Fic: Soaps R Us, Chapter 26 (CSI, Nick / Greg, Ryan / Wolfe, Flack / Hawkes)
Title: Soaps R Us, Chapter 26
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 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20
Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25
CSI Las Vegas Main List CSI Miami Main List CSI New York Main List
“Put it down.” Dawson instructed slowly. “Put it down and take a step back.”
Sara didn’t react. She just stared at the gun in her hand.
“Sara?” Greg tried. “We both know Harry hasn’t come in yet, so just give it up.”
She blinked and seemed to snap out of her trance. She grinned and handed the gun over to Dawson. He placed it on the desk so he could cuff her.
“Who the hell’s Harry?”
“Our prop guy, who handles all the guns when they’re used on the show.” Greg snapped the gun open to show it to the detective. “Prop gun.”
“That`s a toy?”
“If it clucks like a chicken, looks like a chicken and walks like a chicken, it’s probably not a goose. When someone pulls a gun out of a box of props, it probably is a prop.”
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“Querido?”
Ryan opened his eyes and tried to focus on the face hovering above him.
“What?”
“Are you awake?”
“I am now.”
“Sanders tried to call you, but you didn’t wake up. The cops have made an arrest.”
“Who was arrested?”
“Try to guess.” Eric stated. “And you can’t because I couldn’t even believe it-”
“Sara?”
“What are you, a psychic?”
“No, but it was the first woman I could think of with this headache. Who did you think it was?”
“Willows. Or Calleigh.”
“Why Calleigh?”
“Have you seen her dressing room? It wouldn’t have been the first time she hides something ugly.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know that hair flipping thing she does at least once in every scene she’s in?”
“Yeah, I heard it’s her trademark.”
“It wouldn’t be if people had seen her without her wig.”
“Meaning…?”
“Nasty accident with a curling iron and some kinda flammable hair dye. The end result: Yel Brunner in female form. Or maybe that curly photographer….”
“She is a woman.”
“No, I mean she could have been the killer too.”
“Why? She seems like a nice woman.”
“She is but she’s weird.”
“Is that the best reason you have for thinking she’s a killer?”
“No. When I first started on the show, she took my first promo shots. I used my best moves and she didn’t even go for coffee with me.”
“I correct my previous comment: Nice and smart.”
“So what does that say about you?”
“That I’m crazy enough to keep you.”
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“Do you think people will miss me if I never leave here again?” Hawkes groaned and rested his head against the desk. “Let me just sit here till I starve.”
“Come on, it’s not that bad.” Don picked up the ringing phone and slammed it back down. “You were gonna do that, right?”
“Yeah, it was someone asking for a comment again. This is a total catastrophe.”
“Three time killer confessed. That’s it, it’s over.”
“Except that it’s not. Twenty minutes after they arrested Sara the thing hit the web. It’s all over the place.”
“That was couple hours ago, just ride it out.”
“One of our employees killed a trainee and the head writer and the studio doctor helped with the cover up. Years later she kills two more people and almost whacks one of our directors dead with a brass lamp. This is like a whole year of Guiding Light crammed into few weeks. Or one episode of Melrose Place. Newspapers will feed on this for months.”
“So? Isn’t all attention good?”
“How could this be good?”
“Well…” Don took a minute to think about it. “You could do new promos with the tagline: More suspense than in any other soap.”
Hawkes stared at his desk, but the wheels in his head seemed to be turning.
“And you could ask Sanders to use it in his storylines.”
“Actually….” Hawkes jumped up and planted a big, wet kiss on the man’s lips. “You’re a genius.”
“I am?”
“You are.” Hawkes grabbed Don`s head with both hands and kissed him again. “You’re a pretty, blue-eyed genius with a killer smile, gorgeous ass and even better front.”
He kissed him once more, then he let go and galloped to the door.
“And forget what I said about the IQ of a beetle!”
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“I can’t believe it….” Nick repeated. “I just can’t believe it.”
“That’s the fifth time you said that.” Greg responded. “She did it, it’s over and we’re having a press conference in couple hours.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Are you kidding? Hawkes is like a kid who just got a new fire engine.”
“How can this something to advertise?”
“Well, we can do this two ways. We can try to stay quiet, rumours then get going and if we do that, this can do a lot of damage. Or we can milk this for all it’s worth. Just like we did with Ryan and Eric.”
“Yeah, a romance can create buzz, but three murders?”
“Even better.” Greg grinned. “We got a both: A hot newly-out gay couple and some gruesome murders. Other shows would kill for this kind of publicity.”
“That was a really bad choice of words.”
“People love murders and seedy behind-the-scenes shenanigans. If Grissom would have realised this when the Gribbs died, the last two murders wouldn’t have happened.”
“Too late to think about it now.”
“Yeah.” Greg agreed. “You think he’ll end up in jail too?”
“Firstly, Sara was just arrested and she confessed. It will take months and months before it goes to trial. If it goes to trial.”
“What’s the second?”
“According to the online news, Grissom is hiding somewhere in Asia.”
“How do they know that?”
“He’s been updating his blog. Apparently hookers were fifty percent off at Madame Wasan`s. He’s making the most of those countries that don’t have extradition treaties.”
“That’s one diiiiirrrrty old creep.” Greg smirked. “But who cares? We’re good, Ryan will be good, and the show will be doing totally great.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so. Sex and violence. And a lot of quirky relationships and inconceivable storylines. And people who like to talk to themselves.”
“I’ve always wondered about that.” Nick agreed. “Why do they do that?”
“So that even the dumbest viewers know what’s going on.”
Epilogue: Where Are They Now?