by Angie & Jaclyn
Summary: It's the city's annual charity auction, and all senior police department officials will be participating…
Disclaimer: We do not own CSI's characters or concept.
Challenge Response: Slave Auction, Challenge Challenge and 50 Fics Challenge
A/N: (Jac) I would like to thank my co-author, Angie, for writing this with me, although it's been so long I barely even recall doing so. I'm sure we had a plan, and plot outlines, back then but who knows what they were. I do hope our readers will look forward to finding out how this progresses as much as I am ;-) (Angie) Many thanks to Jac, my co-author and partner in crime. We started this on a whim... a long time ago and I don't even remember the circumstances around the beginning of this fic. Thanks to Emma for posting the challenge, hopefully you'll like this chapter and others yet to come. Thanks to Alza for always encouraging us to write... we hid this piece from her and now that she knows we wrote one together we're going to be encouraged relentlessly.
A/N2: Happy birthday Gil!
Gil looked up as he handed out the last assignment folder, the foreign voice drawing his attention to the door.
"Sorry to intrude." The sheriff stated, looking anything but sorry. "I just finished having dinner with the Mayor. He was commenting about the police department's usual lack of involvement in the city's annual charity auction. So this year I'm issuing a mandate. All senior police department officials will be participating, including you CSIs. There'll be a memo." Then with a small smile and a nod he left.
Gil turned back to the team assembled in front of him, his face almost questioning whether that had actually happened. From the smirk gracing Greg's lips, it was clear it had.
He turned to look at Catherine, her features mimicking the ones on Greg's face.
"You know, Catherine. You're also a senior CSI."
Her smile faltered slightly, then she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it's for a good cause. Could be fun."
The "hmm" from Gil showed that he wasn't convinced.
"Besides," Catherine continued, "I'm looking forward to seeing you strut your stuff up there on the runway."
Gil shot Catherine a warning look, not noticing the smirks from the other team members as he turned and left the room.
Catherine giggled to herself as she collected her stuff to leave for her crime scene.
"You do realise you won't be able to buy him?" Sara commented, rather smugly, as she passed by Catherine and left the break room.
Eyebrow raised, Catherine watched her leave and a mischievous smirk crept across her lips.
"Cath, are you okay?" Nick asked after a minute or so of watching his colleague simply stand, smiling evilly at the doorway.
She turned towards him. "Oh, I'm fine, Nicky," she said, her grin widening. Then looking back to the door, she added, "I'm perfectly fine."
***
Catherine picked up her messages, stopping when she saw the memo marked urgent. She flipped open the paper, reading the already familiar information.
Stopping in front of Gil's office, she watched as he sorted through his mail, stepping through the door and shutting it behind her.
"You aren't going to back out on me, are you?" She asked, her hand holding the memo up for him to see.
"Cath..."
"Don't 'Cath' me. It's for a good cause. Besides you owe me."
"I owe you?"
Catherine nodded her head, pushing aside a pile of paper work and sitting on the corner of his desk. "You owe me. Remember that little speech... the napkin?"
"Couldn't I just buy you dinner?"
"It's for charity, Gil. Besides I don't think the Sheriff is going to let any of us out of this."
"At least you didn't say it could be fun."
"I believe I've already said that," she smiled.
"Why are you happy about this?"
"I'm not happy about it... I'm just not not happy about it."
Gil sighed, the mystery of Catherine's mind still intriguing him after twenty years. "So you don't want to do this either?"
"It's nothing I'd have volunteered for. But is it really worth the fight?"
"Yes?" he offered, hopefully.
Catherine laughed and hopped down from the desk. "Then I wish you luck." She headed for the door, swinging it open and then stopping in the doorway. "Call when you need help picking out an outfit."
TBC…