Catherine woke up when her alarm started ringing. Slowly, she reached across the sleeping man in her bed, and pressed the snooze button. When she felt a hand take hold of her arm, she looked at his face. “You’re not sleeping.”
Gil shook his head. “Nope. That awful noise woke me up.”
“Sorry about that,” she positioned herself so her body was parallel with his. “I was going to wake you up, though.”
“No doubt that would’ve been better,” he smiled, as she bent her head to shower his chest with feather light kisses. “Yes,” he confirmed. “This would’ve been much better.”
She chuckled and looked up into his drowsy eyes. “I love you, Gil.”
“I love you, too, Cath,” he brought a hand to her face, caressing her cheek before moving to tuck her hair behind her ear. “We should probably get ready for work.”
“Why do you have to be the logical one?”
“Since I’m the boss and we don’t want people to get too suspicious,” he said, kissing her forehead. “And, Lindsay might want to see her mother before she goes to work.”
“Yeah,” Catherine nodded, creating unbearable friction for both of them while she slid off his body. “I’m gonna go check on h er. Want to come?”
He shook his head. “I’m going to start a shower.”
She nodded, accepting his answer. “Okay.”
She padded down the hall to Lindsay’s bedroom. The tiny blonde was sitting up in bed. “Sweetie, what are you doing up?”
“I heard your alarm.”
“Ohh,” she frowned, sitting down on the bed next to her. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t want to wake you. Gil was going to carry you—”
“Is he still here?”
Catherine nodded. “Yes, he is.”
“Did he sleep on the couch?”
She found herself blushing, glad the room was dark. “No, I gave him half of the bed.”
“Good,” she smiled. “That sofa’s bumpy, and he’s here a lot.”
“Does that bother you?” She pulled her daughter into her lap. “Because if it does, we can always kick him out,” both females giggled.
Lindsay shook her head. “No, don’t kick him out. I like him here.”
“You sure?”
She nodded and rolled her sleepy eyes. “You always ask me that, and I always tell you...”
“We just don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Gil appeared in the doorway. She grinned and rushed out of her mother’s lap. Gil managed to hoist her up into his arms. “What are you doing out of bed?”
“That alarm clock.”
He nodded understandingly. “Ohhh, I know. It woke me up, too, kiddo.”
“Can we break it?”
“Only if you put it back together when you’re done,” Catherine was walking towards them. She kissed her daughter’s cheek. “I don’t wake up as easily as some other people in this house.”
“Hey, Lindsay, what do you say?” Gil’s eye twinkled. “Want to take Mom’s alarm clock apart this weekend?” She grinned and her tresses bounced while she nodded exuberantly. “Excellent. It’s a date.”
Catherine pouted. “So, what am I going to do this weekend?”
“You can bring us snacks,” Lindsay replied, tucking her head into Gil’s shoulder.
She looked over her daughter’s head at Gil; his eyes were laughing. He shrugged. “Well, I guess that settles that, Cath.” He looked down at Lindsay. “Lindsay, I’ve got to get ready for work, so how about I tuck you back into bed until it’s time to go to your aunt’s?”
“Okay,” she answered rationally, but offering a deal: “As long as I can help you shave.”
“Sounds fair.”
“Promise you’ll wake me up?”
He kissed her cheek. “Of course.”
Catherine helped Gil tuck Lindsay back into bed, and together they walked to the bathroom. “You spoil her so much,” she smiled up at him once inside her room. “She’s crazy about you.”
“Well, that works out well, because I’m crazy about her, too.” Catherine’s eyes swelled with tears. She knew Gil loved her daughter, but hearing him vocalize his sentiments affected her like few other things. “You have an amazing daughter. Makes it easy.”
She felt her throat close over a little. He noticed her silence, and turned to look at her wiping a stray tear away. “What’s this?”
Catherine sighed. “I’m just reminding myself how lucky I am.”
He pulled her against him, kissing her lips delicately. She moaned softly, a sound Gil could barely make out. “We should probably stop this,” he whispered into her hair, his hands kneading her back still, unable to let go of the incredible woman in his arms. “You can have the shower fir—”
She cut him off. “We’d save time if we shared.”
He chuckled. “I like the way you think.”
~*~
Gil signed: *Ready?* Lindsay nodded as she put her hands out, palms up. Gil grinned and picked the can of shaving cream up and squirted some into her hands. She rubbed it together, and waited for him to sit down on the closed toilet before making contact with his cheeks.
Catherine giggled from her position at the sink, watching her daughter smear the foam over her lover’s face. “Careful, Sweetie, you don’t wanna get it on his—”
“I know, Mommy. I have done this before.”
She glanced at Gil, who chuckled. “Alright, then.”
“No back seat shavers, Mom,” Gil joked. Catherine laughed again before turning back to the mirror to finish straightening her hair. She heard Gil say: “Good job. Now, Lindsay, how about you tell your mother I need the mirror so I can shave?”
Lindsay walked over, and tugged on her mother’s robe. “Mom, Gil says—”
“I heard him,” she smiled, bending down to pick her daughter up to set her on the counter. She turned to look at him. “You know she’s going to want to help more.”
He winked at Lindsay. “How about you help with the after shave?”
“Okay!”
“Not going to let her shave your face?” Catherine couldn’t fight the smile. She had an idea of the fear Gil must’ve had, imagining the young girl with a razor blade, coming at his face.
He shook his head. “I was hoping you’d do it for me.”
“Ohhh... I, um, oh, I don’t know,” Catherine knew that she’d only get turned on, and before going into work, that might not be the best idea. “Why don’t you do it? I’ll get it next time.”
“C’mon Mom!”
Gil’s eyes glimmered. “Yeah, c’mon Mom.”
