(Untitled)

[alwaysaclue]

"I hope the leaving is joyful; and I hope never to return." --Frida KahloGrissom had actually been away from the lab for a few days. It was easy enough to find someone to make sure the insects had food and water and were generally flourishing, with the doctors and patients and other scientists about. A few held some fears regarding the little

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[dancingwillows]

He'd finally snapped.

That was the only explanation Catherine had for the scene she came upon when she happened to glance over at the garden while walking up the path. Grissom was standing there talking to himself - or was he singing? Who cared, the point was he was talking to himself in the middle of the garden like there was nothing wrong with it.

Catherine walked over, half curious and half tentative. When she got close enough to hear what he was saying, she had to bite back a laugh. "Hey, Gil? You all there?"

[alwaysaclue]

Of course it was Catherine.

At least with Sara, there was the chance she would be careful with his feelings or they might have sex. But neither of those were a Cath option, and so he'd have to think of a better explanation than "I was bored."

Which he was.

"I am all here," he answered.

[dancingwillows]

"Uh huh," was the skeptical response.

Catherine looked Grissom over, as if she could find some kind of explanation for why he was outside. Talking to himself.

...In song lyrics.

It took a couple of seconds, but something clicked, and Catherine looked down at the ground. "Oh." She winced. "Jack and Diane?"

[alwaysaclue]

"Tragic," Grissom said. "But I believe another great musician called it the Circle of Life." He looked around, like they just might see a gay man with piano pop out anywhere. "Though this place is more like the Clusterfuck of Life."

[unit_girl]

Jo had gone over to see what the man digging in the garden was doing, but when she saw he was burying something she wasn't sure whether to say anything. She didn't want to interrupt, so she stood quietly next to him, looking up, interested at the story he had started telling.

[alwaysaclue]

Ah, another mourner.

Grissom nodded at her, and continued speaking, reciting the words as if the Bard himself had written them. While he'd never been much for extra-curriculars that involved other people, Grissom occasionally enjoyed a chance to do some Shakespeare.

"Jackie's gonna be a football star. Diane? Debutante, backseat of Jackie's car."

[unit_girl]

Jo stared up at him as she listened and tried to work out how it related to whatever he was burying. "Is it a true story?" she whispered. "How does it end?"

[alwaysaclue]

Grissom looked away from his paper box of beetles, slightly shocked. He always forgot people's... alternative origins at the most unfortunate times. "Most people see it as the larger story of teenagers coming into adulthood only to find that it's not all they've looked forward to."

[formerfratboy]

Nick was just passing by, really, when he noticed Grissom at the garden. Not entirely unusual; he was probably studying earthworms or something.

And then he heard Grissom's little impromptu eulogy, and he couldn't help but smile. There were so many things about the scene in front of him which were uniquely Grissom that he didn't even know where to start.

Nick cleared his throat softly, not wanting to surprise Grissom with his unexpected appearance, but not wanting to interrupt too badly, either.

[alwaysaclue]

"Ah, Nicky. You're just in time to do the clapping part. You know, that wasn't supposed to be in the final recording of the song. Mellencamp used it solely for timing, but eventually realized that the song wouldn't survive without it."

He lifted the bugs. "We're having a funeral."

[formerfratboy]

Nick quirked a curious eyebrow at Grissom. He couldn't really say that he was surprised at Grissom's funeral for his dearly departed friends.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, gesturing at the recently deceased. "At least you're giving them a proper send off?"

[alwaysaclue]

"I do what I can," Grissom agreed. "Would you like to stay? I'll let you say a few words. Then I was planning to hold a luncheon in the kitchen. It's the nicest place in town."

[sidlong_glance]

Sara had been privy to the deaths of Jack and Diane, but she hadn't anticipated this level of...well. Reaction. If she was a shrink, she would have speculated that Grissom focused on his insects because he didn't have any other mysteries to solve...

Besides the big one, and the case on that was cold.

"Mellencamp?" she asked, clearing her throat.

[alwaysaclue]

"It seemed like the most fitting way to memorialize them," Grissom answered. "Besides, everyone else is taking up all the eccentricity. We need to remember that other people enjoy the little oddities in life too."

Two of those little oddities were now at peace.

[sidlong_glance]

"Are you sure you're not just rationalizing, Gil?" Sara said, crouching down in the dirt next to him. "Not that it's wrong to bury pets, just...Mellencamp?"

Burying pets...hopefully not like that book or movie or whatever.

[alwaysaclue]

"You don't think it's appropriate? They're a modern Romeo and Juliet. Though to be honest I can't say for certain if they committed suicide. Exoskeletons make the autopsy procedure much more difficult."

Though he mostly remained deadpan, he didn't think she'd call the men in white coats just yet.

[alaspoorwarrick]

When I see Grissom heading for the gardens with a box and a shovel, I'm curious, y'know? I mean, it's what we do, CSIs, keeping our eyes open for things outside of the norm.

Grissom being odd isn't abnormal, a'ight, but Grissom humming rock ditties is weird enough to raise an eyebrow. So I follow him.

"Mellencamp, boss? Never took you for the type."

[alwaysaclue]

"But did you meet Jack and Diane?" Grissom revealed the small box. "They were unlucky enough to travel here with me on the day I... left. I found them in the parking lot, on my way out, and as I stopped to catch them, here I was."

He looked down at the box with sudden surprise. "Unless they served as the catalyst."

[alaspoorwarrick]

I've seen him do some pretty odd shit over the years, weird enough racing cockroaches is just the tip of a very large iceberg, y'know what I'm saying? But burying two cockroaches, not even the fancy Madagascar kind he races, just your garden variety parking lot roach...that's edging out weird for going round the bend.

I knit my brows and give him a look. "Griss, you all right, man? 'Cos, that's--" His other words catch up with me and I shake my head. "I know it seems like Wonderland sometimes, straight up, but if you didn't eat 'em, drink 'em, or smoke 'em, pretty sure they're not the proximate cause any more than the bull--" Aww shit, I forgot he didn't want to know... "Bullshit that happened before I showed up."