Natural Progressions

Disclaimer: Mine no! CBS, Anthony Zuiker et al Yes! Pity :o( "What Made You Say That" belongs to Shania Twain.
Author's Note: Still not exactly sure where this series is going but here's another one The bit between * and * are actual lyrics from the song that I Incorporated into the story itself.
Dedication: To Aby as always and she certainly knows why. VividlyBlue for reading


Chapter 5: What Made You Say That

She was in a foul mood tonight and everyone had noticed it, though no one knew what was behind it. Storming through the corridors of the CSI building Catherine Willows was looking for her prey and he was hiding.

For a change, this shift, she had been paired with Sara. The younger woman had put up with the strawberry blonde as much as she could before snapping at her, "What the hell crawled up your ass and died?"

Catherine was shocked. She hadn't realised she'd been that obvious. Her problem was basically nerves. Things had come to a head and she'd realised that if she didn't say something to Gil Grissom soon she might not ever say anything.

Apologising to the brunette she had sheepishly left the lab and went looking for the man in question. She'd seen Warrick and Nick watching her and now knew they were aware of her mood too. 'Dammit!' she complained mentally to herself, 'why do I let him do this to me?'

Maybe tonight I'm gonna tell him
How I feel
Maybe I'll leave well enough alone
Maybe, just maybe he'll want to be my baby
What if he's got plans of his own

She checked his office...it was empty. She checked the autopsy rooms...but only Doc Robbins and young David were in evidence. She looked in the break room... no sign of him there either. Trace...just Greg working on trace evidence and bopping to the sounds coming from his personal stereo.

'Where the hell is he?' she sighed, exasperated. Then it dawned on her. He'd been having a tough night with the case he'd been working on and as it was another cloudless sky tonight she knew exactly where she'd find him... and she was right.

Sitting on the small wall that surrounded the few plants that thrived in their desert conditions, Gil Grissom was outside the CSI building looking up at the stars and contemplating everything and nothing.

"Where've you been all night?" Catherine asked, jerking him back to earth. Her heart leapt into her throat as he turned to look at her, the starlight sparkling in his blue eyes.

I'm waiting for the perfect moment
Looking for the perfect phrase
The one I finally choose is simply "I love you"
As the words came out I heard a voice in side me say

"I've been right here for the last..." he trailed off checking the time on his watch, "eighteen minutes, why?"

'God he looked so beautiful in the moon and starlight.' She thought. Beautiful wasn't a word Catherine would normally use to describe a man but handsome just didn't cover it when it came to Grissom. Sexy, stunning, irresistible, compelling these were all words she would use to describe him, to herself at least.

"I missed you, that's why," she answered, blushing. She didn't believe she'd just said that.

Grissom chuckled and tried to hide the signs of the heat that were rising in his body. Just being next to her was becoming a trial, but he was still too afraid of rejection to say anything to this gorgeous woman standing by his side.

He looked back up at the stars trying to compose himself, but Catherine clearing her throat pulled his attention back to her.

"I...that is...Gil, I..." she stuttered. God this was so hard? 'Just say it you idiot!' she roared mentally at herself, 'stop sounding like a blubbering fool.'

"Yes, Catherine?" he asked, surprised by the reticence of this usually forthright woman. "Is there something wrong?"

Catherine shook her head, glanced at her feet for a moment and then took the bull by the horns. "There's something I've wanted to say to you for sometime now," she began, 'okay girl here goes nothing.' She thought, "but it never seemed the right time or place..." she hesitated again looking into his eyes and losing herself for a moment.

Confusion blossomed in Grissom's face, what was going on here?

She cleared her throat and sighed. Finally she blurted out the words, "I love you."

Astonishment replaced the confusion and Grissom thought his heart would burst. He couldn't believe what she had just said. After all this time to find out she felt exactly the same way about him as he did her.

*She looked up to see his reaction and a smile slowly spread across his face, he said, "What took you so long that's what I've been waiting on I thought you'd take for ever and a day." *

Catherine smiled back at him; realising from his words that everything was all right. He loved her too. She moved into his arms and he brought his face down to hers, kissing her passionately.

Watching from the door of the building Sara Sidle shook her head smiling and thought to herself 'Well who'd a thunk!' she wandered off to find her co-workers and tell them the deed had finally been done.