Categories > TV > CSI
In Unexpected Places
5 reviewsduring and post-"Grave Danger", Catherine's eyes are opened to something profound about her coworkers. SLASH Nick/Warrick H/C
4Ambiance
Author's Notes: Like many writers, i was heavily inspired to write after "Grave Danger" but i tried to give my story a little something different. My love of Catherine may be showing in this fic ;) Thanks to Raimm my favourite beta for the look-over!
**
Tragedy has a funny way of making things crystal clear. In Catherine's occupation, it's a often a daily occurance but every once in a while, there will be a case that just feels like it cracked her skull open with its blinding light. But maybe that's not terribly surprising, considering this case, the case that had the whole lab on its collective feet, trapped between stunned silence and frantic effort. The lab had its petty rivalries and gossip but when one of their own went missing, everyone closed ranks. Especially when that person was Nick Stokes.
It also didn't surprise Catherine how upset she had been, because she had considered both Nick and Warrick to be "her boys" ever since they had all been assigned to swing shift. Everyone knew about it. Warrick and Nick knew about it, knew how she relied on her ability to trust them and be able to occasionally lean on their strength. The thought of Nick, who was an original Good Guy and a friend, buried alive on an insane whim, a random twist of fate, made her feel as violently sick as she would if it was Lindsay in that horrible plexiglass coffin.
But what did surprise her was that she wasn't the one who had reacted the worst to what happened to Nick. And that prize didn't go to Sara or Greg, the two she would have pegged most likely to take the whole situation hard. No, the one who had startled her was Warrick.
She knew Warrick and Nick were good friends. That they often hung out together, shared dating woes and their favourite habit of mock-heckling each other into pretend bets. They kept each other in line as much as they watched each others backs; Warrick through his gambling problem and Nick after his stalker incident. But Catherine had no idea how deep that bond went until she caught sight of Warrick's face as they watched Nick scrabble frantically against the walls of his earthy prison through the harsh angling of the webcamera. She'd expected anger and worry but what she saw was much more than that: raw agony mixed with black rage.
Not red rage, it was a true darkness that lent Warrick an aura of menace. He had always possessed a rather feline grace, like a panther with his unconscious swagger, but Warrick had spent the whole case practically prowling around like a tiger trapped in a too-small cage. Like Nick had been. That unmistakable empathy between them would have been captivating had the people involved been strangers. But this was Nick and Warrick. Her boys. It had broken her own heart to watch them seperated this way, to find Warrick constantly returning to the webcam to catch another glimpse of Nick, to make sure he was still alive.
Warrick's startling lash-out at Greg, his unexpectedly shiny eyes when Catherine went to calm him down, his broken near-incoherent confession at not being as strong as Nick was, they all spoke to Catherine of emotions deeper than she had ever seen Warrick display to another person. He was usually solitary in confronting his demons, maintaining an impassive front to those around him, even his friends. To see Warrick so bare was almost more shocking than the whole situation that had prompted such an emotional stripping.
And when they finally, finally, found where Nick was and dug him out, Warrick and Nick's reactions to each other were as clarion-clear as full-strength headlights, blinding the two men to nearly everything except to each other. Catherine would never forget the sound of Nick's voice when Grissom ordered Warrick away from Nick's clear prison; Warrick's name torn from Nick's throat like the loss was strangling him, like he was dying. And the expression of Warrick's face as he grudgingly moved back made him look like a second casualty.
Oh her boys, her irreplacable second family! Tears silently slide down her pale cheeks as she watched them both brought so low. Catherine couldn't help but follow them as Warrick resolutely climbed into the ambulance as Nick was wheeled inside, his eyes focused only on Nick. The Texan was still crying quietly, his hand reached out with unashamed desperation and Warrick's own grip met him halfway, tight against the crush of Nick's fingers. It would have cracked the bones of a lesser man but Warrick never even winced while Catherine threaded her own slim fingers around Nick's other arm and wrist. They both murmured comforting words to Nick, meaningless noises really, with Catherine's light alto in delicate contrast to Warrick's deep bass. Now that Nick was safe, Warrick's menacing posture softened into something more vulnerable and his tone took on the slight croon Catherine had noticed earlier when Warrick was talking to Nick through the webcam screen. Nick's gulping breaths started to ease up a little and he finally started to relax from the rigidity of his terror. Catherine was beginning to feel somewhat useless and made a tentative movement to pull her hand away, but Nick simply gripped her arm instinctively and Warrick unexpectedly turned her way. The tall CSI blinked for a moment, as if surprised to see he wasn't alone, then he simply put his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer towards Nick. She was grateful that they didn't seem to resent her presence, that they did want her there with them. But she also didn't miss how their eyes continued to seek each other out the whole way to the hospital.
