Catherine asked Gil: “Didn’t Shakespeare say: ‘Let’s kill all the lawyers?’”
“Yeah,” he replied while they finished packing up. “Henry VI. Where is he when we need him?”
She briefly glanced at the clock on the wall and knew that in a couple minutes she would be running late. Lindsay would be furious, and Eddie would just be... himself. She sighed and put her coat on. “Yeah,” she agreed with him, and then she moved to hand him the evidence she collected: “Hey, can you do me a favor and drop this off at the lab?” He nodded. “I’m due at a nursery rhyme recital,” she saw the confusion in his eyes and realized that they hadn’t been spending so much time together as they used to, and that she hadn’t told him about her daughter’s stage debut. “Lindsay’s going to play the girl in the moon.”
“What happened to the man in the moon?”
Catherine replied: “He got the mumps.” After she picked her case up, she headed towards the door. Looking back at the room, to ask Gil something that Lindsay had asked him earlier, she paused. When she did, she saw the glasses Roy Logan had left on the table. “Damn,” she muttered after sighing. “I’ll go run these out to him.”
“What were you going to say before that?”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”
He set his case down and reached for her. “Yes, it does. What was it?”
She sighed again. She didn’t want to ask him. Ever since the conclusion with Paul Milander, he had been different. More guarded than before. She knew what his answer would be, but it would still hurt. “Want to go to the play with me?”
“What about Eddie?”
“I’m not in love with Eddie, Gil,” she responded dryly. “Besides, Lindsay would love to see you there, too.”
He stiffened, uncomfortable for some reason she didn’t understand. “I just don’t think that it’s a good idea, Cath. Not yet.”
“Why not?” She set her case down and crossed her arms, an act to protect herself. “Gil, she’s crazy about you!”
“But, Eddie’s her father. I’m just—”
She cut him off, refusing to believe what he believed. “The man I love. The man my daughter’s pretty crazy about, too. You’re a part of her life, Gil. Just... don’t be so afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.”
She growled, frustrated and out of time. “Fine, Gil. I’m going to go return these to Mr. Logan, and then I’m going to go see Lindsay’s play. We’ll be home later, if you want to stop by and get over your fear.”
~*~
Gil had sat in the interrogation room for a couple minutes, mulling over what had happened in there with Catherine. He knew he was afraid, but admitting it was hard to do.
Finally, he left the room and rushed to the building’s exit. He wanted to apologize and see if Catherine would take him along to the play, like he wanted to do ever since she had suggested it.
Once outside, he saw Catherine driving away in a car that wasn’t hers. A silver sports car, with Roy Logan in the passenger seat. Panic gripped his heart. She didn’t look at him as they drove past, which made him worry even more.
He put his kit down and pulled his cell phone out. After dialing her number, he waited, surprised to hear ringing about twenty feet away.
He smothered a gasp when he saw her things on the ground. Her cell phone, her gun, her kit. Concerned, he pulled his phone away and tucked it into his pocket. He stood there, struggling for a few minutes to regulate his breathing. Catherine was right, he thought as he rubbed a hand over his face, he was afraid.
Gil turned to go back into the office, and ran into Warrick, who had been heading out of the office, probably to go home. “Gris?”
He couldn’t talk.
“What happened to Catherine?”
“How do you—”
“That look on your face. What happened?”
He tried to explain, but knew he was doing a lousy job of it: “Cath and I... had a fight... she had to return Mr. Logan’s sunglasses. I rushed out to apologize, and when I got here... she was in his car. Her stuff—” He pointed to the stuff before a shudder rocked his body. He knew he had to pull himself together, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the worst.
Warrick gripped him by the shoulders. “Grissom. She’s going to be fine. She’s tough. You know that.” Gil nodded. “Go take a break in your office. I’ll bring this stuff in.”
“Treat it—”
“Like evidence. I know. I will. I’ll tell Greg to put a rush on the stuff Cath pulled from him. Alright?”
“Alright.”
Once inside his dark office, he sat down at his desk, mulling over a couple things he could do while waiting. After a few minutes, he picked up his phone and dialed a number from his address book, under the list called ‘In Case of Emergency.’
“Hello?”
“Eddie Willows?” Gil asked.
“The one and only.”
He couldn’t believe he was doing this. “It’s Gil Grissom calling.”
“And what could I possibly do for you? Catherine’s not here, so you can’t whisk her away to work, or whatever you’re calling it these days.”
He sighed. “Eddie, this is serious.”
“Is she okay?”
“Please, don’t tell Lindsay any of this,” Gil instructed, trying to stay calm. “I don’t want to make her worry. Catherine’s case tonight took an unexpected turn, and she’s been taken on a road trip.”
Eddie was intelligent, and picked up on what Gil was trying not to convey. “Not a predicted one, I assume. Will she—”
“We’re all working on it, but I know she was really looking forward to seeing Lindsay perform. I was wondering if you could video tape it for her.”
