"Hey, Grissom?"

The Graveshift supervisor turned on his heel and tried not to show how happy he was to see the vibrant strawberry blonde marching toward him, a smile creasing her face.

"Heard the sheriff ripped you a new one?" Catherine Willows smiled as she watched his face cloud in mild anger.

"I don't know how any work gets done in this building with all the gossiping that goes on." Gil Grissom all but snapped at her and then held his hand up in apology, "Take it you heard about the bet too?" he asked.

Cath smiled even brighter, 'Pity Brass hadn't warned Gil that Bob Harris was the Sheriff's best man,' she thought wryly, "but then it wouldn't have made any difference. Gil went where the evidence lead him regardless of who the suspect was.' "Yeah," she answered, reaching his side, "and I'm expecting you to help me clean up on this one."

Grissom raised one eyebrow in question, just what was this woman up to now? She could always get him to do things that others couldn't and that fact was actually beginning to worry him. "And just how am I going to do that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Relax Gil," she told him, placing her hand on his shoulder, "by proving the death at the jail construction site was murder and not suicide and keeping your job, how else?"

He relaxed slightly, tilting his head to one side and almost chewing on the inside of the left side of his mouth. "Glad someone believes in me," he muttered.

A devilish glint appeared in Catherine's eye and she studied her friend, maybe here was a chance to have some fun with him. "I tell you what," she started watching the curiosity grow on his face as she spoke, "I'll make a separate bet just between you and me."

Gil wasn't sure about this, what was he risking? "I'm not betting on whether I keep my job or not," he stated, that was too macabre.

"Of course not," Catherine shot back at him, how could he think she would do something like that. "No, what I was thinking was more along the lines of the apology Mobley is determined you're going to give."

He looked at her startled; he didn't think anyone knew about that yet. "What's the bet?" he asked trying to hide his wariness.

"I bet you won't have to make it." She stated.

"And what do I lose if I take on this bet?" he asked, wondering what outrageous plan she would come up with.

"If I win you have to get a tattoo of my choosing and where I decide it has to go, if I lose you get to do the same to me." She answered him, her eyebrow rising in challenge.

Grissom wasn't sure that he wanted to go down this road. Whenever they made a bet with one another Catherine in variably won and he didn't really want a tattoo, they had never appealed to him.

"Only if I get to make two stipulations," he countered, continuing when she nodded, "it can't be anything outrageous, I would have to live with it after all." She agreed with that, "and it can't be easily observed or neither of us would ever live it down."

Catherine could live with that, she was also amused that he seemed to think he was the one who was going to lose. "I've got to go meet Nicky," she told him, heading back down the corridor, "we're just about to interview Dr Sapien and Mrs Buckley, something about this case just isn't ringing true." And with that she left him to his thoughts.

Grissom didn't give much thought to his conversation with Catherine for the rest of the night, so set on proving his murder theory right. It didn't make him any happier to realise that the members of his team working with him on this case, Warrick and Sara, had given up as soon as the sheriff had made his statement. He'd thought he'd trained them better, obviously not. Whether either of them had actually bet against him being able to solve this he didn't care, he just wanted both of them to keep an open mind and let the evidence talk to them and they hadn't.

There wasn't even a feeling of relief when Grissom was able to have Brass arrest Ian Wolf for the murder, despite the man's attempts to throw suspicion on Bob Harris. The sheriff retracting the demand for the apology didn't even give him that much satisfaction, although walking away from the man while he still wanted to talk did. He couldn't quite hide the wry grin that crept onto his face.

It was only when he went back to Criminalistics, to sign out for the night and gather his things, and he saw Catherine sitting waiting for him in his office that he remembered the bet. 'Oh boy,' he thought looking at the play of happy emotions coursing over her face, 'just what have I let myself in for?'

"Ready, Gil?" she asked innocently.

"You heard then?" he said, stalling as he tried to think of some way out of the bet. But as usual there wasn't one and he knew he wouldn't renege where Cath was concerned.

"Yip and I've made an appointment at a very reputable tattoo parlour for you this afternoon." She couldn't suppress the laugh bubbling in her throat at his look of anxiety.

"You've had one done before haven't you, does it hurt?" he asked trying not to sound childish.

"All depends where you get it done," she informed him, "don't worry, Gil, for your first one I'll be nice." Somehow Gil didn't buy that.