** * **
It's funny how quiet noises can sometimes wake you better than loud ones. Take hospital bedside monitors, with their repetitive loud beeps. Catherine was amazed how easy it was to let those kind of noises fade into the background, that their comforting psychological nature made them easy to ignore. She had curled up in an overstuffed chair that Warrick had stolen from a nearby lounge. He hadn't asked permission nor said a word to anyone, giving a glare and a flash of a badge to anyone who had tried to stop him. Even a policy-obsessive place like a hospital didn't have too many people willing to get in the way of an aggressively-fit 6'2" man with a gun at his hip.
Typically, Warrick had gotten the chair for her and not himself; he had dragged the cheap plastic chair the room had normally right beside the drug-dosed Nick and didn't seem to feel any discomfort. Benefit of having almost ten years advantage on her, Catherine had mused ironically. They were the only ones in room now; their coworkers had stayed pretty long but the general consensus was that they shouldn't keep Nick up and it probably wasn't a good idea to frazzle the hospital staff any longer with their constant overflowing of the room. Nick's parents had stayed long enough to reassure themselves that Nick was okay, that he didn't have any life-risking injuries once he had been treated for the fireant venom. It was obvious to Catherine that not only did they love their son immensely but they also took their jobs very seriously and had to get back, dual traits that she saw in Nick every day. Nick's groggy but firm refusal to come home with them had brought sad smiles to their faces, as if they hadn't expected any different.
Catherine wasn't sure why she had stayed so long, she knew she felt she could protect them better if she was with them now, with her newly-acquired knowledge of their bond. It was probably extended maternal instincts or someother psychobabble that she was too tired to figure out. And she didn't even know she had nodded off until she snapped back to the real world with the tiniest jolt. For a long moment, she didn't even open her eyes but let her befuddled mind figure out where she was, why and how, and so forth. The whole timeline came back to her in a series of vivid short clips that silently clicked into place: Nick's kidnapping, the case, his rescue, the hospital. Then she tried to figure out what exactly had woken her up in the midst of the enforced calm of the medical center. Sleepily, she thought it might have been the sound of Nick's voice, saying someone's name and it wasn't hers. Warrick's quiet reply only confirmed her guess.
"I'm here, man."
"That Cath over there?" Nick sounded slightly less drugged than before, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, she's been asleep for a while now." Catherine could hear the smile in Warrick's voice. "I told her she could go home but she said Lindsay wanted her to stay and make sure you were going to live. Seems like you have fans even outside the department." Warrick teased ever so slightly. Nick's chuckle might have sounded more like a croak but Catherine was glad to hear it all the same.
"I must look like hell."
"Never looked better." Warrick's voice was low but rich with adoration. There was a long pause that slowly thickened the air, palatable to Catherine even with her eyes still closed.
"I thought I lost you. I nearly killed you by keeping that light on so long!" Warrick's confession barely escaped from a throat that sounded suddenly choked up.
"Hey, it's alright, I'm OK. You didn't know how the power was hooked up and you guys still got to me in time, right?" Nick's words were brave and his tone soothing but only a deaf person could miss the underlying tremble. Catherine risked cracking an eye open, trusting the way she had tilted her head in her sleep to keep her hair in her face enough to hide her peeking. The scene before her was so poignant that Catherine nearly gave herself away with a gasp of astonishment.
Nick had propped himself up slightly from the prone sleeping position Catherine had last seen him in and Warrick had moved himself as close to Nick as humanly possible without putting the chair through the side of the bed. Nick had reached out a shaky hand towards his friend and Warrick held Nick's pale fingers and palm against his dark cheek with a tender hand overtop. Warrick's cool green eyes had that glassy look to them again, but this time a relieved smile transformed his whole expression.