“Oh, fine,” she took the razor Gil offered her, and sat up on the other side of the sink, opposite her daughter. Gil stood between her knees, as close as he could get for her. “I haven’t done this in a while, Gil, you sure?”
“It’s either that or I go in to work with this stuff on my face.”
She giggled. “That’d be funny.”
“So, help me out.”
“Alright.” Determination took root in her expression, as she took the small plastic utensil to his face, carefully shaving it along one side of his cheek, and then doing the same on the opposite side. Lindsay was staring up at them, grinning even though she was jealous that Gil picked her mother to shave his face. Catherine started to gnaw on her lip, nervous that she’d make a mistake; true, she shaved her legs often, but this was different—the face had so many angled surfaces. Luckily, she knew Gil’s face very well. However, it didn’t help that he was staring into her eyes.
When she was done, she picked up a hand towel and wipes the remnants of the cream away. Then, she ran her hand over his face. He closed his eyes; she felt him lean into the touch.
*What do you think?* Gil signed for Lindsay. Her eyes lit up; sign language was a great way for them to bond, it was as though they had their own secret code sometimes.
He ducked down so the girl could do what her mother had done, checking for smoothness. *She did a good job.*
Gil reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out a small bottle of after shave lotion. *Did you still want to help?* He asked her, who nodded, and laughed again when he put the thin lotion into her hands. She rubbed them together, and then rubbed them over his face. *Perfect. Thanks, Lindsay.*
“No problem,” she spoke happily.
Catherine glanced at her watch. They had thirty minutes to get dressed and get Lindsay to her sister’s house for the rest of the night. “We should probably hurry up.” Lindsay frowned. Gil sighed. “Lindsay, did you pack a bag already?”
“Yes,” she answered. “Can’t I just go to work with you guys?”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Too dangerous.”
“Please?”
Gil backed Catherine up. “I like knowing you’re safe and sound. Besides,” he winked. “You need your rest so we can dismantle that clock.”
“Right,” she beamed, instantly cheered up. Although she had practically raised Lindsay by herself for years, sometimes she didn’t know what she’d do without Gil to back her up. “Okay. Mommy, I’m gonna go get my stuff. You two have to get dressed.”
“Yep.” Catherine smiled as her daughter jumped down off the counter and rushed out of the small room. She rubbed her hands over her face, and looked up at him. “What I want to do has nothing to do with work right now.”
Gil nodded. “I know.” He wrapped an arm around her, showering her face and neck with kisses. “It’ll just have to wait until later.”
“Hopefully it’ll be a slow night,” Catherine grinned as she pulled him out of the bathroom, towards her room. “There’s something I want to try in that chair of yours.”
Completely affected by her, Gil had to return to the bathroom to splash his face with cold water before going to get dressed.
~*~
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a slow night. Catherine couldn’t remember a time when she was so stressed. She and Warrick had been processing a very confusing shooting; Sara and Nick were out processing something Catherine couldn’t remember; Gil was back at the office, catching up on paperwork.
She felt bad for him; she knew he missed being out, collecting evidence, piecing the puzzle together. She also knew that he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to do his job properly. He hadn’t talked to Brass about his hearing problems, nor the rest of his team.
“Catherine?”
Warrick had been trying to get her attention. “Yeah, Warrick?”
“Why don’t you go take a break?” He suggested. “Greg doesn’t have our results back yet, and you look exhausted. I saw Gil put some doughnuts in their earlier.” Her face lit up a little; he chuckled. “Knew that would cheer you up a little.”
“You sure you don’t mind me—”
“They’re only pictures. I can process them myself just fine. Go get some rest. I’ll get you when Greg has something useful.”
She smiled, grateful for the break. She headed to the lounge, and saw the box of doughnuts Warrick had been talking about. She knew that they would taste wonderful, and the sugar would give her a little energy boost. After fishing a bottle of water out of the fridge, she pulled a treat out of the box, and sat down and replenished her system.
When she felt better, she took another doughnut out of the box and headed to Gil’s office.
She knocked, but there was no answer. Slowly, she pushed it open. Gil was sitting at his desk, head in his hands. It wasn’t until she closed the door and walked halfway to him that he looked up.
“I....”
*It’s okay,* she signed, trying to make it easier on him. She set the doughnut down on his desk. *I brought you a treat.*
*Thanks, but I’m not hungry right now.* He wiped one hand over his face, and straightened up. She gave him a sympathetic smile and walked until she was behind him. Her hands sought his shoulders, massaging the weary muscles. He sighed, and swayed with every move she made.
“That feels good,” he muttered softly. In reply, she kissed the top of his head. She knew he appreciated it, words didn’t need to be said, even though he said them anyway. He turned and looked at her, letting the chair slip back a little. She took that as an invitation and slid into his lap. *I feel useless... I want to—*
*Don’t, Gil, not now.* She pressed her forehead against his, inhaling deeply. Her hands reached his chest, sliding until they were at the back of his neck. When his hands were in her hair, she changed the angle of her neck and kissed him. When the kiss deepened, she wrapped her arms around him, and tried to kiss his worries away.
He pulled back and looked at her. *I wish I could hear you.*
*Gil,* she rolled her eyes, frustration seeping into her system—and subsequently, her hand actions. *I love you regardless if you can hear or not. It’s your mind and soul and heart I love, and last time I checked, those didn’t need ears.*
His mouth opened, jaw dropping in astonishment. *You’re getting better.*
*I have good motivation,* she responded. *Kiss me.*
He chuckled, and obliged her.
~*~
Warrick looked down at his pager. Greg had sent him a message, telling him that the DNA results were back. He glanced at his watch and figured that Catherine would have had enough of a break to reenergize.
