warrick's bag, they started off with full body massages using scented lubricating oils. Once greased up, they made love passionately and enjoyed one another thoroughly.

Sleep was the furthest thing from their minds; the talks scheduled for the next day were so inane that they could doze right through them. Besides, this was a golden opportunity; no kids, no annoying pages even when it was your night off. They planned to take full advantage of the circumstances.

Unfortunately, Warrick hadn't been able to transfer the edible underwear from his suitcase to his kit in the bathroom. But he fully appreciated Catherine's red lingerie and he even convinced her to do a lap dance for him, which was quite an exhilarating experience for both of them. Finally, the two took turns tying each other up with silk sashes while the other kissed and caressed the 'victim's' body.

Hours later, sated and a little sore, they collapsed in each other's arms.

As Catherine glanced at the clock before she fell asleep, she absently thought, "I hope Sara's okay."

(end part1)