"It'll take a lot more than a stupid glass box and bunch of bugs to keep me from you." Nick's eyes flashed with remembered fear even as he uttered those flippant words, but he still managed to return Warrick's smile with a genuine one of his own. Warrick laughed, perhaps a bit crazily, then deftly moved Nick's hand down in order to place a soft kiss on the pad of Nick's thumb. Catherine's own eyes welled up, touched by how much love could be expressed in such a simple gesture. She had no idea how long this had been going on or why she hadn't noticed anything before now, but it surprised even her to realize how right they looked together.
The unexpected glee she felt from the thought of her boys caring so much for each other was so strong that she opened her eyes fully and impulsively spoke into the intimate silence.
"Warrick, you look ready to drop." Her casual words, spoken in her normal affectionate manner, made both men jump like they were firecrackers. As they both turned to stare at her with wide eyes, Catherine pressed her advantage before they recovered and tried to make excuses. "Nick, bless him, isn't made of glass and he's hogging a perfectly nice bed to himself. Plus these hospital blankets are just flimsy rags really, Nick's probably freezing. I'm sure he wouldn't mind making a little space in trade for a little warmth, would you Nicky? It's so late that no one is gonna bother us now but the nursing station." Her sweet, slightly mischevious tone had the frozen CSI boggling at her as if she had started speaking in Russian. She smiled at their stunned expressions and wrinkled her nose at them before turning over in her stuffed chair for a more comfortable position that put her back to the still-unmoving duo.
"....Uh...yeah, I don't mind, that's a good.. a good idea.........thanks Cath." Nick's weak reply made her laugh internally. Warrick mumbled something about Catherine being too smart for her own good and then Catherine could hear the tentative creaking of the bed as Warrick gingerly settled himself. A few minutes later and she could almost hear them sighing in relief as they relaxed again.
"We owe you one, Catherine." Warrick's contented sound, coupled with Nick's sleepy agreement, made her so pleased that she fell back asleep smiling. Their wordless happiness warmed her back, like a comforting hearthstone with a merry fire crackling within.
~fin~
23.5.05
**
Tragedy has a funny way of making things crystal clear. In Catherine's occupation, it's a often a daily occurance but every once in a while, there will be a case that just feels like it cracked her skull open with its blinding light. But maybe that's not terribly surprising, considering this case, the case that had the whole lab on its collective feet, trapped between stunned silence and frantic effort. The lab had its petty rivalries and gossip but when one of their own went missing, everyone closed ranks. Especially when that person was Nick Stokes.
It also didn't surprise Catherine how upset she had been, because she had considered both Nick and Warrick to be "her boys" ever since they had all been assigned to swing shift. Everyone knew about it. Warrick and Nick knew about it, knew how she relied on her ability to trust them and be able to occasionally lean on their strength. The thought of Nick, who was an original Good Guy and a friend, buried alive on an insane whim, a random twist of fate, made her feel as violently sick as she would if it was Lindsay in that horrible plexiglass coffin.
But what did surprise her was that she wasn't the one who had reacted the worst to what happened to Nick. And that prize didn't go to Sara or Greg, the two she would have pegged most likely to take the whole situation hard. No, the one who had startled her was Warrick.
She knew Warrick and Nick were good friends. That they often hung out together, shared dating woes and their favourite habit of mock-heckling each other into pretend bets. They kept each other in line as much as they watched each others backs; Warrick through his gambling problem and Nick after his stalker incident. But Catherine had no idea how deep that bond went until she caught sight of Warrick's face as they watched Nick scrabble frantically against the walls of his earthy prison through the harsh angling of the webcamera. She'd expected anger and worry but what she saw was much more than that: raw agony mixed with black rage.
Not red rage, it was a true darkness that lent Warrick an aura of menace. He had always possessed a rather feline grace, like a panther with his unconscious swagger, but Warrick had spent the whole case practically prowling around like a tiger trapped in a too-small cage. Like Nick had been. That unmistakable empathy between them would have been captivating had the people involved been strangers. But this was Nick and Warrick. Her boys. It had broken her own heart to watch them seperated this way, to find Warrick constantly returning to the webcam to catch another glimpse of Nick, to make sure he was still alive.