He stopped into the break room first and saw no one. “Great.... I have a missing partner.”
He turned out of the room, and headed to Gil’s office, hoping he would know where the woman was. He knocked on the door, and heard no response, so he pushed it open just to see if Gil was there and on the phone, or sleeping, or something.
Gil was sitting at his desk. When he noticed Warrick, he pulled a file folder off the desk and started flipping through it. “Hello, Warrick. Can I help you?”
“Yeah, Gris... have you seen Catherine?” He thought his boss looked a little worn out, but he couldn’t be sure.
“What?”
Warrick repeated himself, puzzled. Gil shook his head, his eyelids fluttering shut briefly. “No, I haven’t. Not lately. She stopped in here a little while ago.”
“Maybe she’s washing up or something,” Warrick mumbled, turning to leave. “Thanks, Gris.”
“No problem.”
Warrick turned back to wave at his boss, and was almost certain he saw Catherine’s shoes poking out from under Gil’s desk. He smirked, shook his head, and walked out of the room, making sure to close the door behind him.
~*~
“Hey, Warrick,” Nick came into the break room. “Do you know where Catherine is?” He nodded, smiling a little. “Want to tell me where she is?”
“Gris’ office.”
“Great, thanks,” he picked up a file. “I have to go run this by her—”
“You might not want to go in there.”
“Why no—” When Nick made eye contact with his co-worker, he understood. “—t. Those two are still kissing behind closed doors?”
Warrick smirked. “I wouldn’t exactly call it kissing.”
“Oh. Isn’t she working tonight?”
“Yep,” he chuckled. Nick smirked, sliding into a chair on the other side of the table, making some comment about how lucky Gil was. Warrick agreed. “Yeah, he certainly is.” Silence fell between them for a few seconds, before the darker man asked: “When did you walk in on them tonight?”
“Not tonight,” Nick answered, tapping his fingers on the tabletop. “That time Lindsay was here, and you were taking her around the office. I stopped into the room, and caught them kissing.”
“What did they say?”
Nick shrugged. “We just pretended it didn’t happen, pretty much. I didn’t tell anyone, and forgot to ask Cath about it.”
Warrick looked at him and smiled. “Wasn’t gonna ask the boss?”
“Hells no,” he agreed with a grin. “I value my job.”
Sara poked her head into the room. “Anyone see Gris?” Warrick and Nick looked at each other, as if trying to silently decide if they should tell her the truth or not. While Warrick was certain Nick and Sara had a spark of something between them, he also knew that Sara had had a crush on Grissom for quite some time. Nick was oblivious to both, but he wanted to keep the secret a secret—not water cooler gossip. “What?” She asked, stepping inside. “Is he okay? What happened?”
Warrick laughed. “Yeah, he’s fine. He’s a little busy, but fine.”
“Well, do you think he’d be too busy to look at a blood spatter?”
Nick nodded, trying not to laugh. “Yeah, he’d be too busy.”
“What’s he doing in there?” She said, sitting in the chair next to Nick’s. “He is in his office, right?”
“Oooohhhhh yeah,” Warrick answered cryptically, hoping she could figure out what he was trying to tell her without him actually having to say it. The fewer people that knew, the better. “Sara, believe me, you don’t wanna walk in there.”
She rolled her eyes. “Catherine’s in there, isn’t she?”
Nick nodded.
“FInally,” she groaned. “Took them long enough.”
“I thought you might—”
Another roll of her eyes, followed by a louder groan , this time in protest. “Puh-lease. So, I had a teensy crush on the guy for a little while. He’s too old, for me, and I don’t like the mysterious types. I like it alllll out where I can see it. No surprises.”
Warrick raised an eyebrow. “Fair enough, Sidle.” He glanced down at his watch. “I’m giving them ten more minutes. Then one of us will have to knock.”
Nick’s eyes widened. “Not me, bro.”
“Me, neither,” Sara chimed in.
“Well, we’ll draw straws or something,” Warrick shook his head in exasperation. “Cuz it sure as hell isn’t gonna be me.”
~*~
“So, you think they know about us?” Catherine asked while frying eggs on her stove after their shift. Gil had noticed several weird looks and one strange conversation with Nick, and didn’t say anything until they were back at her place.
Gil nodded. “Well, Nick had seen us kissing before, remember?”
“Riiight,” she answered. “I had almost forgotten about that.” She glanced at the toaster. “Want to get that bread out of there before it burns?”
He took a plate out of the cupboard, and retrieved the toast. It was perfectly golden. “I saw Warrick glance at the desk on his way out... maybe he saw you.”
Catherine laughed. “Ohhhh, the gossip...” she turned to look at him. “What do you think they think?”
“That we’re together,” he replied. “Which isn’t far from the truth.” She smiled and walked towards him. “You did notice how Greg was looking at us when he came into the office, didn’t you?”
“Like a deer caught in the headlights,” she chuckled softly, before pressing her face into his chest. “I didn’t mean to get carried away.” She looked up at him to see him raise an eyebrow in disbelief. “Really, I didn’t.... but then, I wanted to do something for you, and well, that was the only thing I was really up for,” she grinned. “And boy, were you up for it.”
He groaned. “Cath...”
“Gil, lighten up,” she reached up and kissed him. “I promise I won’t do that at the office anymore.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “If that’ll make you happy.”
He smiled. “We can still do it here, though, right?”
“Well, I should hope so.” She looked up at saw that familiar predatory gaze in his sparkling eyes. “Gil, honey, the eggs, and the toast.... they’ll get cold and then—”
“I’ll cook it all again.” He wrapped his arms around her. “You can sit and watch.”
