Fic: Soaps R Us, Chapter 17 (CSI/CSI NY/CSI Miami, Ryan / Eric, Flack / Hawkes, Nick / Greg)
Title: Soaps R Us, Chapter 17
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 Chapter 16
CSI Las Vegas Main List CSI Miami Main List CSI New York Main List
“So what are they going to do about it?”
Greg sat down behind his desk and gave Nick a tired glance.
“They didn’t really give me a choice. Willows is out of the show. I’ll have to come up with something to explain it.”
“This is unbelievable.” Nick sunk into one of the stuffed armchairs. “I mean I knew she had been around the block, but this is….”
“Like a twist from a soap opera?”
“Something like that. Willows was never one of my favourite persons, but even she didn’t deserve to have it all splashed across the front page.”
“It’s a miracle it stayed hidden this long. She’s been on the show for almost twenty years.”
“But before that she was basically going from one poorly paid bit part to the next.”
“This town is full of starving actresses, and they don’t do what she did.” Greg huffed and lifted his feet onto the desk. “And she wasn’t exactly luring customers in a street corner to get food on the table and a roof over her head. She was a high-class hussy, and served people who could afford to support her and pay for her lifestyle.”
“Yeah, but isn’t there a nicer word for it than hussy?”
“Sure. Whore, tart, prostitute, ho, hooker, harlot, slattern, slut, slag, sow. I don’t think anyone uses "courtesan" anymore…”
“How do you know so many words for it?”
“I’m a writer.” Greg shrugged. “When I write a catfight scene, I’ll make sure the vocabulary is appropriate.”
There was a knock on the door and Henry escorted Hawkes into the office.
“I had a talk with our legal people.”
“What can we do?” Greg asked and waved Henry to leave.
“We can’t really do anything. They’ve covered their backs.”
“So we just wait for the next part?”
“Yeah. What did the network people say?”
“They’re furious, but it’s not like we knew about this. We’re all in this same mess.”
Greg leaned back in his chair. “Now they’re trying some alternative tactics.”
“Should I leave?” Nick interrupted.
“No need, just don’t talk about this outside of this room. A lot of the shows that are being done here give that magazine a lot of exclusives. Behind the scenes stuff, spoilers and so on.”
“I think I know where you’re going with this.” Hawkes grinned.
“Yeah. If they publish the remaining three parts, they’ll cut off all contacts and give all future exclusives to other magazines.”
“That should work, their entire existence depends on their scoops. Without us they’ll die. Those articles can give them few juicy stories, but it’s not worth it in the long run.”
“Exactly.” Greg agreed. “Our people are meeting the editor as we speak and reading her the riot act. But now that you’re both here… You two have been here for a long time, so explain this so that a newcomer like me understands. This Robson used to work here?”
“Robinson.” Hawkes corrected. “Doc Robinson. He was the studio doctor from the late sixties. They would have kicked him out years ago, but he was Grissom`s buddy and he covered up for him.”
“Covered up what?”
“Same problem they had with Brass: Booze.”
“And when Grissom was replaced….”
“They saw their opportunity and kicked him out.”
“Then he went to that magazine and offered to sell them all the dirt.”
“Looks like it. They probably-”
Hawkes paused when Greg`s phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and snapped it open.
“Sanders. I see… that’s good.” Greg gave his companions a small nod. “When? And the notes and all that? Great. Send it to my office. Thanks a lot. Bye.”
“They gave in?” Nick asked.
“Yeah. They’re releasing the existing copies, notes and other material.”
“Not exactly ethical, but effective.” Hawkes grinned. “They know where their material comes from.”
“Yeah.” Greg weighted his phone in his hand. “They’re sending me a copy of the unreleased parts. When it comes, I want you to make a copy of them and send it to the legal department.”
“What for?”
“I don’t care if Robson-”
“Robinson.”
“Whatever was employed by the studio, the doctor-patient confidentiality still binds him. I want them to go through the whole article with fine-tooth comb. If there’s anything in it that came from the medical records here at the studio, we’ll make sure that quack never treats another patient.”
