Catherine heard Gil’s footsteps, and held her breath without realizing it until he entered the room. “Okay, I’m late again.” She smiled, but didn’t look at him. One look into his eyes and she’d crumble. “Nick’s going to work on that unidentified body at Summercliff.”
Sara joked. “I hear it’s just bones. What a rush.”
Catherine smiled again, watching them exchange words in easy conversation. She watched Gil, trying to keep him in her sight, without him noticing that she was watching him. She appreciated the beauty in his form, the easy lines and movements created by the muscles she knew existed under his lab coat.
When the others left, she looked up. “So, what do you have for me? I could use a rush.”
She saw the look in his face change. “Well, this qualifies. A 426, but I can’t give you the case.”
“Because...?”
“Conflict of interest,” he answered. “The alleged rape victim is an exotic dancer.”
She tilted her head, confused. Sometimes, he was the easiest to understand, and other times, he was so cryptic she didn’t think she’d ever understand. “Because I used to be one, I’m biased?”
“No, the suspect’s your ex-husband.” She felt her heart’s rhythm change a little, unsure of what to expect. “He’s asking for you, but you can’t take it.”
She watched him. She thought for a second he looked jealous, but she wasn’t sure. He had never acted jealous before, so she didn’t exactly know what it was supposed to look like.
“Just let me do the prelim,” she tried not to sound like she was begging, unsure of how Gil would react.
He agreed, perhaps to avoid a fight, or perhaps just to keep her content. “Alright. Do what you can, but after the preliminary, you pass it off.”
She wanted to tell him why she wanted to take the case, but she didn’t know how the words would sound when she spoke them. She wanted to tell him that she wanted the case for her daughter, to keep her daughter’s father out of jail. She was afraid the words would sound flimsy.
Instead of telling him what she wanted to, she picked the piece of paper up out of his hand, and walked out the door to go meet with her ex-husband.
~*~
She watched him from behind the glass for quite a while, mustering up the courage she’d need to go in there and talk to him. She didn’t know what she’d say when she saw him. Part of her still loved him, but it wasn’t the same kind of love she had for him when they were married. She knew who she loved, but she also knew that would never happen, and Eddie could always be persuasive.
After several deep breaths, she decided to enter. He jumped up. “Thank God, you’re here.”
She looked at him, trying to maintain her cool. “Eddie.”
“I didn’t rape that girl.”
“According to the police report, she’s telling a different story,” she responded, desperately wanting to believe him. “I wonder what the rape kit’s going to say.”
He sighed. “We had sex, okay, but she was there with me one hundred percent.”
Catherine didn’t want to hear about his sexcapades. She rolled her eyes. “In a parking lot, behind the club.”
His light eyes met hers. She shivered. “Some women like the outdoors.”
She wanted to slap him, sensing what he was implying. She quickly tried to change the subject; talking about their adventurous sex life before their marriage was not going to help her help him. “Melanie know about this?”
“Mel and I split up a while ago.”
“You might want to call her anyway. She can loan you the money for an attorney.”
Gil had been right. She couldn’t do this. She pushed back, ready to bolt. “You aren’t going to help me? Cath!” He cried out. “I am in a jam here!”
She wanted to run, she really did. She was actually ready to curl up into Gil’s arms, cry, and tell him he was right. She wanted to tell him everything.
And, then, Eddie spoke again, playing his only card left. “What about Lindsay?”
She felt her temple flare. “What about her?”
“You want her spending Sunday afternoons with me in Nevada State Prison?” He asked, voice tight. “Or the mall?”
She sighed. She knew she had to help him. She loved her daughter too much to let him go to jail.
~*~
Gil frowned. She was going to run back to Eddie, become a happy family again, and forget about whatever was going on between them. He sat down in his office chair, and opened his tarantula case. There was something soothing about having his pet crawl on his hand; he needed soothing.
“Gil Grissom?”
He snapped his eyes up, not realizing he had been so mesmerized by the arachnid. He saw an enchantingly beautiful blonde in his doorway. Teri Miller.
“Or, should I call you Spiderman?”