She smiled, liking the way the deal sounded. “Sounds good to me.” She shrieked in surprise when he pushed against the counter and then lifted her up. She smiled wryly at him. “In the kitchen?”
“Why not?”
Catherine giggled. “I’ve never...”
“Really?” He said, breaking from kissing her neck. “Well, let me guide you through it,” she swatted him and muttered something about not being a virgin and she could figure it out just fine on her own. He grinned, and started to unbutton her blouse. “See, Cath? If you don’t rip the blouse open, you can wear it again.”
She mumbled. “I put those buttons back on.”
“Two weeks later,” he countered, helping her out of her pants. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him hoist her up. When he set her back down, her hands instinctively went for his belt. “I can do this myself—”
Catherine rolled her eyes. “You’re too slow.”
When he thrust into her she shivered and wrapped herself around him. Her legs gripped him at his sides, one of her arms wrapped around his torso, the other around his shoulder. “I’ll show you slow,” he whispered into her ear, licking around the earlobe. She shuddered, and tightened her grip on him.
“Oooph,” Catherine felt herself losing control, her nerves fraying as she sunk deeper in a pleasurable fog. “Gil..... more.... faster... harder....”
He kissed her lips, bouncing her a little quicker. She gasped, and held on tighter.
When she finally felt a release coming, she buried her face into his shoulder. She heard him whimper and then felt him explode. They rested against the counter, panting and staring into each other’s eyes.
“Can we make breakfast like this everyday?”
Gil laughed. “I think Lindsay might have a few problems with it.”
“You always have to be so logical.”
“That’s why you love me,” he grinned. She swatted him, and returned to rest on his shoulder. “Seriously, Cath, why do you love me?”
She groaned. “If you don’t know by now...” She lifted her foggy eyes to look at him. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“But, that’s easy to answer.”
“I could say the same about your question.”
“Well,” he pushed. “What’s the answer?”
“I just do,” she smiled, kissing him sweetly.
~*~
“Ready for this?” Catherine looked at Gil, smiling happily; he looked nervous. She put her hand on his arm. “Gil? We don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to.”
He shook his head, locking his fingers with hers in a fluid motion. “Nope. They already know, and we should do this. They’re our friends and co-workers. They deserve to know the truth. Besides, I don’t want to have to sneak around with you anymore.”
She kissed him. “Although, you have to admit, sneaking around made it sexier.”
He chuckled. After a quick kiss to her forehead, he admitted: “Yes.” She laughed with him; he quickly added: “However, I intend to ensure that it’s still sexy.”
“Good,” she nodded. “I’ll sign up for that cause too,” she giggled. “But, I don’t think we’ll have any problems in that department.” She motioned towards their office building. “We should head in there, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, we’ll be late if we don’t hurry.” He held onto her hand and together they walked inside. They found everyone in the conference room, where Brass was waiting to give out their assignments. “Sorry we’re late,” Gil excused them, as they walked in together, and took two empty seats next to each other. “Traffic.”
Nick chuckled. “I’ll bet.” Sara slapped his shoulder solidly, and glared at Warrick, who stifled his laughter. “Sorry.”
“Actually,” Catherine rolled her eyes. “We were standing outside the building wondering if we were going to tell you all what you already know.”
Brass looked at her. “What are you all talking about?” His eyes darted around the members of the CSI team, trying to piece something together. “Gris?”
“Catherine and I are in love,” Gil answered, not blushing, not backing away from eye contact. Catherine’s eyes were shining; any fool could see how happy they were. “The team has been... speculating for some time if something was going on, and we finally wanted to come clean.”
A chorus filled the air: “Congratulations.”
Warrick added: “Just so you know, you had none of us fooled.”
Sara glared at him, before turning to the couple. “And by that he means he’s happy for you, as we all are.”
Catherine smiled. “Thanks. Now, Brass, what are we all doing tonight?”
~*~
“Hey, Greg,” Catherine popped into the lab. “What do you have for me?”
“The results of those hair samples you handed in earlier tonight,” he answered. “What did you think I have?”
She looked at him sternly. “Greg..”
“Okay, okay,” he started talking about the matches he found, and the matches he didn’t find, when he popped his head up, and asked: “How’s your boyfriend, by the way?”
“Greg...” her voice was low and full of warning. “You really don’t want to get off topic, believe me.”
“Okay, fine,” he responded, ducking his eyes. “I was just trying to make conversation. I mean, he’s one of the most closed off people I’ve ever met, and if you could maybe give me some sort of information that would give me an ‘in,’ then we’d be alllll set.”
Gil chose that moment to walk in. “Greg, what are you talking about?”
He stammered for a minute, and then started reading off Catherine’s results. Catherine laughed softly; Gil came up behind her, and the instant his hand made contact with her lower back, she found herself struggling to keep herself focused on Greg’s voice.
“Would you two cut that out?” Greg had noticed Gil smelling her hair.
“Sorry, Greg,” Gil smiled. He looked at Catherine. “I guess I’m distracting him.”
“He’s not the only one, I’m afraid,” she smiled at him.
He kissed her lips chastely. “Well, I’m going to go out with Warrick, process a scene.”
“You up for that?”
He nodded. “It’s been a pretty good day, for that, actually. I’m not too worried.”
“Page me if there’s a—”
“Don’t worry,” he squeezed her hand. “I’ll be fine. But, I will page you if something happens.”
She smiled, kissing him again before he left. Catherine straightened herself out, and then turned to Greg. “Where were we?”
~*~
Gil got into Warrick’s SUV, just as he turned the key in the ignition. “How was Catherine doing?”
“What?”
