Title: The Fateful Rock Cafe
By: immortalje
Pairing: Greg/Grissom
Rating: FRT
Summary: After watching Greg and Gil avoiding their feelings, Catherine decides that it is time for some matchmaking.
Disclaimer: I own neither Greg Sanders, Gil Grissom nor the rest of the team. They all belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. All I own is the idea and Greg's unnamed group of friends...
Beta: This little fic is not beta read and my first in the CSI fandom... so sorry for any mistakes I made...

Greg wasn't sure whether he liked his current situation or not. He had gotten drunk to stop thinking about the person starring in most of his dreams and now that he was sober and slept a bit he was feeling his queasy stomach which did not want to admit either solid food or any fluid other than water.

Most definitely not a feeling he liked, but still... he had yet to think about him. If only he wouldn't have to face him anytime soon, which would be in less than half an hour when he had to go to work. Greg hoped that he would be better by then, least anyone recognize the symptoms and crack any jokes about it. If only... no he better didn't think these thoughts. The man of his dreams was most surely straight and even if he was gay (or bi) definitely not interested in him, so why would he care whether he was the reason he had gotten drunk or whether this was just the result of too much partying. Carefully, not to trouble his already queasy stomach he went about his morning routine of a quick shower and a cup of coffee, before remembering that his stomach only wanted water. Cursing his stomach and regretfully emptying his cup he finished dressing and went to his car, wishing himself luck for another night of work with his crush.

***

Grissom knew. The moment Greg entered he could see it. The young lab technician had partied again and was not yet up to his usual behavior. He sometimes imagined going to find Greg and either join in or make him stop due to other activities, but he doubted that Greg would be interested in him that way. He was simply too old and more often than not criticized him and Greg didn't know that he only did it to have a reason to be around him.

There were many things he did just to be more often around Greg and here he was babbling again. Thank god it was only in his mind that he did this. He didn't want to imagine how the others would react to this side of him, best they never found out. Not long after Greg went by his office door to the lab he couldn't remain sitting anymore and stood up, he longed to go over to Greg's lab and ask him for results or at least reprimand him for turning his music too loud, but neither was there any analysis to be done nor was there music playing. He hated it when Greg was feeling unwell. He longed to embrace him and nurse him until he felt better, but he couldn't even go near him if he didn't have a reason for it. Pacing his office he looked to the lab Greg was working in every now and again, something that was only possible due to the DNA lab being in the centre with everything arranged around it. Forcing himself to sit down again and look over an old case, he hoped that no one noticed his reaction to Greg's unusual quietness.

***

Catherine could clearly see that Greg was unhappy, not only was he not playing his usual music, but his cheerfulness seemed to be staged as well. She didn't know whether any of the others ever noticed this, but what she noticed was Grissom's reaction to it. The way he fidgets in his chair before jumping up and pacing the room. The explanation that he had to think about the case was overrated, especially since there weren't any new cases and no leads on any of the old ones. And she didn't need to be an expert to realize that this behavior started with the lab technician's arrival. She knew that Greg had a crush on Grissom, she even forced him to admit it once, but she couldn't get him to tell Grissom. Things only got worse when Sara came into the picture and started pursuing Gil. Everyone saw how he reacted to it, most of all Greg, well Sara didn't, but that was not an issue right now, and she could only think that Greg didn't want to make a fool out of himself, not that he didn't usually. And after a long talk with Grissom while making breakfast for the two of them and Lindsay after an especially trying case (it had become some kind of tradition already), she had gotten him to admit it as well. Catherine knew that both doubted that the other felt the same, so how could she get them to admit it to each other?

Her chance came earlier than she thought when she overheard Nick and Greg at the end of the shift.

"Hey Greg, Sara, Warrick and I are heading over to O'Malley's for breakfast. Do you want to join us?"

"Nah, I'm meeting a few friends later at the new Rock Cafe. We wanted to check it out."

"Maybe another time, tell me if it is any good."