He found himself smiling for the first time in a while. “Oh, it’s harmless.” He didn’t want to frighten the beautiful anthropological artist.
She smiled and stepped into his office. “Of course it is. Orange-kneed tarantula.” She met his eyes. “Nice specimen.”
He held his hand out, showing her his prized spider. “The tarantula’s touch is very gentle.”
Teri nodded. “It leaves no prints. They move without a trace.” She extended a slender, pale hand. “May I?” He raised his hand, letting his touch hers; the spider crawled onto her hand. He watched in amazement; she was a fascinating woman. “Maybe I should introduce myself.”
“Teri Miller does not need an introduction,” he smiled at her. “I need you to make me a face.”
~*~
“I don’t know,” Gil replied to Catherine’s comment about the hotlines. “In my experience, people usually remember a beautiful woman.”
When she looked up at him, he felt his throat close over a little. She looked upset. He wondered if it was something he had done, or not done; or even worse, if it was Eddie.
Uh, Nick...” he started to talk to Nick, hoping he would take the hint; he wanted to talk to Catherine alone.
“Oh, yeah, I’ll go do that.”
He was gone, and Catherine started speaking: “So, I saw Eddie,” she took a deep breath, struggling for control. “He actually seems scared.”
“That make you happy?”
He saw the tears welling up in her eyes. “Ummm, no. I’m not really sure what I feel.”
Gil felt as if someone was ripping his heart out and stepping on it, as the truth started to hit him. She was still in love with him. “You’re not still in love with Eddie...”
She looked up at him, tears threatening to fall. His heart was pounding. She didn’t say anything, so he kept talking. “Catherine, you have to hand off the case. Warrick can just double up.”
David came in and told him that he was wanted; there was something going on with the skeleton.
Before he left, he turned to look at Catherine. “You have to pass off the case. If you compromise the investigation then there’s no going back.” He didn’t want to see Catherine’s career ruined because of some lingering feelings for her ex-husband. “You could hurt Eddie just as much as you could help him.”
He left the room, and a wave of guilt washed over him. Catherine needed him. He called out to David, telling him he’d be there in a few minutes. Then, he turned around, and went back into the room.
Catherine was bent over, crying.
“Hey, hey,” he rushed to her. “What’s this?”
“I...” she looked up at him. “I don’t want Lindsay to grow up without a father. He’s a crappy husband, and I’d never go back to that, but she needs a father.” She wiped her face. “Gil... I don’t know what to do.”
Through touch, he communicated with her, directing her to stand up and let him slide under her. She curled up in his lap and cried. He brought a hand up and stroked her hair. “Shhhh,” he tried to soothe her, feeling better that she didn’t say she loved Eddie. She looked up at him, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips. “What do you need me to do?”
She shrugged. He touched her face, before kissing her. She sighed, tried to get into it, but started sobbing into his mouth, and pulled away.
“Cath,” he wanted so badly to take this pain away. “Kiss me.”
She complied, touching her lips to his, letting go. He knew they couldn’t get carried away, but he also knew that she needed him as they had needed each other before. He kissed her tenderly, trying to wash her pain away.
She broke the kiss, to put a kiss on his forehead. “You should go down and see your bones.”
“Call me if you need me. I’ll—”
“One more,” she whispered, stealing another kiss from him. He gripped her, afraid for her feelings. Their position shifted, she moaned softly, but he felt the tears coming again.
“Don’t cry,” he asked her softly. “Just kiss me.”
She nodded, kissing him again. When his hands slid along her ribcage, she froze. He wondered what she was thinking, but couldn’t believe what she was saying. “Platypus, platypus... oh God, platypus.”
He stopped. “What?”
“I can’t do this... not right now.” She stood up. “You should go.”
Sadly, he picked himself up off the chair and walked out of the room, fighting the feelings of dejection so he could move on and do his job.
~*~
In the locker room, Gil spoke to Warrick. “I heard about your eye witness.” Warrick looked down at him. He continued speaking. He had had a lousy day, and could help the tone in his voice. “A valet who joy rides... he sounds reliable.” The younger man snorted. “So, how’s that thing with Eddie Willows?”