“I’ll drop a tape off on our way home.” His voice changed after Lindsay could be heard in the background. “Make sure you and Cath catch the bad guy.”
He was impressed with Eddie’s professionalism in the situation. Normally, he saw Eddie has a hotheaded male who acted before thinking; this considerate man definitely surprised him. “Thanks, Eddie. We will.”
“She better be okay.”
“She will. I promise.”
~*~
After Doctor Robbins made some comments to Gil about the finger, Gil’s phone started ringing. “Grissom.”
“Gil, it’s me.”
Relief flooded his system. The weight that had been sitting in the pit of his stomach, nagging at him, seemed to crumble. Knowing she was alive was the best news ever. “Thank God.”
She spoke next. “There was a kidnapping—”
“I know. Amanda Freeman. She’s dead. And, whoever touched the money probably has glow-in-the-dark pain on their pants.”
“You got my clues?”
He wished he could reach through the phone and kiss her.
“Yeah,” he replied, with a smile that he wished she could see. “Nicely done. I know just about everything except: where are you?”
She paused before answering: “Easelwood Reservoir.”
“Eddie brought Lindsay by,” he told her, knowing her daughter was the first thing she’d ask about after the kidnapping was sorted out. “He was worried about you.”
“Really,” Catherine replied, voice quiet, making him wonder what she meant by her comments. “Well, that’s nice of him.
“Yeah, I guess,” Gil nodded, waving to Doctor Robbins before heading out of the room. “I’m—” he stopped, trying to figure out a good way to word what he was going to say. Instead of saying something emotionally deep, he chickened out: “Lindsay misses you.”
Pausing in front of Brass, who stopped in the hall, he wrote something down on a clipboard the policeman was holding: “Easelwood Reservoir.” Then, he kept moving.
“How is she?”
“A little upset, I think. Eddie took her out for ice cream, he said, and last time I checked, Warrick had her with Greg. She wants to stay up and wait for you. We figured Greg had more energy, and I couldn’t take her to an autopsy, even if it was only a finger, so—”
“It’s perfect,” Gil heard her whisper as he rounded a corner and ended up in his office. He shut the door and slumped down in a chair, finally allowing himself to shake. Before he knew it, he was crying. “Gil? Are you okay?”
“I was so worried about you, I...” He paused, and wiped the few tears away. “I’m so sorry for our fight earlier.”
“Let’s never do it again, okay?”
“I’ll try not to be so afraid, and—”
She cut him off. “Gil, it’s okay.”
“It’s not. I want to make it up to you.”
Her voice was low. “You will, I’m sure of it.”
“I told Brass where you are.”
She sighed. “Good. I’ll probably drive with him.”
“I can—”
“Stay with Lindsay. Just make sure my baby’s alright with everything. What did you tell her, anyway?”
“That she was asked to help a man find his missing girlfriend.”
“Good work.”
“I try. Cath,” he added. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now, go straighten yourself up and tell everyone I’m coming back. I’ll see you soon.”
~*~
Gil didn’t get to see Catherine when Jim dropped her off. He had been flagged by the Sheriff, who wanted to know what the prominent Roy Logan had gotten himself mixed up into, and how Gil’s staff was going to work around the clock to vindicate him.
After running into Nick who said Warrick was taking her to Lindsay, who was sleeping in one of the lounges, Gil took off. He wanted to hold her so badly, to feel her in his arms and know that she was alright.
From his distance away from Catherine and Warrick, he heard her say: “I owe you. Thank you.” He felt his stomach muscles tighten as she reached up and kissed him on the cheek. He didn’t know why he was so jealous, but he didn’t like it. After she slipped inside, Warrick left her there. Gil watched her enter the room, and when she disappeared from sight, he neared the room, until he was standing in the door.
She had been sitting next to Lindsay, gently stroking her blonde hair when he popped his head in.
Once he took his first step inside the room, Catherine whirled around. Her face lit up. The jealousy ebbed away when he saw her smile. She turned back to her daughter and kissed her forehead, before leaving the room and shutting the door. In the hall, she wrapped her arms around Gil, who returned the embrace emotionally.
“This feels sooo good,” she murmured softly in his ear. She squeezed him closer, which made him shift so he could hold her tighter. “Gil, I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he whispered back. He pressed his lips to the base of her throat, enjoying the shudder he created in her.
She pulled back. “Not now, Gil.”
“Yeah,” he ducked his eyes away from hers as he pulled back. “I know. Lindsay, and everyone else—” She put a finger to his lips, a finger that he kissed. He watched her cheeks flush and her eyelids flutter before he pulled her hand away, and told her: “I asked Eddie to tape her play for you.” Her eyes widened and she fell back on her heels. “Yes, I did.”
He watched the flush deepen its hue, while her eyes grew a little wider and filled with tears. “You called Eddie and asked him to tape it? And he did?”
“Yes. He was actually fairly civil about—” He couldn’t talk when Catherine flung herself around him and squeezed. “Cath? Honey? I can’t breathe.”