His ranting was followed by an uncomfortable silence. Greg slumped back against the backrest.
“Can you tell I’m slightly pissed off?”
“No….” Nick said carefully. “All’s well that ends well, right?”
“This didn’t end yet.” Greg turned to Hawkes. “I’ll go through the material when it gets here, you can go to that…. whatever thing you had.”
“They’re opening a new show of A.B.`s works in that new gallery.”
“Sounds absolutely fascinating.” Greg deadpanned. “Have fun.”
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“What are you doing?”
“Just keep your eyes closed, I got a surprise for you.” Eric grabbed Ryan by the shoulders and guided him into the living room. “Okay, you can open them now.”
Ryan opened his eyes and stared at the framed pictures on the wall. Eric’s old promo shots had been replaced by pictures from their joined photo session.
“What do you think?”
“I’m not crazy about it, but this is definitely a step to a healthier direction than hanging half-naked pictures of yourself on the walls….”
“You got any half-naked pictures I could hang on the walls?”
“No.” Ryan frowned. “And before you ask, I’m not posing for one now.”
“Damn…. But what do you think about them?”
“I think….” Ryan sighed and slumped down onto the couch. “I think you`re going on with a really fast pace.”
“By framing pictures?”
“I mean this whole thing.” He picked up a soap magazine from the coffee table. “We’ve been together for few weeks and you’re telling the reporter how this is a life changing experience and real deal and all that. There’s just too much pressure.”
“What do you mean?”
“We agreed to do the interview and the pictures and they’re done. Can we just… keep things to ourselves?”
“You don’t like playing the pin-up boy?”
“I hated it, but I’m not talking about that. When people babble in magazines about how this is finally it, they usually break up two months later. We got enough baggage without that kind of a stress.”
“Okay.” Eric sat down next to him. “We don’t need to do that anymore.”
“Good.”
“But I meant what I said in the interview.”
“Really?” Ryan grinned. “And I meant what I said: You move really fast.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“From a Grade-A Asshole to a Sentimental Sap.”
“People change a lot in five years.”
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“Speed?”
“Hey, that chirpy blond said you’d be back soon.” Speed got up from the dressing room couch. “I need a second opinion.”
“About what?”
“The script. I read it for the first time and I’m not sure if I should pull rank on them or something. This stuff is either really art-ish or total garbage.”
“Judging by the title, it is total garbage.” Nick dumped his walled and phone on the table and started to pull off his clothes. “I’m little bit busy, I’m supposed to pick up Greg from his office in ten minutes.”
“So this is how it goes….” Speed sighed dramatically. “A hot, young blond comes along, and you abandon your old friends.”
“I’m not abandoning anyone, but I need to get tonight right.”
“Things going bad already?”
“No, but he took me seriously when I suggested we take it slow. He’s sent me flowers, chocolate and last night I woke up when a heavy metal band started to play their version of “You give love a bad name” under my bedroom window.”
“You got what you wanted. Enjoy it.”
“Yeah, but I thought we’d be having sex by now.”
“Make a move, take the initiative, cover yourself with honey and ask him to play Winnie the Pooh-”
“Speed.”
“Sorry. I’m really stressed about the whole scrip thing.”
“Speaking of that, what did you mean when you talked about pulling the rank?”
“I’m the biggest name of that production!”
“Most of the audience hasn’t recognised you since you hit puberty. Actually…. How did you get in? Normally I have to come and get you from the lobby.”
“The guard was a fan.”
“Let me guess…. Late seventies, nametag says Dave, looks ready to fall asleep anytime and anywhere?”
“How did you know?”
“He’s stuck in a time loop. Last week he thought we were doing Starsky and Hutch, and before that he was waiting for Miss Ball to come here to record her weekly comedy hour.” Nick pulled two pairs of jeans from the closet. “What do you think?”
“Depends on what kinda message you wanna send?”
“Something like: Forget slow, let’s go faster.”
“The black ones.”
“Thanks.” Nick turned around and dropped his trousers. A tiny snap made him twirl right back again. “What the hell are you…? Is that my phone?”