“What thing?”
Gil’s stomach flopped. Catherine hadn’t passed off the case. “The thing that I told Catherine to pass off to you.”
“Oh, good,” Warrick covered. Gil admired his loyalty to the woman. “We, ah, just put some stuff through the lab.”
“Get a hold of the DMV?”
“Just about to,” he replied, proving Gil’s theory.
“Warrick,” Gil inquired. “Why would you call the DMV on a rape charge?”
Catherine stepped into the room, breaking up their question and answer period. “Okay,” she admitted. “I didn’t hand it off.”
Gil looked at her, checking for signs of the upset he had seen earlier. “Really.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry Warrick.”
He looked at her. “If you want me to swab anyone, I gotta know the shot.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m doing this for Lindsay.”
“You so much as breathe on the evidence,” Gil told her, “It’s contaminated, and I end up the bad guy.”
“Eyes,” she countered. “No hands.”
“What’s the status?” He had to ask, he had to know.
She sighed. “Skin samples from under the woman’s fingernails are consistent with Ed’s. I saw some bruises,” she continued, “But Eddie’s style’s always been very involved... vigorous.”
Gil didn’t completely understand. “Vigorous?”
Warrick piped up from the shelves. “She’s trying to tell you Eddie likes it rough.”
Gil saw her cheeks flush. “Thank you, Warrick.” She looked back at Gil; he tried not to change his face to match his feelings. “Eddie said that she was into it.”
He didn’t know what to think or say. He knew he had to help her be professional, even if she didn’t want his help in other capacities. “He said, she said? It’s about the evidence, Catherine,” he stepped back, preparing to leave. “You may not like where it takes you.”
~*~
She sat in the casino restaurant, fighting the urge to cry. She had been kicking herself ever since she told Gil she didn’t want him to kiss her anymore. She had ruined any hopes of having a relationship with him. He’d never find a way to love her now.
Looking up, she saw Eddie approaching. “Eddie.”
“Catherine,” he smiled, turning to look at a waitress. “I’ll take a root beer.”
“What are you doing here?” She asked when he was settled in a chair.
He answered. “I knew you’d be here. You got a routine: turkey club, no bacon.”
She offered him a weak smile. “You could be a detective.”
Her food arrived. When her server was gone, she spoke to him again. “Well, you obviously made bail. Did you get a lawyer?”
“I got you and the truth. Who needs a lawyer?” He smiled. She shook her head. She didn’t need him around now. “I came to tell you how great you are, but it always comes out wrong.” She agreed with him. “When I married you, I married up. I know that.”
“It wasn’t all bad.” For her daughter, she’d try to repair her relationship with her ex-husband; she was weak and vulnerable, and she just wanted to feel wanted. Eddie just happened to be there.
~*~
She smiled when she saw Ted. “Excuse me, sir, can we see your permits?”
The older man’s eyes lit up. “Oh, hi, Gorgeous! How are ya?”
She hugged him. “I’m good, Ted.”
“How ya doing?” He asked as she sat down.
“I’m okay,” she glanced at Evans, who seemed uncertain, but sat down, too.
Ted looked at the policeman with her. “You should’ve seen this lady dance. Ooooh, she was good.” He saw her blush, and stopped bragging about her. “You still working with the cops?”
She smiled. “Yeah, can’t seem to get off the night shift.”
Evans pointed to the girl dancing on the lit-up stage. “You dressed like that?”
She felt her stomach flutter. “If you wanna call that dressed, yeah,” she laughed, and then turned back to Ted. “Hey, Ted, you heard about this thing with Eddie and April?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “The night guy told me about it. Boy, Eddie never changes, huh?” She didn’t speak. “Bring back memories?”
She nodded. She didn’t want to talk about Eddie anymore. “You mind if I look around?”
“Help yourself.”
Catherine smiled, showing how pleased she was with him. “Thanks, Ted.”
~*~
Evans popped into the crime lab, hoping to run into Catherine. Instead, he ran into Greg Sanders. “Hey, Sanders. Have you seen Catherine?”
“No. She came back from stripper place, and was in the break room, sorting evidence, last time I checked.”