"I'll be sure to do just that, bye Nick."

With these words Greg passed her and left the room. Catherine smiled to herself; this was the opportunity she had waited for. All she had to do now was to convince Gil Grissom that he should follow Greg and speak with him.

***

Greg was sitting at a table at the Queen's surrounded by a few friends. Most of them didn't bother him much, knowing that he was nursing a big crush - well not a crush, he knew enough to know that it was far more than that - and it seemed hopeless that he would ever get that person. They just made sure that he didn't drink more than he was able to hold. Once he had drunk a bit he would open up a bit more and participate in the discussion about the latest event they had been at.

However, unknown to Greg, things were about to go differently today. While he was still deep in thought about something Grissom had done, one of his friends noticed Grissom (Greg had once pointed him out on a picture of the whole graveyard shift) entering the Cafe and looking in their direction.

When the man made no move towards them he notified the others and excused himself to fetch more drinks. One after the other found an excuse until only Greg remained at the table.

***

Grissom entered the Cafe, unsure of why he had let Catherine talk him into coming here and possibly admitting his feelings to Greg. It didn't take long for him to spot the younger man, but when he saw the group of his friends he hesitated. Grissom did not exactly fit in with the group and how would Greg react if his boss suddenly joined him? Before he could turn around again two of them stood up, heading to the bar and the other two disappeared in the direction of the toilets, leaving Greg alone at the table. To Grissom's surprise however, Greg didn't seem to realise that he was left alone at the table.

Taking a deep breath he went over to the table Greg sat at and tried to get his attention, "Hey Greg, fancy meeting you here."

Grissom cringed at the sentence, but didn't know what else to say.

However Greg only heard his name and looked up, "Sorry, what... Oh, hey Grissom. What are you doing here?"

"I heard about this new Cafe and decided to check it out," answered Gil, hoping that Greg wouldn't recognise his lie for what it was.

Greg, in the state of mind he was, did not hear the question mark at the end of the sentenced and continued, "I didn't know you liked Rock."

"There was already Rock, when I was still young, you know," answered Grissom. With nothing more to say an uncomfortable silence ensued.

***

After a while Greg startled out of his thoughts to realise that his boss - the man starring in most of his dreams - was still standing and offered him to sit down, which was followed by the realisation that none of his friends were sitting at the table, a quick look around revealed two of them at the bar, while the other two were nowhere to be found. Before he could announce that he would be getting something to drink one of the bartenders came around and placed two glasses of his favourite drink on the table. Without thinking twice he took one glass and downed it in one go. However it did not seem to bring much since he still did not know what to do about Grissom sitting next to him, he decided that he might as well take the second one as well. Grissom didn't seem to want it after all. He already had it in his hand and was about to lift it up, when he was interrupted by a hand holding his arm down and Grissom saying, "I think you have enough."

"Not yet, I don't have enough. I can still take a few more, don't worry," Greg didn't know why he said this. He knew that he had his fill if he wanted to be sober and hangover-free for work tonight, but somehow he didn't care all that much. Trying to lift the glass again he couldn't get passed the grip the other man had on his arm.

***

Grissom swallowed and hoped that Catherine was right when he said, "Do it for me." He could see Greg thinking about it and hoped that he might have a chance, however he didn't think about the lab technician using his inattentiveness to raise his hand and take the shot still. Cursing his lack of attention he was once again startled when he felt lips on his. Maybe he was lucky after all. Not thinking long about what happened he happily returned the kiss.

***

Meanwhile Greg's friends watched the whole scene from the bar. When the two didn't part after a while they decided to cut in, lest of all they would get a show to see, not that they would have minded. Thus they went over to the table and when they were still ignored after standing in front of the table for a while they cut in, "You should go home..."

"Before everyone here gets a nice peep show..."

"Not that I wouldn't mind." Satisfied that this had parted Greg and Grissom they grinned at the two blushing men.

"Don't worry about paying today Greg... You can pay us back another time... and now get going. Enjoy yourself."

The End