Las Vegas: September 10, 2006

[lvpd_sidle]

It might be September, but there is little danger of getting cold in Las Vegas.

The city never sleeps, and neither do the various branches of law enforcement.

The lab is busy when Sara and Mark walk in through the door--Swing shift is leaving and Night shift is about to begin.

Music is playing, an old song by The Who. The atmosphere isn't tense, indicating that there are no pressing cases.

Just another night in Vegas.

Comments

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Mark raises an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, Sara. If it's because of me, I think I should see everything that goes on around here. Don't miss something just 'cause of me." Besides. Mark's just an overgrown teenager. That's his curious face.

[lvpd_sidle]

Sara raises an eyebrow.

Grissom smirks.

Ten minutes later, Mark is lying twisted on a table.

"Hold your leg right there--"

"Grissom, he doesn't have multiple joints."

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

"Ow. Geeze, Grissom. If you'd wanted someone bendy, I would have brought Mimi. She bends for a living, or, at least bends because she likes to. Just tell me next time." Mark winces, but really he's amused by the entire thing. He winces again as his leg's pulled in another way.

[lvpd_sidle]

"I warned you," Sara says cheerfully. Two minutes later--"Ha! I was right. Grissom, go buy the team coffees. I'll help Mark get unknotted."

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, because I think my leg's stuck that way." He'd facepalm, but his arms are slightly tied-up at the moment. "I think I need painkillers."

[lvpd_sidle]

"No--just muscle rub and I'll take care of that later. Here--" And he's gradually put back in a far more comfortable position.

"Thanks for being a good sport." She's trying not to laugh. And she did warn him.

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Oh, he was warned alright. And really, he's been tied up before. He doesn't really mind. At the moment, though, he just stretches, lying flat on the table, shaking his head. "Well, I hope that helped somehow."

[lvpd_sidle]

"It did but that case can't be discussed--the trial's about to start." He earns a (brief) kiss for his troubles.

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

He kisses her back, jumping off of the table and retrieving his bag. "Don't worry about it. I don't need to know details. Just that I helped somehow." It's a film thing. Sometimes you're just a a part of a whole, but that tiny part makes the rest possible.

[lvpd_sidle]

"One monster won't see daylight. And when the trial ends, I'll be glad to give you the details then." She makes a few notes and closes the file, dropping it off in Grissom's office. His desk is buried under a stack of files and she sighs.

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Mark suppresses a giggle. "Oh, look. It reminds me of Adam's desk. Except Adam's desk is mostly scripts. Kyle maintains there are things growing on it, if he'd actually clean all of the crap off of the top of it."

[lvpd_sidle]

"The only living thing on his desk is his tarantula. Hi Moses," she says to the spider, scuttling along in its habitat. "Grissom doesn't exactly care for paperwork--not that any of us do."

Walking back out of his office, Sara gets shanghaied by Hodges. And Mark is once again tapped on his shoulder, this time by a tall Texan.

"Mark, isn't it? I'm Nick. Nick Stokes. Can I talk to you?"

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

"Moses. It would be Moses." He doesn't explain. As Sara gets caught, Mark just watches her, smiling.

Oh crap. Mark sincerely resists the impulse to facepalm. He flails slightly as he turns and gives Nick a bit of a wry smile. "Sure." He, for some reason, resists snarky comment for now.

[lvpd_sidle]

"Relax--Warrick told me already cornered you. I wanted to apologize for that, actually. Sara's more than capable of making up her mind."

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Mark laughs. "No need to apologise. Really. My roommate did the same to Sara when he met her. You guys want to take care of her. There's nothing wrong with that."

[lvpd_sidle]

"I have five older sisters. I know better than to do too much or else she'll kick my ass," Nick says with an easy laugh. "But I do want to know--how serious are you? Because the last one...I don't know the circumstances, but..."

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

"I know the feeling. I only have two older sisters, but neither of them are really people to cross." He smiles, but his face turns more serious, as for once, he looks right at Nick, his voice and manner confident. "I'm as serious as I can be. I never start something as serious as this without thinking. She's the most amazing girl I've ever met, and I don't want anything to hurt her in any way."

[lvpd_sidle]

"Does he pass muster, Nick?"

Nick doesn't jump. He gives her a grin over his shoulder. "It's a start--ow!" He rubs his shoulder. "Might want to watch out, Mark--she bites back."

"Out, Nick."

"I'm going, I'm going."

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Mark smirks, and calls after Nick. "Oh, I've found that out already." And then he ducks. He knows what he's in for.

[lvpd_sidle]

Nick looks back. "Really? Like how--" And he runs down the hall again.

"Someone's begging for another smoke bomb to be left in his truck engine," Sara remarks placidly, elbowing Mark's side.

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Mark smirks. "This is why I don't have a car." Well, that and the fact that there's no place to park in Alphabet City.

[lvpd_sidle]

"I thought that was due to lack of parking."

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Mark looks shifty for a moment. "Well, that too." He smirks. "Hey. Can't a guy have multiple reasons around here?"

[lvpd_sidle]

"Easily. In fact, when I asked Grissom once why I had to participate in a different experiment, that was what he told me. 'So many reasons.'"

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Mark grins. "Exactly." He's got that quasi-innocent face on now, as he just looks at her. "It happens. Try to get one reason out of Adam or Joanne sometime. It won't work."