“We came back from there a little while ago,” he responded with a nod. “I didn’t see her when I walked by there. Maybe I’ll check again.” He paused in the doorway, and then asked: “Did you know she was a stripper?”
“Yeah.”
“I heard she was a good one.”
“She told me that, too. Don’t doubt it for a second.”
Evans nodded. “I know.”
“Too bad she’s taken, buddy,” Greg winked.
“Taken?”
“Grissom. Don’t tell me you haven’t—” he paused. “Actually, you’re not in here all the time.”
“She’s with Grissom?”
Greg shrugged. “They’re really close friends. Sometimes people wonder.”
~*~
Gil saw Teri, walking down the hall with her case. “Hey,” he called out to her, trying to hide his disappointment. He had been looking forward to spending a little more time with her. “You weren’t going to say goodbye to me?”
Nick excused himself. “I’ll, uh, meet you outside. Hey, Teri.”
She nodded at him, as he walked past them. She smiled at him. Her smile affected him like few other things did. “I thought I’d let you off easy. But,” she added. “I did tack up my number on your big fish cork board, under cold cases.
He nodded, understanding the meaning in her words. “The ones that got away.”
“Let’s hope not,” she smiled, before walking away.
~*~
Catherine summoned enough courage, and went to see Gil. She had to straighten their mess out. She knocked on the open door. He was seated on his sofa. “Catherine.”
“Gil.”
“Did you want something?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I need to explain some things to you.”
“There’s nothing to explain,” he said after she came in and shut the door. “You and Eddie have history, and our thing was just that. A thing. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“It does,” she insisted, refraining from spilling her real feelings onto him because of how he viewed their relationship. “I was just afraid. I didn’t know what to do. He’s her father.”
He set his book down on the arm of the sofa. “I don’t expect to come between you and your family.”
“You are part of my family,” she pushed further. “I need you more than you know.” She managed a grin. “The sex is amazing. And you know more about me than anyone else.”
“That’s mutual.”
“I don’t want to lose you. You’ve been my rock the past few weeks.”
He patted the cushion next to him. She sat next to him. He admitted: “You’ve been my rock, too.”
“You were right about the case,” she sighed. “I should’ve passed it off.”
“Yes,” he countered. “You should’ve.”
“So, you win,” she smiled at him. “Want your prize?”
“I win just because you’re in my life,” he told her with a chuckle. “And, yes, I want my prize.”
She pulled herself towards him, and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as close to him as he could without squishing her. She broke the kiss once, to speak: “Make up sex is great.”
He chuckled, and kissed her again. She was so relieved that he wasn’t going to shut her out.
~*~
Catherine sat on the bench in the playground, watching her daughter while thinking about Gil. She knew she should’ve told him how she felt, but there had been enough tension between them over the past couple of days that she didn’t think she could handle anymore.
She decided she would just wait it out, and see what evidence presented itself at a later date.
“Morning.”
Eddie always had good timing. “Morning. Please don’t tell me you’re in trouble again, already.”
He responded. “You weren’t home, I figured you’d be here.” He looked out and saw his daughter. “Lindsay loves this park.” She nodded in agreement. “So, I thought I’d take you out to breakfast, say thank you.”
Immediately, she knew that it wasn’t a good idea. “You’re welcome, but I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
He was disappointed. “Cath, when are we going to talk about what happened between us?”
“What’s to talk about?” She didn’t want to revisit the last weeks of their marriage. “You cheated on me. I caught you. I’ve got a new life.”
He touched her face. She couldn’t do this. She didn’t want him around her. She couldn’t and wouldn’t go back to him and the life she had before CSI, before Gil. She moved away from him. “C’mon,” he tried. “Why do you fight the one thing we’re good at?” She leaned into him, despite her better judgment. She knew she couldn’t do it, and just before she told him that, their daughter ran over. He pulled away, standing up and scooping Lindsay up. “There’s my little girl.”
Catherine watched them. He was good for Lindsay, but he wasn’t good for her. She knew that now. What she needed was a scientist. She just had to figure out a way to let him know that.
The End!