He looked at his boss. “C’mon, now, I’m not a fool. The file you wanted was already in the car, I had it with me. So, the excuse doesn’t quite fly.” He chuckled. “You could’ve just told me: ‘I went to kiss my girlfriend good-bye.’”
Gil found himself chuckling; the way the office was adjusting to their news was amusing. They accepted it, but still liked to tease them. He could understand that; his private life had always been very private, until that night.
“Alright,” Gil looked at his employee. “I’ll remember that for next time.”
“How did all of this happen, anyway?”
He shrugged. “It just did.”
“C’mon....”
“The day Lindsay came over to look at the bugs. It just, sorta, happened.”
Warrick smiled. “So, Nick did interrupt your first kiss.”
“Second.”
“You’re lucky. We’ve all been rooting for you two for some time now.”
Gil’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“You never noticed the chemistry between you and Catherine?”
He sighed. “All the time.”
Warrick laughed. “Yeah, so did we.”
~*~
“So, what are we doing here?” Gil looked at Catherine oddly. She parked her Tahoe, and got out without saying a word. He was confused, and he didn’t want to admit it. He looked at her again, once they were both outside.
She grinned at him. “It’s called a park. There are trees, some nice grass, sometimes a playground of some sort....”
“Yes, silly,” he wrapped his arms around her. “I know that. But, why are we here?”
“I think we should come up for air,” she took a basket out of the car, grabbed a blanket that had been on the seat in the back, and snagged his hand as she walked onto the lawn.
He could easily agree to that. If they weren’t at work, they were at Gil’s or Catherine’s, and they never went out on dates—there was no time to waste on that. They could never get enough of each other. Gil wondered sometimes if it was too much, if they were just exhausting themselves; however, one look into Catherine’s eyes made it very clear.
“Good idea,” he smiled, reaching for the blanket. She helped him spread it underneath a tree, and then they sat down on it together. She tucked herself under his arm, one of her hands in his, the other on his thigh, tracing lazy patterns. He shook his head and sighed, realizing neither of them was ready for public interaction. “As good as this idea seems, Cath, if you keep that up, I’m gonna—”
“Okay, okay,” she groaned, sitting up a bit and putting her hand on her own knee. “Any average guy would be thrilled their girlfriend can’t keep her hands off of him. But, not you.” She kissed his cheek. “I should know you’re not any average guy.”
He didn’t know why he was blushing, but he was. Lately, he had found himself desensitized to her flattering comments, and although they affected him, he could control the affection to a mental level. “I am thrilled, just so you know,” he admitted. “But, you know how I feel about public displays.”
“Didn’t stop you at work. Poor Greg...” she chuckled.
He smiled. “That was different. It was the first time it felt okay to touch you in front of everyone.” He laughed. “Plus, I wanted to make him a little uncomfortable.”
Catherine laughed with him. “You certainly did that.”
“Yeah...”
“Gil?”
“Yes?”
“Would you marry me?”
He stiffened, surprised at her question. He had always thought that their relationship was progressing towards something permanent, but he wasn’t sure how either of them felt about it. “You want to marry me?”
She moved a little so she could look at him. “Yes.”
“Wow...” he looked off into the distance, deep in thought. “But, I’m going to be deaf... I’m your boss... I’m going to lose my hearing, Catherine. You can’t want to marry a deaf guy.”
She furrowed her eyebrows in thought. “I never thought about it like that, but now that you mention it, I do.”
“Catherine...” he took her hands in his, unsure of what he was going to say. “I love you, but I don’t know if—”
“You don’t want to marry me?”
“Cath, no, I... I just want you to be sure that this is what you want... in a year, I won’t be able to hear anything, probably. Is that going to be enough? What about Lindsay? Won’t she want a father she can talk to, and hear his voice in return?”
She narrowed her eyes. He could see how hurt and upset she was. “I think she’d want a father who loves her.”
“The house will be quiet...” he continued. “What if I lose my job? I won’t be able to support us...”
“You won’t lose your job, Gil, you’re too much of an asset to the team. Brass isn’t a fool.”
He closed his eyes, and leaned against the tree. He wanted to marry her, but he didn’t want to disappoint her in the future. He didn’t know if she could live with his downfalls, and when he was completely deaf, he couldn’t predict if a lack of verbal communication tear their relationship apart. He didn’t want to lose her. But, he didn’t know if she’d stay with him.
“I’m flawed, Catherine.”
“And, I love your flaws, damnit.”
“You say that now...” he sighed.
“You practically live in my house anyway! We’re always together, Lindsay’s crazy about you, and why are you so scared? Because you might lose your hearing? We’ve already told you how much we love YOU. Not your hearing, not your voice! YOU.” He saw tears threatening to fall when he opened his eyes. “I thought you love me.”
“I do. I don’t want to hurt you later on.”
“I only care about the present, Gil!”
“But, I can only think about the future,” he reached out to touch her, but she flinched. In that, he was wounded more than he wanted to admit. “I’m going to go take a walk. I’ll get home.”
She nodded. “Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Run away from the world, Gil,” she looked up at him as he stood up. “Shut us all out again. Don’t let anyone help you face your fears. Wouldn’t want that.”
“Cath....” He tried to talk, but the words got stuck in his throat. He turned and left Catherine crying on the blanket, under the tree.
~*~
Gil was sitting in his dark office alone. He had gone home, tried to sleep, and then he came to work where he sat alone. He hadn’t felt like this in so long; there was a piece of him missing, and he knew where the piece was, but he didn’t know how to get it back.
She had completed him, she complimented the lights and the darks in his personality perfectly—there couldn’t have been a better match. She was loving and kind and considerate and so sexy. She was the one person who understood him.