Heading out neither of them saw Warrick Brown standing in the corridor, 'A tattoo?' he thought to himself, 'just how does Cath do it?' and he walked a way chuckling.

At the start of shift next night, Warrick watched Grissom walking toward the break room to give out the cases for the night. He seemed to be walking a bit stiff and that made the young African American remember about the conversation he'd overheard earlier that day. He wondered where Cath had made Grissom get the tattoo and what he'd had done?

After handing out the assignments, Gil had purposefully paired Cath with Nick and it was Sara's night off, Grissom headed for his office for his jacket and keys.

"Hey, Griss, what tattoo did you get?" Warrick asked, surprising his boss.

Grissom whirled round and started at his subordinate, "Tattoo?" he almost spluttered, "what makes you think I'd get a tattoo?"

Warrick tried not to chuckle at the look on the older man's face, it was difficult. "I overheard you and Cath talking this morning as you were leaving, so I know about the bet and the tattoo."

Shaking his head, Grissom went to sit on the edge of his desk and then changed his mind at the last minute. That gave Warrick an idea of where he'd got the tattoo, but not what it said.

"Come on, Gil, let me see it?"

Eyes going wide in alarm, Grissom stood abruptly heading for the door, "Not on your life," he told him.

Blocking his way, Warrick smiled and said, "You wouldn't want me to tell Nick and Sara that you've gone and got a tattoo would you?"

"You wouldn't?" Gil demanded knowing only too well that the younger man might just do such a thing. It would be a good laugh for the team at Grissom's expense.

"Just let me see it and I won't say a thing to anyone." Warrick promised, he really was curious to see what he'd had done. He thought a lot of getting a tattoo himself recently but was still unsure.

Grissom sighed deeply, unbuckling his belt and turning his back to Warrick, "All right but if anyone says anything about this I'll make your life hell." He stated embarrassment evident in his tone.

Looking at the three Chinese characters that adorned Gil Grissom's right butt cheek, Warrick struggled not to laugh. Trust Cath to come up with something like that.

Rearranging his clothing, Grissom turned to look at the green eyed man, "Well, satisfied?"

"You do know what that says, right?" Warrick asked, not believing his boss would be so calm if he did.

Shaking his head, an angry look appearing on his face and darkening his blue eyes he answered, "Cath wouldn't tell me and she wouldn't let the tattoo artist tell me either why?"

Warrick just smiled and said nothing.

"You know what it says don't you?" Grissom accused him, "tell me what it says."

The green eyed man exhaled loudly and shook his head, "I don't want to suffer the wrath of Catherine, if she wants you to know what it says she'll tell you in her own good time."

Reacting without thinking, Grissom grabbed a hold of Warrick's arms and shaking the younger man demanded, "Dammit Warrick tell me?"

Also acting instinctively, Warrick pushed the older man away and watched as Grissom stumbled and hit his butt off of the edge of his desk. The blue eyed man winced and drew in a hasty breath trying, unsuccessfully to hide the pain he was in.

"Gee Griss, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." Warrick said in a contrite voice.

Grissom waved him off, "It's okay, it was my own fault," he sighed, resisting the urge to rub his butt, "I just wish she'd tell me what the hell it said."

The African American couldn't believe his boss had let someone tattoo something on his body that he didn't know what it meant, but was informed that it was all part of the bet and he could hardly renege at that late stage.

Feeling sorry for the older man Warrick relented, "I don't know if it's exactly what she meant but it appears to say Cath's property or words to that effect." He saw a look of incredulity spread across the blue eyed man's face.

"It says what?" he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling in anger. Warrick did not want to be Catherine Willows when this man next ran into her.

"Calm down, Gil" he warned him, "do you want someone rushing in here to see what is wrong?"

Gil shook his head and studied the floor in intimate detail for a few minutes. When he raised his head, Warrick was surprised to see a wry smile on the older man's face. "Cath's property," he muttered and then chuckled. "Come on, Warrick," he continued in a louder tone, "we have a crime scene to investigate." And with that he walked out of the office, jacket and keys in hand.

Warrick was totally confused. Was Grissom angry at Cath or not, the look on his face looked as though he was quite happy. God their relationship was as confusing as hell.

Grissom on the other hand was wondering if the message tattooed on his butt meant what he hoped it did. Well, that was better left until they were both off the clock and could talk about it in detail. With a chuckle he headed for the Tahoe.

The End