“Have I told you that I love you?” He nodded against her, relishing the feeling of her hair against his face. “I can’t wait to watch it later with her. You’re going to come, right?”
He nodded. “I’d love to.”
~*~
After Catherine had calmed down, she asked Gil to take her and Lindsay home. She had tried to keep him around her as much as she could after returning to the lab, but she needed more and knew that she wouldn’t be able to wait much longer to get him alone.
Her daughter had been thrilled that she and Gil wanted to watch the tape with her, and she enjoyed the words of praise that both of them gave her after the spectacle was over.
“Alright, kiddo,” Gil scooped her up in his arms after she yawned three times in succession. “You’ve had a hard night. Naptime?”
“But, it’s Saturday, Uncle Gil!”
“Yeah,” Catherine smiled, her voice light and teasing, but she knew it sounded a little husky because of the darkness that appeared in Gil’s eyes. “Uncle Gil, it’s Saturday.”
He rolled his eyes. “You are trouble,” he looked at Lindsay and asked: “Did you know your mother was trouble?”
She nodded and giggled. When she yawned again, she gave in. “Okay, maybe I am a little sleepy. Tuck me in?”
“Sure.”
The minute they left the room, Catherine jumped up and rushed to her room. By the time she heard Gil shut Lindsay’s door, she was already sitting on her bed, waiting for him in only her underwear.
He called her name out a couple times before heading into her room. Gil stopped in the doorway and stared. She raised an eyebrow and uncrossed her arms. “Gonna tuck me in?”
“Wasn’t thinking about it,” he admitted after swallowing the lump in his throat down.
Unable to wait for him, she got up and walked towards him on the balls of her feet. “Good,” she smiled while wrapping her arms around his neck. “Want to come in?” He nodded silently. She wondered why he wasn’t talking. “Gil? Why are you quiet?” When she felt him shake, she really started to wonder what was wrong with him. “Gil? Baby?”
His arms wrapped around her before he said anything; he lifted her up and carried her into the room, shutting the door with his foot as he neared her bed.
“I...”
“I know, Gil.” He pressed his lips to hers; in this kiss, she felt the worry and need he was experiencing. “I need you so much.”
“I can’t even articulate what I’m feeling.”
She nodded, seeing the emotional knots behind his eyes. As she had been worried about him in Good Springs, he was worried about her, but just had different ways of expressing it. “Then show me.”
With a nod, he kissed her again, one of his hands sliding up from her waist to cup her cheek. She shivered, but didn’t break contact with him. On a moan, he deepened the kiss; she shivered again, and leaned against him, whispering softly when he started to move his mouth to her neck. “We need to get you undressed.”
“Yeah.”
She smiled and started with his shirt. Once that piece of fabric was out of the way, she bent her head and started to kiss him, but was pulled up. “What?”
“I want to concentrate on you.”
“And I’m not going anywhere,” she smiled.
“Promise?”
They both chuckled. She nodded. “Yeah, I promise.”
After that, they stopped talking. Catherine waited for him to undress, before reclining on the bed. He joined her, propping himself up over her on his arms. The friction was unbearable, and she needed to do something about it.
With a grin, while he explored her breasts that were confined by a pink bra, she started flexing her stomach muscles to move her hips against his thigh. He growled softly into her throat, before beginning to move with her. They kept up those antics until Catherine moved, curling her legs up so she could pull her panties off; Gil, understanding, helped her with her bra.
He slid into her quickly, the minute she indicated that she was ready. Once joined, he dipped his face into her chest and started to shake again.
Wordlessly, she started rubbing his back, and was definitely surprised when she felt moisture falling on her breasts. He shuddered twice before looking at her. She lifted her head and kissed his face, tasting the salty tears he was crying.
Their eyes locked together as their hips began to move. She arched her back and sighed, while her hands gripped his arms as she struggled to hang on until the end.
When she heard her signature babbling, she knew neither of them would last very long. Before she could control it, she felt her muscles contracting, and the familiar warmth rushed through her.
“Gil!” She gasped as she exploded into a release.
Still shivering, she watched his mouth; his lips quivered, his tongue snaked out and licked them. His eyes darkened, and then, she felt him tighten. She put her hands to use and continued to stimulate him in the secret places only she knew about.
He cried out and she felt the end of his pleasure. She opened her arms for him as he slipped out of her; he adjusting himself so they could wrap their arms around each other.
They rested there for a little while before Catherine asked him: “Gil, what was with the tears?”
“I, uh, well...”
She tried her best stern-mother voice, in attempts to coax the truth out of him. “Gil...”
“I just felt the fear, all over again, and I didn’t know how to deal with it.”
“The fear of what?”
“Losing you,” he admitted, tucking his head into her shoulder where he placed a string of light kisses to her skin there.
“You’re not going to.” He nodded, letting her hug him. She kissed his chest in the same manner he used upon her shoulder, and sighed happily. She was so glad to be home.
The End!