He didn’t think he understood her, though. Ever since she proposed, he had been left wondering why she had done such a thing. It baffled him: he was going to be disabled, yet she was gearing up to settle into a family life with him; he wouldn’t be able to give her everything she deserved and needed, yet she was giving him more than he had ever dreamed of.
Someone was knocking at the door. His pulse quickened. “Come in.”
Warrick appeared in the door. “Hey, Gris. Catherine just got here. She’s in the locker room, and Brass wants to get started.”
“Thanks, Warrick. I’ll be right there.”
He waited until his co-worker was gone before rubbing his hands over his face. He didn’t know why she had bothered coming to work; he had assumed she’d take the night off. But, he mused silently, that was Catherine, always doing the unexpected. He wondered if they’d get a chance to talk about what had happened that morning; he hoped and feared at the same time.
He straightened himself out and left his office, preparing himself for the worst.
~*~
Catherine looked up when Gil walked into the room, saw that it was him, and quickly averted her eyes before he found her with his. If she made eye contact, she’d cry, or turn to stone—she didn’t know which. She sat next to Warrick, half-listening to the conversation he was trying to have with Nick.
“Okay, guys,” Jim clapped his hands together. “This is what we’re going to do. Warrick, Nick: you guys have a wedding chapel murder. Some bride found out her husband cheated on her, and instead of showing up with a smile, she showed up with a gun. She took off, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find her.” He slid the file across the table to them. “Sarah, Gil, and Catherine: there was a suicide in a hotel. Young girl.”
“Why are the three of us processing this?” Catherine asked after he was done talking. “That’s an awful lot of manpower for a suicide.”
She could feel Gil’s eyes on her. She wondered if anyone else noticed the dynamic change between them. Jim shrugged. “Some people heard loud noises around her, the police didn’t completely think it was self-induced, since there are a lot of people to question, I figured you three could divide and conquer.”
“Fine,” she sighed, accepting the file Brass slid to her. “We should probably get going, then.”
“I’ll drive,” Gil offered. Sarah looked at Warrick, their eyes meeting in confusion. Catherine struggled to remain calm as the three of them walked out of the room.
“I have to get my coat,” Sarah spoke up. “Wait a second, okay?”
“We’ll be in the car,” Gil told her, taking hold of Catherine’s elbow and dragging her outside. She was furious with him for grabbing her like that. She struggled unsuccessfully until they were outside, when he released her. “Catherine, can we talk?”
“We’re on the clock, Gris,” she said cooly, rubbing her elbow. “Better make it snappy.”
He cursed loudly. Catherine looked up at him, eyes wide. She had never heard him so frustrated and angry before. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”
“We’re all adults here,” she responded, trying to keep her voice steady. She turned away from his eyes, and started slowly to the car. She heard his feet follow her. “I can handle a few bad words.”
“God,” he stopped her, cupping her face with his hands. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at him and face the hurt she felt. “Cath... please... just let me try and explain. You know I’m not a people-person.”
“If you don’t take your hands off of me, I’ll fall apart.”
He released her. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” she responded. “Just don’t let it happen again.”
~*~
Sarah was uncomfortable. She was sitting in the evidence room with Gil and Catherine, pouring over the details from the crime scene they had been processing. The air was thick with tension; she wanted to get out of there, but couldn’t because it was her job.
“Sarah,” Catherine asked sweetly. “Could you pass me Gil’s magnifying glass?”
The brunette shrugged, reached across the table, grabbed the circular tool, and handed it to Catherine. “Here you go.”
“Sarah,” Gil asked a few minutes later. “Can you hand me that back? I need to check this one print—”
“Fine,” Sarah turned to Catherine. “Are you done with that yet?”
“Yeah, sure, here.”
Sarah slid it to her boss. “Here, Gris.”
Nick poked his head in. “Any leads?”
She was relieved to see him. She was hoping he’d need her for something that would give her permission to leave the room. “Nothing substantial yet. DId you need me for anything?”
“Yeah, actually.”
He smirked. Sarah knew he must’ve read the look on her face. She turned to the other two. “I’ll be right back.” She jumped out, and it wasn’t until she shut the door to the evidence room that she spoke. “Oh thank God! I owe you.”
“Not going so well in there?”
She shook her head. “I think they’re fighting. Is that what fighting looks like?”
He chuckled. “With them, probably. I wonder what it’s about.”
Greg came up to them. “What are you two talking about?”
“We think they’re fighting,” Nick motioned towards the closed door.
“It’s scary,” Sarah added. “I don’t like it.”
Greg shrugged. “Well, maybe this will help. The bride from the chapel and your suicide are the same woman.”
Sarah smiled. “Really?”
Nick smiled, too. “That makes it easy. Maybe the good news will help—” He reached out to put his hand on the doorknob, but heard loud voices. “Uh oh.” Just as he started to take his arm away, the door flew open.
Catherine didn’t even notice them all standing there. “Fine! I will go home! Maybe you’ll stop being such a big baby, all alone in your dark little crib!” She flew past the trio, and marched down the hall. “Good thing I didn’t buy you a ring!” She yelled from the distance she had reached.
Greg looked at Sarah and then Nick. “Ohhh boy.”
“Yeah,” Sarah nodded. She pointed to the break room. “I think we should step away from here.” They followed her into the room, where they closed the door, and then sat down. “I’m not going back in there until he cools off.”
“You can always come help me in the lab, if you want,” Greg offered with a smile.
“Thanks,” she responded. “However, eventually Gris will notice I’m not back.”
Nick sighed. “Sounds like they’ve hit a rough patch.”
“That’s an understatement,” Sarah commented dryly. “They seemed so happy. I wonder what changed.”
“I bet she proposed, and he freaked out and said no.”
