"Oh, come on, Gil - it'll be fun!" Catherine whined, tugging on Grissom's arm. "And besides, we all got the night off for your birthday - you don't want to know what I had to do to get the night off. You reeeeeally don't want to know."

Grissom sighed and shook his head. "Going to a bar and getting smashed isn't my idea of a fun birthday," he said through clenched teeth.

"Gilbert Grissom, if you don't move your ass right now, I'll make sure you don't see another birthday," Catherine promised.

Twenty minutes later, they entered the Fountain of Youth - a new bar not far from the crime lab. Nick and Sara had raved about it, and Catherine had decided that it was as good a place as any to attempt to get their boss to lighten up.

Nick, Sara, Warrick, and Greg were in the booth in the corner, already going through their first round of cocktails when Catherine pulled Gil back to them. "I hope you ordered some for us," she said, pushing Gil into the booth.

"A Smashed Kermit for the birthday boy and a Flying Grasshopper for the lady," Nick said, grinning.

"And what do the rest of you have?" Grissom asked in apprehension as he looked at the cocktail in front of him. It was green with red globules in it.

"I'm highly enjoying my Royal Fuck," Sara said, taking an unladylike slurp.

Nick raised his vividly pink glass. "Pink Flamingo," he said, taking a long drink.

"I'm experimenting," Warrick said with a grin. "Victoria Secret."

"And I'm lamenting my lack of vacation time with a Blue Hawaiian," Greg muttered, looking dejected.

Catherine chuckled and took a sip of her drink. "Not bad," she said, proceeding to down the whole thing in three gulps. "Hey - I need some more drinks over here!" Her yell brought a nice lady over who took notes. "I need an Adam and Eve, a Delilah, a Hi Rise, a Kansas City Ice Water, a Tilt the Kilt, and for our vacation-lacking friend here, a Waikiki Tease."

"How'd you know I like Kansas City Ice Waters?" Nick asked, pushing his empty glass into the middle of the table.

"I've got a list somewhere of everyone's favorite drinks," Catherine said in a dismissive tone. "Gil, it's just vodka jell-o - not Kermit's guts," she said in exasperation as Grissom continued to prod the glass. "You're a bug guy - just drink it already."

"You don't drink bugs," Grissom said, wrinkling his nose. "And besides, it's green."

"So's an appletini," Sara replied, nudging his arm. "I'll pay you twenty bucks to drink it."

"Up front," Gil said, holding out his hand for the cash.

Sara fumbled in her purse and came up with a $20 bill. She handed it to him and said, "Now drink it."

Catherine laughed out loud at the look on her lover's face as he drank down the slimy jell-o and its swirling miasma of blue curacao, orange juice, and vodka. When he set down the glass, Gil inhaled and started coughing. She reached over and patted his back. "Wasn't that good?" She asked, earning a glare in answer - he couldn't speak. He seemed to have lost all power of voice because of the alcohol fumes.

"And Grissom scores!" Greg yelped, chugging the last of his bright blue cocktail.

The waitress brought over their next round. "Who's got the Delilah?" She asked. Catherine pointed to Gil. "The Hi Rise?" Catherine pointed to Sara. "Adam and Eve?" Catherine grabbed the glass and set it down in front of her. "Kansas City Ice Water?" Nick raised his hand. "Tilt the Kilt?" Warrick took the glass from her hand. "And the Waikiki Tease is yours," she finished, setting the last drink in front of Greg.

"What in heaven's name is a Delilah?" Grissom asked the table at large, staring at his second drink.

"Gin, Cointreau, and lemon juice," Catherine replied, lifting her glass. "To Gil Grissom - may he not die from tonight's hangover, and may he pass many more birthdays before he realizes that it isn't a crime to have fun!" She took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes, breathing heavily. "Wow - this is strong shit."

"What is it again?" Sarah asked, chugging her Hi Rise.

"An Adam and Eve," Catherine muttered, shaking her head and taking another sip. "Gin, brandy, Forbidden Fruit Liqueur and lemon juice - it's really good, but I think they put too much brandy in because it's biting back."

Grissom finally lifted his glass to his lips for a tentative sip. "Not bad - certainly better than something slimy," he said pointedly. "Whose idea was the Mashed Kermit, anyway?"

Everyone pointed at Greg, who slid a little further down in his seat.

When they'd all finished the second round, Catherine clapped her hands together. "Anyone up for 26 Shots and some dancing?" She cried, laughing. "I'll play ringmaster..."

"Shit yeah - I haven't played 26 since I was in college," Nick said, popping his knuckles. "Bring it on."

"What's 26 Shots?" Sara asked.

"You run through the alphabet - the ringmaster chooses the drinks and each person usually runs through each letter of the alphabet, but I'll be nice and divvy it up because you're lightweights," Catherine said, laughing. "I'll take A, G, M, S, and Y - Gil, you'll be B, H, N, T, and Z. Sara, you're C, I, O, and U - Nick, D, J, P, and V. Warrick, you're E, K, Q, and W. Greg, sweetie, you're stuck with F, L, R, and X."