Warrick's startling lash-out at Greg, his unexpectedly shiny eyes when Catherine went to calm him down, his broken near-incoherent confession at not being as strong as Nick was, they all spoke to Catherine of emotions deeper than she had ever seen Warrick display to another person. He was usually solitary in confronting his demons, maintaining an impassive front to those around him, even his friends. To see Warrick so bare was almost more shocking than the whole situation that had prompted such an emotional stripping.
And when they finally, finally, found where Nick was and dug him out, Warrick and Nick's reactions to each other were as clarion-clear as full-strength headlights, blinding the two men to nearly everything except to each other. Catherine would never forget the sound of Nick's voice when Grissom ordered Warrick away from Nick's clear prison; Warrick's name torn from Nick's throat like the loss was strangling him, like he was dying. And the expression of Warrick's face as he grudgingly moved back made him look like a second casualty.
Oh her boys, her irreplacable second family! Tears silently slide down her pale cheeks as she watched them both brought so low. Catherine couldn't help but follow them as Warrick resolutely climbed into the ambulance as Nick was wheeled inside, his eyes focused only on Nick. The Texan was still crying quietly, his hand reached out with unashamed desperation and Warrick's own grip met him halfway, tight against the crush of Nick's fingers. It would have cracked the bones of a lesser man but Warrick never even winced while Catherine threaded her own slim fingers around Nick's other arm and wrist. They both murmured comforting words to Nick, meaningless noises really, with Catherine's light alto in delicate contrast to Warrick's deep bass. Now that Nick was safe, Warrick's menacing posture softened into something more vulnerable and his tone took on the slight croon Catherine had noticed earlier when Warrick was talking to Nick through the webcam screen. Nick's gulping breaths started to ease up a little and he finally started to relax from the rigidity of his terror. Catherine was beginning to feel somewhat useless and made a tentative movement to pull her hand away, but Nick simply gripped her arm instinctively and Warrick unexpectedly turned her way. The tall CSI blinked for a moment, as if surprised to see he wasn't alone, then he simply put his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer towards Nick. She was grateful that they didn't seem to resent her presence, that they did want her there with them. But she also didn't miss how their eyes continued to seek each other out the whole way to the hospital.
** * **
It's funny how quiet noises can sometimes wake you better than loud ones. Take hospital bedside monitors, with their repetitive loud beeps. Catherine was amazed how easy it was to let those kind of noises fade into the background, that their comforting psychological nature made them easy to ignore. She had curled up in an overstuffed chair that Warrick had stolen from a nearby lounge. He hadn't asked permission nor said a word to anyone, giving a glare and a flash of a badge to anyone who had tried to stop him. Even a policy-obsessive place like a hospital didn't have too many people willing to get in the way of an aggressively-fit 6'2" man with a gun at his hip.
Typically, Warrick had gotten the chair for her and not himself; he had dragged the cheap plastic chair the room had normally right beside the drug-dosed Nick and didn't seem to feel any discomfort. Benefit of having almost ten years advantage on her, Catherine had mused ironically. They were the only ones in room now; their coworkers had stayed pretty long but the general consensus was that they shouldn't keep Nick up and it probably wasn't a good idea to frazzle the hospital staff any longer with their constant overflowing of the room. Nick's parents had stayed long enough to reassure themselves that Nick was okay, that he didn't have any life-risking injuries once he had been treated for the fireant venom. It was obvious to Catherine that not only did they love their son immensely but they also took their jobs very seriously and had to get back, dual traits that she saw in Nick every day. Nick's groggy but firm refusal to come home with them had brought sad smiles to their faces, as if they hadn't expected any different.