The other two looked at Greg. Nick’s eyes squinted a little. “How do you figure?”
“The arguing, the quieter-than-usual Grissom, the extremely pissed-off Catherine. Plus, the ring.”
Sarah nodded. “That does make sense. It explains a lot. You should’ve seen them at the scene. They wouldn’t speak to each other. Gris kept trying to ask her something, but every time he pulled her aside, she’d curse at him, and tell him to back off.” She sighed. “It was so uncomfortable. Especially when they started talking to each other through me. I wanted to kill Brass.”
“And now?”
“Now,” she shrugged, “I just wish there was something I could do to help.”
~*~
“Grissom?”
“Hey, Sara.”
She walked into his office. He had moved after Catherine yelled at him, in case he was going to cry. “We found out that our vic was the shooter at the wedding.”
“That makes sense,” he reflected out loud, closing the book in front of him. “So, case closed, then?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s nice and final.”
She sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “It doesn’t have to be.”
He quickly realized they weren’t talking about the case anymore, and was glad she wasn’t changing the header of the conversation. This way, it felt safer. “Things are a mess. Might be impossible to go back to the scene.”
“But, you could start some place new.”
“What if—”
She shook her head. “Don’t entertain those thoughts. They’re what got you here in the first place.” She reached out and touched his hand with hers. He closed his eyes, and imagined the hand on his belonged to Catherine, even though he felt he’d never feel her near him again. “Why did you turn her down?” He opened his mouth, and then closed it again. “I’m not stupid, Gris. We all heard what she said...”
“Sara,” he leaned back. “I’m losing my hearing.”
She gasped softly. “Does Brass know?”
“You and Catherine are the only two that know.”
“You think Brass might fire you?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“So,” she spoke very tentatively. “That’s why you turned down Catherine’s proposal?” He nodded, miserably tucking his face into his hands. “But, she wouldn’t—”
“I don’t want her looking back in two years when I can’t hear anything, wishing she married someone that she can have a conversation with.”
She shrugged. “What if she looks back in two years and wishes she married the one she loves?” He looked up into her eyes; he had always known she was smart, but this wisdom she was sharing shocked him. “Seriously, Gris..
“It’s too late now.”
“No, it’s not,” she assured him. “It’s never too late. She loves you, she’s just hurt.”
“You have any ideas on what I should do?”
She shrugged. “Give her some time, think about what you want to say, and then tell her how you really feel.” She smiled, a tiny soft smile that instilled hope. “I’m really hoping that I have to go buy a fancy dress in the near future.”
He smiled back at her. “You would wear a dress?”
“And high heel shoes.”
~*~
Catherine looked up when Lindsay came into the room. “You’re crying again. I thought we fixed that.”
She quickly wiped at her face, making sure there weren’t any stray tears staining her cheeks. “I wasn’t crying, Sweetie, it was just allergies, I think.”
“You’ve never had ‘lergies before,” she narrowed her eyes while flopping onto the couch. “Where’d you catch them from?”
“You can’t catch them, Lindsay,” she corrected her daughter. When she opened her arms, the bundle of joy scrambled up to receive a warm hug. Catherine didn’t know if she was benefiting more than her daughter.
“Well, you’ve never had them before.” Her face lit up. “Hey! I know! Maybe Gil has a cure for them!”
She was about to reach across her mother for the cordless phone, but she was stopped. “Honey, he’s sleeping now. He had work all night... he’d be very tired, and cranky, and as much as he loves you, we should really respect his privacy and stuff.”
Lindsay’s eyes narrowed again. “But, he loves you, too. Wouldn’t he want to hear from both of us?” When her mother didn’t answer, she continued thinking aloud. “Besides, when he comes over here, you two stay up until I go to school. I’m not at school yet.”
“Things are different, now,” she muttered, feeling a wave of sadness wash over her, but before it broke her defenses, she struggled to keep it in place. “Maybe you could call him before supper? Tell him about your science project or something?”
“Why don’t you just invite him over? That way, if his hearing goes away, he’ll be able to see my hands.”
“Well,” Catherine hoped Lindsay would forget this conversation after a day spent with friends at school. “We’ll have to wait and see, alright?”
“Are you going to work tonight?”
“Nope,” she shook her head. “I earned a vacation.”
It was true. She had two days left. She had called the switchboard to call in sick for the next couple of days, but the operator referred her to Brass, who told her that she had a five-day holiday. At first, she wanted to call Gil and yell at him. But, then, she realized that time apart would be good, if she was to salvage a working relationship out of their mess.
She hugged her daughter again, before asking her to go wash the cereal crumbs off of her face.
“Go call Gil now! C’mon, Moooooooom.”
Catherine laughed softly and shook her head. “I’ll call him when I know he’s awake. Now, go get cleaned up!”
“Fiiiiiine,” she huffed, turning on her heel and storming out of the room.
She wondered what Gil was doing at that moment, before scolding herself for thinking about him again. For the past couple of days, she had been constantly cursing herself for proposing to him—even though she couldn’t have known what would happen. What if’s, and maybe’s filled her head until her mind was so cluttered all she could do was cry.
“Mom?”
“Yeah, Sweetie.”
“Your ‘llergies acting up?”
Catherine smiled and nodded at her daughter in the hallway. She wondered if Lindsay would eventually get over Gil’s absence, or if she would miss him painfully forever, too.
~*~
Gil had been standing on her stoop for five long minutes, looking at the doorbell, wondering if he should push the button or not. He had taken the night off, put Sara in charge, and raced to Catherine’s house, hoping to make things right with the woman he loved so much.
The door opened. “Okay, sweetie, I’ll put the—” Catherine had opened the door, but didn’t turn around to step out until she was halfway through her sentence. He watched her slight body shake as she bit her lip nervously, her eyes darting up to his and down to her feet.
