Work Text:
Notes: Response to a Improv Challenge on the Unbound site. First and last lines are provided. 1000 word limit. Reviews feed my Muse.
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI, or any of its characters. CSI is owned by Alliance Atlantis, CBS, and Anthony Zuicker.
---
"If you would stop moving around so much, I might be able to get it in."
"Ow!" Sara yelped. "I don't think it's supposed to hurt this much."
"Sorry about that. I haven't done this in a long time."
"I would have thought someone like you would have had a lot of practice."
"Popular misconception. Now hold still, this takes a lot of concentration."
"Well hurry up, my butt has gone numb."
"There." Catherine said, sliding in the last hair pin. "Now all I have to do is spritz your hair with a little bit of hair spray, and you're done."
"You're a life saver Catherine. I couldn't do anything with my hair today."
"I could hardly let you show up at Ecklies wedding with a bad hairdo. It would look bad on the whole nightshift."
"I still can't believe he invited all of us to his wedding."
"I can't believe he found someone crazy enough to marry him. He has all the personality and warmth of a dead toad."
"That's an insult to dead amphibians everywhere."
Sara glanced at her watch. "We better get going, Catherine, we're already going to be late."
---
The wedding was unbearably dull. It was all anyone could do to keep their eyes open. Grissom was sure he heard snoring coming from the back of the chapel.
At the reception there was a general stampede towards the bar, with Hodges leading the way.
Grissom, Brass, and Warrick were standing to one side, looking around for the other members of their team.
"Where could they be?" Brass wondered.
"I saw Nick, Greg, and Archie headed towards the food." Warrick replied.
"Great." Brass grumbled. "There won't be much food left after those three get through."
Warrick just laughed. "You have a point there Jim. I've never seen anyone eat as much as..."
"As what Warrick?"
Warrick didn't answer. He just stood there with his mouth open and gazed across the dance floor.
Grissom Turned to see what Warrick was staring at.
There was Catherine and Sara, seemingly oblivious to all the admiring stares.
Catherine was wearing a long blue-grey gown. Its color matched her eyes perfectly. Her long hair was down, and the sunlight made her hair look like it had been spun of the finest gold.
When Grissom caught sight of Sara, he thought his heart would explode.
Sara was wearing a dress in a lovely rose shade. The color of the dress reflected up, giving Sara's pale skin a warm glow. Her hair was piled up on top of her head in a mass of curls, showing off the slender column of her neck.
Grissom found himself standing in front of Sara with no clear recollection of crossing the dance floor. Once there, he found himself unable to speak.
Sara was having a similar tongue tied experience.
The only thought she was capable of having was, "It should be illegal for anyone to look that good in a tuxedo."
Fortunately, for both of them, the music started at that moment.
Grissom smiled at Sara and asked her to dance.
When Sara smiled and nodded, he swept her out onto the dance floor.
Grissom couldn't believe how right it felt having Sara in his arms. Why had he never noticed how graceful she was or how her hair smelled like orange blossoms?
All too soon, the dance was over, and they found themselves standing with the rest of the team by the buffet tables.
Grissom was trying desperately to ignore the smug way Catherine was smiling at them. He considered commenting on how Warrick had his arm possessively around Catherine's waist, but thought better of it.
It would just give her more of an excuse to tease him about Sara.
Just then, they heard yelling from the bridal table.
There was a drunken Hodges, crying and yelling at Ecklie.
"You two-timing creep!" Hodges yelled. "How could you do this to me? You said you loved me!"
Ecklie turned pale, and began to stammer.
"You used me!" Hodges sobbed, before passing out cold on the dance floor.
Ecklie turned to his furious bride. "Now Sadie, don't do anything rash."
"Don't you 'Now Sadie' me, you slimy little worm!"
With that, Sadie grabbed up a bottle of champagne, and flung it at Ecklies head.
Ecklie dodged, and the bottle hit the wedding cake.
This seemed to be the signal for a party-wide food fight. Sadie's friends and family grabbed whatever food was near, and began flinging it at a desperately dodging Ecklie.
The nightshift quickly took cover behind an overturned buffet table, and watched the ensuing carnage.
Once, the food fight died down, they stood back up and watched in awe as the bride chased the groom around the dance floor.
Every time she got close to him, she would beat him over the head with her rapidly disintegrating bouquet.
They all looked at each other and smiled.
Brass summed up the event nicely when he commented, "That was a lot more fun than it should have been."