Catherine wasn't sure why she had stayed so long, she knew she felt she could protect them better if she was with them now, with her newly-acquired knowledge of their bond. It was probably extended maternal instincts or someother psychobabble that she was too tired to figure out. And she didn't even know she had nodded off until she snapped back to the real world with the tiniest jolt. For a long moment, she didn't even open her eyes but let her befuddled mind figure out where she was, why and how, and so forth. The whole timeline came back to her in a series of vivid short clips that silently clicked into place: Nick's kidnapping, the case, his rescue, the hospital. Then she tried to figure out what exactly had woken her up in the midst of the enforced calm of the medical center. Sleepily, she thought it might have been the sound of Nick's voice, saying someone's name and it wasn't hers. Warrick's quiet reply only confirmed her guess.
"I'm here, man."
"That Cath over there?" Nick sounded slightly less drugged than before, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, she's been asleep for a while now." Catherine could hear the smile in Warrick's voice. "I told her she could go home but she said Lindsay wanted her to stay and make sure you were going to live. Seems like you have fans even outside the department." Warrick teased ever so slightly. Nick's chuckle might have sounded more like a croak but Catherine was glad to hear it all the same.
"I must look like hell."
"Never looked better." Warrick's voice was low but rich with adoration. There was a long pause that slowly thickened the air, palatable to Catherine even with her eyes still closed.
"I thought I lost you. I nearly killed you by keeping that light on so long!" Warrick's confession barely escaped from a throat that sounded suddenly choked up.
"Hey, it's alright, I'm OK. You didn't know how the power was hooked up and you guys still got to me in time, right?" Nick's words were brave and his tone soothing but only a deaf person could miss the underlying tremble. Catherine risked cracking an eye open, trusting the way she had tilted her head in her sleep to keep her hair in her face enough to hide her peeking. The scene before her was so poignant that Catherine nearly gave herself away with a gasp of astonishment.
Nick had propped himself up slightly from the prone sleeping position Catherine had last seen him in and Warrick had moved himself as close to Nick as humanly possible without putting the chair through the side of the bed. Nick had reached out a shaky hand towards his friend and Warrick held Nick's pale fingers and palm against his dark cheek with a tender hand overtop. Warrick's cool green eyes had that glassy look to them again, but this time a relieved smile transformed his whole expression.
"It'll take a lot more than a stupid glass box and bunch of bugs to keep me from you." Nick's eyes flashed with remembered fear even as he uttered those flippant words, but he still managed to return Warrick's smile with a genuine one of his own. Warrick laughed, perhaps a bit crazily, then deftly moved Nick's hand down in order to place a soft kiss on the pad of Nick's thumb. Catherine's own eyes welled up, touched by how much love could be expressed in such a simple gesture. She had no idea how long this had been going on or why she hadn't noticed anything before now, but it surprised even her to realize how right they looked together.
The unexpected glee she felt from the thought of her boys caring so much for each other was so strong that she opened her eyes fully and impulsively spoke into the intimate silence.
"Warrick, you look ready to drop." Her casual words, spoken in her normal affectionate manner, made both men jump like they were firecrackers. As they both turned to stare at her with wide eyes, Catherine pressed her advantage before they recovered and tried to make excuses. "Nick, bless him, isn't made of glass and he's hogging a perfectly nice bed to himself. Plus these hospital blankets are just flimsy rags really, Nick's probably freezing. I'm sure he wouldn't mind making a little space in trade for a little warmth, would you Nicky? It's so late that no one is gonna bother us now but the nursing station." Her sweet, slightly mischevious tone had the frozen CSI boggling at her as if she had started speaking in Russian. She smiled at their stunned expressions and wrinkled her nose at them before turning over in her stuffed chair for a more comfortable position that put her back to the still-unmoving duo.
"....Uh...yeah, I don't mind, that's a good.. a good idea.........thanks Cath." Nick's weak reply made her laugh internally. Warrick mumbled something about Catherine being too smart for her own good and then Catherine could hear the tentative creaking of the bed as Warrick gingerly settled himself. A few minutes later and she could almost hear them sighing in relief as they relaxed again.
"We owe you one, Catherine." Warrick's contented sound, coupled with Nick's sleepy agreement, made her so pleased that she fell back asleep smiling. Their wordless happiness warmed her back, like a comforting hearthstone with a merry fire crackling within.
~fin~
23.5.05
Sign up to rate and review this story