He had to know. He lifted his hands and started talking with them: *This is how I will have to communicate for the rest of my life, Cath... any day now, the words we share could be gone.*
She didn’t say anything, with her mouth or with her hands, right away. Her eyes filled with tears that didn’t spill over. She stopped biting her lower lip. She shook the cup out into the garden, spilling a small insect out into her shrubs. She dropped the cup on the shrub.
Her arms were around him before he even had a chance to react. At first, he didn’t return the embrace, out of fear she would only be a memory, but when he felt her lips on his neck, he squeezed her to his body, relishing the sensations he had missed so much. When she pulled back to look at him, the tears had fallen. He leaned into her and kissed them away.
He was about to kiss her lips, but she stopped him. She stepped back a little, and started to use her hands. *Promise me you’re not going to leave me again. I don’t think I can do this if you keep running away frightened.* He was about to sign back to her, but she shook her head. *I want you, a life with you, a home with you. I want to wake up in your arms, and see the ring on your finger that tells me you’re mine forever.* She let him wipe her tears away, her eyes never leaving his. *I don’t care if this is how we talk, Gil. We never put so much importance on verbal communication before? Why is this different?*
She had impressed him yet again; he had no idea her abilities had progressed so much. *You never know the value of something until you don’t have it anymore.*
*I know,* she signed back. *Believe me, I know.* She wiped at her face before continuing. *If you were deaf, and someone cut my hands off, I would still find a way to tell you that I love you.*
He smiled. *Disgusting.*
*You know what I mean.*
*I do.*
“Does the offer still stand?”
“What?” She blinked. “You could hear the entire time?” He nodded. “Gil... were you testing me?”
“I had to know,” he said, fishing into his pocket for something. “I don’t want you looking back, wishing you found someone else.”
“You are the only person I could ever love,” she smiled, despite the frustrations he must’ve caused her. “Goodness, would you just realize that I’m a sure thing?” She blinked again, and then asked. “What offer?”
He pulled one hand back to reveal a small jewelry box sitting in his open palm. She gasped, watching him open it—a delicate diamond engagement ring sat in a bed of satin. She looked down at the ring, and up at him, disbelief written all over her face. “Do you still want to marry me?”
“I should kick your ass for doing this to me,” she said shakily through her tears, as she wrapped her arms around him. “But, yes, I do still want to marry you. Nothing’s ever changed that, contrary to what you might think.” She kissed him quickly, and pulled back. “Want to put that on my finger?”
He smiled, feelings of excitement, joy, and relief assaulting his system. She would be his wife, and she would always love him. He removed the ring from the case, and took her hand in his. Slowly, he slipped it onto the proper finger, looking down at his handiwork in admiration.
“Giiiiiiiiiillll!”
Both Gil and Catherine looked to the door. He saw how confused Lindsay looked; he could only imagine what living in that house had been like the past couple of days, if those few seconds with him outside were any indication of the hurt Catherine had been going through. “I almost forgot,” he muttered, leaving Catherine’s side, to bend down to Lindsay’s level. “Lindsay, I have to ask you something very important.”
“Okay. Is it ‘bout Mom’s ‘llergies?”
He shook his head, wondering what she was talking about. “No, it’s about something a bit more important.”
“Okay. I’m all ears.”
“I wanted to ask your permission to marry your mother.”
The girl’s face lit up. “Really?! You’re going to marry Mom?”
“That’s the plan,” he smiled back at her. “What do you think?”
“So, that means you’d live with us, and always be here, and could show me bugs and stuff whenever I want?”
He nodded. “Absolutely,” he turned to wink at Catherine. “As long as your mother lets me keep some in the house.”
“Ehhhh... I’ll convince her!”
Catherine laughed. “So, you’d be happy with Gil and I getting married?”
Lindsay nodded. “Definitely.” She grinned and looked at Gil. “Are you two gonna kiss now?”
“Think that’s a good idea?” Gil whispered near Lindsay, who nodded. Gil stood up, lifting Lindsay up into his arms. He used his free hand to hold Catherine’s hand while he kissed her. “I love you, Catherine,” she hummed a reply, her emotions too high to make any verbal reply. “And, I love you, too, Lindsay.”
“Good,” the girl smiled, “Cuz we’re a packaged deal.”
Catherine smiled, directing them both inside. Gil sat down on the sofa with Lindsay, talking about school; he noticed Catherine sitting at a distance, eyes shining. “You aren’t going to join us?”
She shook her head. “I’m going to sit here, right now, if you don’t mind, and start getting used to this vision in front of me. Maybe pinch myself a couple times.”
“Uh oh...” Lindsay whispered. “You’re making Mom cry again.”
“I seem to be good at that.”
“Yeah.” Lindsay nodded, scooting off of Gil’s lap to leave the room. “You better fix it.”
“I will,” he called after her. When there was a vacancy in his lap, Catherine filled it. “What’s with the tears?”
She shrugged. “I’m happy. I... these are good tears, really.”
“I haven’t been sleeping either, you can admit it,” he smiled, nuzzling her hair. “How about we go take a nap?”
“Don’t you have work?”
He shook his head. “I took the rest of your vacation off, too.”
“Okay,” she spoke softly after kissing his forehead. “Go make yourself comfortable in the bedroom. I’m just going to turn off some lights around here.”
They got up together. Gil didn’t want to separate from her, but he knew that things were going to work out, so he felt better about letting her go. “If you’re not back in ten minutes, I’m sending out a search party.”
“Don’t worry,” she replied, blowing him a kiss. “I’m only going to be five.”
The End!
