Fic: Soaps R Us, Chapter 16 (CSI/CSI NY/CSI Miami, Ryan / Eric, Flack / Sheldon, Nick / Greg, Speed)
Title: Soaps R Us, Chapter 16
Pairing: Nick Stokes / Greg Sanders,
Ryan Wolfe / Eric Delko,
Don Flack / Sheldon Hawkes
Rating: PG
Genre: AU
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
Summery: Daytime soap Lights of Vegas has a new head writer. Life and fiction don’t always mix nicely, and the line between the two can be very narrow.
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 (NC-17)
Chapter 14 Chapter 15
CSI Las Vegas Main List CSI Miami Main List CSI New York Main List
“Repeat that.” Nick demanded. "One more time."
“I just told you: I got a job.”
“I heard, but I still can’t get over the shock.”
“And it gets better.” Speed beamed. “It’s a real theatre, not like that one where I did that transvestite version of The Glass Menagerie. One of their actors hurt his back and they needed someone to take over fast. The opening night’s two weeks from now.”
“What kind of a play is it?”
“I got the add here.” Speed unfolded the add and gave it to Nick. “I’m the one in the left, but they didn’t have time to switch pictures.”
“Is that the same costume you’ll be wearing?”
“Yeah! Isn’t it great? A lot of actors have been getting serious on the stage. It supposed to bring more credibility.”
“You’ll be wearing a loincloth, how much credibility can you get from that?”
“Weissmuller wore a loincloth and they did twelve sequels.”
“That was in the thirties, jungle was the only way they could put some skin on the screen.” Nick reminded. “And this title….”
“What about it?”
“It’s a little bit…. trashy.”
“What’s so trashy about Penis Dialogues? The playhouse in the next corner is playing Vagina Monologues, and I don’t remember you calling them trashy.”
“I didn’t even know the whole place existed….. I’ve never even been to that part of L.A. and I’ve lived here for years.”
“It’s one of those experimental places. And you should be happy for me, it’s my first paid gig in a long time that’s not a commercial or one of those where-are-they-now things.”
“Sorry, I am happy for you. Is it a big part?”
“Hopefully, but it’s pretty cold inside.”
“You don’t mean….”
“Oh yeah, full frontal in the name of art.”
“Do you mind if I wait till the reviews come in before I check it out?”
“Check it out?”
“The play.”
“Oh right…. Speaking of making a play, how’s the office romance?”
“Slow. I told Greg I wanted to take this slow and quite frankly….”
“It’s driving you nuts.”
“Yep.”
“Then do what they do in Survivor.”
“I’ve never watched that.”
“It’s easy: Go behind people’s backs and scheme as much as you can.”
“I don’t think that would help here.”
“Take initiative and use your imagination. And speaking of imagination, I need to get going. I got my first rehersals today.”
“Do you have to wear the loincloth for rehersals?”
“Don’t be ridiculous…. And don’t talk about my loincloth with that tone, it has that little push-up system and everything.”
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“Eat your heart out, Sid…” Hawkes beamed and continues reading the magazine.
“Did you say something?” Don asked absentmindedly from behind his newspaper.
“I’m so good.”
“I know, I spent the night.”
“Outside of bed.” Hawkes turned to cover so Don could see it. “Delko and Wolfe are in the cover, Soaps R Us called them a new daytime power-couple and ratings are up because people tune in to see what the fuss was about. Sid would hang himself if he was still alive.”
“Who’s Sid?”
“My predecessor. I worked under him for few years before he retired.” He dumped the magazine and picked up the last part of Don’s newspaper. “You don’t read this, right?”
“Surprise, surprise, I do sometimes read the art section.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
“You did.”
“Okay, but it wasn’t malicious. It was just a tiny comment, you can’t take stuff seriously this early in the morning.” He eyed the first page and gave Don a careful glance. “I got some stuff I need to do tonight. You’ll be alright by yourself?”
“What am I, a cockerspaniel? If anyone has a hard time taking care of himself it’s you. What are you doing?”
“There’s a gallery opening. I’ve met the owner couple times so she invited me. Since you don’t really do that kind of things-”
“Hawkes-”
“I mean you don’t need to get bored just because I have to go. Keeping up the networking and so on.”
“Would you shut up for a minute-”
“And I don’t even know if I can get another person in, the invitation didn’t say-”
“Hawkes!”
“What?”
“Is it so hard to say that you don’t want me there?”
“I never said that!”
“That’s what it sounded like. What did you think I was gonna do there? Get drunk, say something stupid to your chummies and start humping the paintings?”
“No, I-”
“Can you honestly say I’m wrong?”
“We’ll….” Hawkes bit his lip nervously. “Maybe not completely wrong.”
“That’s what I thought.” Don got up and folded the newspaper. “And by the way, that invitation was for two, it was written on it in plain simple English.”
“How do you know that?”
“You left that thing on the counter, brainiac.” He walked out and slammed the door shut.
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Eric took a sip from his take-away cup and observed the people going back and forth. He was almost sure he was missing something. Everyone seemed to be talking about something, but in hushed tones with few giggles thrown in.
“Eric?” Ryan was leaning against the wall next to his Eric’s dressing room.
“What’s going on?”
“I got a call on the way here, so I went to buy the magazine.” They went into the dressing room and Eric closed the door.
“Is it about us?”
“No. This is….” Ryan sighed. “It has nothing to do with us, but has a lot to do with the show. Maybe Hawkes was right pushing us into those interviews.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because right now they need all the positive attention they can get. Greg’s having an emergency meeting with the producers.” Ryan handed him the magazine. “A cast member dating a guy is nothing compared to this.”
“Is this….” Eric read the headline and flipped over to the actual story. “Is this true?”
“I don’t know, but there was an unofficial message to all the crewmembers. Not a word to anyone till they figure this out. See that on the bottom of the page? Part one.”
“How many more parts is there?”
“According to Hawkes`s moles three more. And the writer worked in this studio since the beginning of the show. He knows where all the skeletons are buried.” He snatched the coffee cup from Eric and took a sip. “Almost anyone here can be the star of the next part. Everyone here has a secret.”
“Yeah, but you don’t think this is really true?”
“Would they take a risk of a lawsuit if they didn’t have enough to back it up? He knows what he’s talking about and that’s the scariest part about it. He’s going for the kill and anyone can end up in the line of fire.”
Chapter 17