"I didn't know there were shots that started with X," Greg said, nearly bouncing in his seat.

"For the record, I think this is a bad idea," Gil said, looking at her with a mixture of dismay and lust. She knew he loved it when she took charge and made decisions, but at the same time, he hated losing control.

"Oh, honey, you're gonna be so fucked up," Catherine promised. "You'll never hate another birthday as long as you live." She waved for the waitress. "I need an Apple Pucker Fucker, a Black Leather Whip, a Cum Fuck Me, a Disney on Ice, an Erection, and a Frog Stomper," she instructed firmly.

"How come I get a Cum Fuck Me and he gets a Disney on Ice?" Sara whined. "That isn't very fair!"

Nick almost fell over, he was laughing so hard. "Sara, do you know what a Disney on Ice is?"

"No..."

"It's Peppermint Schnappes, Grenadine, and Bacardi 151 Proof Rum," Warrick threw in. "By the time we're done, no one's going to be walking outta here on their own."

"Okay - and what's a Cum Fuck Me?" Sara asked.

"Grand Marnier, Bacardi 151 Proof rum, on fire," Catherine said with a smirk. "Mine is simple - and Apple Pucker Fucker is Apple Pucker, Watermelon Pucker, and vodka. Poor Gil's stuck with Jegermeister and Goldschlager."

"Yeah, but why'd I get a Frog Stomper and not a Flaming Fucker?" Greg whined. "Nobody loves me today..."

The shots arrived and Catherine ordered the next round as everyone contemplated their little glasses.

"So, who's first?" Catherine asked.

Sara winced, then shot her shot. Her eyes almost popped out of her head as she gasped for air, clearing the way for Nick and Warrick to down theirs. Nick and Warrick shot at the same time, and Warrick almost fell over as he gasped for breath. Nick looked completely unaffected and gestured for Greg to go next. Greg glugged his and sat back. Catherine turned to Gil and they clinked glasses before downing them. Gil choked and began coughing, and Sara and Catherine both patted his back and tried to get him to breathe again.

"I've got a Ground Zero, Hell On Earth, Icy Hell, Judgment Day, Kevorkian, and a Little Purple Men," the waitress said, passing them around with a laugh. "26 Shots?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Modified," Catherine agreed with a grin. "I think I'm the only one that could handle a real game of 26."

"Hey, I made it to 20," Nick protested, eating some peanuts and slamming his Judgment Day without pause.

"I made it to 18," Warrick announced.

"12," Greg said in a dejected voice as he shot his Little Purple Men.

Catherine laughed and drank her Ground Zero. The pure force of alcohol slammed into her and she wheezed, fanning her mouth. Once she was breathing again, she laughed and motioned for Gil to go. He closed his eyes and glugged, then Sara and Warrick slammed theirs.

"Majuana Milkshake, Nutty Professor, 1-900-Fuck-Me-Up, Pitbull On Crack, Queens Juice, and a Rocky Mountain Mother Fucker," the waitress said, passing them around again.

Greg fell over in the booth, passed out. Sara was giggling incessantly as she turned to Nick and said, "1-900-Fuck-Me-Now!" Nick raised an eyebrow, and turned to Warrick, who was clinging to the edge of the table like it was the only thing keeping him upright. Catherine was tapping her toes in time to the music as she finished the shot that Gil couldn't down all of.

"Stiff Dick, Tidal Wave, Undertakers Tombstone, Vulcan Mind Meld, Women's Revenge - and since he's out, who gets the Xmas Kiss?" The waitress asked.

"I'll take it," Catherine said, downing the Xmas Kiss, then reaching for the peanuts. She missed the bowl by about a foot and started laughing. "I'm so fucked up," she giggled, watching Gil slam his Tidal Wave. She could see the lust and loss of control his eyes and smiled even wider.

Sara downed the Undertakers Tombstone and fell into Nick's lap, giggling and on the verge of unconscious. Warrick took one look at his shot and scrambled over Greg, headed for the bathroom. Nick took his shot and fell forward onto the table.

Gil looked at Catherine before she shot the Stiff Dick, and she ordered a Yukon Jackoff and a Zipperhead to finish the alphabet. "There's a reason I gave the kids the strongest shit," Catherine confessed, giggling sweetly.

"Oh really?" Gil asked, his words slurring ever so slightly.

"Yeah - I wanted to get you smashed enough that when I take you home and fuck you, you won't be so damn worried about them figuring it out," she said, smiling at him as the waitress brought their shots. "They won't be able to see straight tomorrow, let alone figure out that we fucked our brains out in the parking lot." She slammed the Yukon, and Gil finished off the Zipperhead, and she took his hand. "Wanna get a taxi?"