“Yep.” Speed grinned and tapped the keys of the phone in a feverish pace. “Okay, all send.”
“What’s send where?”
“To your slow paced suitor.” He gave the phone back to Nick. “That should do the trick.”
“You send him this?”
“Nothing says “Let’s get naked” like a picture of your bare ass. Does nothing for me, but your honey will probably get some warm fuzzies from it.”
“You send him….” Nick stared at the picture on the screen. “If that doesn’t work, I`ll have to kill you.”
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Hawkes blinked. Over and over again, but the scene didn’t chance. He marched across the half full room and grabbed Flack by the arm.
“What the hell are you doing here? I told you-”
“Careful, Shelly.” Don smirked. “Don’t make a scene in front of people. Isn’t that what you thought I would do?”
“How did you get in?”
“I got an invitation. I tried to tell you this morning, but you couldn’t keep your gap shut for ten seconds.”
“You got an invitation?” Hawkes gave him a sceptical glare. “I had to pull favours to get an invitation, so don’t try to lie to me. You know some of the security people here?”
“Yeah, that must be it. All the security people get together every Friday to talk about parties they could crash.”
Hawkes didn’t get a chance to respond, because a small woman launched herself at Don. She pulled him down to her level and gave him a wet kiss on the cheek.
“Don! I havent seen you for ages!”
“Been busy. Congratulations, kid.”
“Don’t call me kid.” She beamed and noticed Hawkes. “What do we have here?”
“Sheldon Hawkes. Shelly, this is Aiden Burn.”
“Aiden Burn? A.B.”
“Yep.” She confirmed. “You here with Don? Every time I invite him to one of these things he shows up alone, and I keep telling him he could score some major eye candy with those eyes.”
“Every time?” Hawkes repeated.
“We grew up one block from each other in Brooklyn.” Don commented.
“I got some people I want you to meet.” Aiden grabbed Don’s hand and started pulling him into the crowd. “Nice meeting you, Shelly.”
“Actually, we’ve met before.”
“We have?”
“In the Takashi Gallery.” He reminded. “They had the Nomura retrospective.”
“Right….” She gave him a blank stare. “Sure.”
She dragged Don away and Hawkes gave their retreating backs a mild glare.
“Sir?” A waiter held a tray of drinks in front of him. He picked up a glass and took a long gulp.
“Don’t go too far, I’ll need a refill in a sec.” He emptied the glass and snatched a new one from the tray.
------------------------------------------
“Greg?” Nick knocked on the door and walked into the office. “I`ll just say this straight out: I know you’ve seen that picture, but I had nothing to do with it and-”
“What are you talking about?” Greg looked up from the screen of his laptop.
“The picture!”
“You mean this?” He opened the message on the small screen of his phone. “I can’t figure out what you tried to do here.”
“It wasn’t me!”
“Why would you send me a picture of crop circles?”
“That’s not a crop circle!”
“Then what is it?”
“Compare.” Nick turned around. “Look familiar?”
“No.”
“Speed took that as a joke! Good thing he send it to the right number or we might end up on the cover of some magazine again.”
“You mean this is…?”
“My ass!”
“I don’t believe it.”
“It is!”
“I will not believe it unless you show me the proof.”
“Fine, I’ll….” Nick paused. “Wait a minute. You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
“Possibly.” Greg grinned. “But I wouldn’t mind a live show.”
“You knew what it was all along.”
“I do know an ass when I see one. And you got a really nice one.”
“You still want the live show?” Nick asked and blushed.
“You remember what I said I would do to you on my desk?” Greg countered.
“I remember.”
“You as frustrated as I am?”
“About to burst.” Nick admitted.
“Good. You’ll lock the door, I’ll get my phone ready.”
“Your phone?”
“If I get a hot cowboy on my desk, I want some photographic evidence.”
Chapter 18
Spoilers for upcoming chapters:
-Ryan faces the negative side of publicity.
-More than few people have their reasons to fear new revelations.
-Protecting old secrets turns deadly.