Catherine struggled to keep her eyes up as she walked into work the next day. Gil's message kept replaying in her mind; she was trying to derive the meaning behind his words from his very even tone and simple, yet dangerous, words. She was nervous that he suddenly felt that they overstepped new boundaries—even though to her it felt like a breakthrough moment in their relationship.
"Catherine?"
"Yes—" she said as she spun around to the sound of the voice. "Hi, Ruth," she said to the receptionist.
"Your daughter just called," the short, dark haired woman said. "She said it was important."
Catherine sighed after patting her hip and realising her cellular phone wasn't where it should have been. "Okay. Thanks. I'll call her back in a second."
"No problem," Ruth said before turning and heading back to her desk.
She didn't stop in the locker room; instead, she went straight into the lounge, where she immediately dialed her home number. "Linds?" She said when her daughter answered.
"Mommy?"
"Hi, baby... what's wrong?"
"I can't sleep."
"Uh oh," Catherine commented with a smile. "What did Maria suggest?"
"The dictionary," Lindsey said with a disgusted tone in her voice.
Catherine laughed. "Okay, no. How about... are you too old for a story?"
"Well... maybe not just this once. You won't tell?"
"No, of course not. Your secret's safe with me," she said, before launching into a story she was creating as she continued along. Luckily, halfway into it, Lindsey yawned. "Sleepy?"
"Yeah," she whispered. "Your story worked."
Catherine smiled, as she saw Gil and Nick enter the room. "Well, I'm glad it did, honey. Now, just lie back and rest. I'll be back to see you before you go to school."
"Kay..."
"I love you, Linds."
"I love you, Mom."
She smiled more and then hung the phone up. Gil looked up from his report sheet. "You and Nick have a rock band thing."
Nick grinned. "C'mon, Cath. It'll be fun."
Catherine, not wanting to get stopped by Gil—especially if he was in a less-than-content mood, grinned back. "Just lemme get my stuff, Nick."
"I'll bring the car up front," he said, before leaving.
"Cath—"
"Gil, I've gotta go put my stuff in my locker, and Nicky'll be waiting, and—" she smiled, shrugged, and leaned up to kiss his lips. "We'll talk later?"
"Y-yeah. Sure. Okay."
She flashed him another smile, and then took off out of the room.
~*~
"Willows," Catherine said into her phone as she jumped up into Nick's vehicle.
"Hey, Cath."
She blushed and closed the door. She wondered why his voice had such an effect on her. As she leaned back against the seat, she smiled and said, "Hi. How's your night going?"
"It's confusing," Gil replied honestly.
"Awwww," she teased.
"We're coming back to the lab soon," he told her. "Do you think... we could take our breaks together tonight?"
Nick turned the key in the engine and pulled away from the scene. As Catherine watched the city lights pass her by, she wondered why he wanted to spend time with her---if this was his way of finishing the phone message.
"You want to?" she asked softly.
"Yeah."
"Well... okay," she drawled.
She could almost feel him smiling. After a silent minute, he said, "Okay. Well... I have to go now... but see you later?"
"You bet, boss."
She smiled and tucked the phone away again. Nick looked over at her. "Grissom got good news?"
"Grissom?" Catherine asked.
"Boss."
Catherine chuckled and shook her head. "You know, Nicky... I could be calling someone else 'boss' for another reason."
Nick blushed and smiled, focusing on the road with more concentration than before. "I can't imagine anyone being the boss of you," he replied after a minute, as they drove back for their autopsy.
After finding out that the cause of death was an air bubble, Catherine left the morgue with Nick in tow. She told him that they needed to find out whose bandana that was around Gus' arm.
"Well, I'll check the band, first," Nick said as he walked off. "There's a videotape and photographs... I can handle that."
Catherine smiled. "Great. I'm going to go---" she stopped as her pager buzzed. "Hold that thought... oh. Grissom. Okay. I'm going to go see what he wants," she faked. "And I'll come back and check in with you soon."
"Sure thing, Cath," Nick said as he walked off for the footage of the concert.
She took a breath and then headed off for Gil's office. He was just walking towards it himself, with his cell phone in his hand. "Hello, my dear," he murmured once they were closer to each other. Catherine found herself blushing again as he took her arm and guided her into the office.
"How's your---"
Gil closed the door and kissed her cheek.
"---case," Catherine finished as her heart dropped down to her knees. "You can kiss better than that."
"I'm working up to it," he told her, smiling.
"Oh... okay. So... is this our break?"
"Do you want it to be?"
Catherine smiled. "Nick's off checking a lead. He thinks I'm in a serious meeting with my supervisor."
"I'm waiting for Brass to bring a suspect in for questioning. Magicians disappear too easily."
She laughed softly as she took her shoes off and sat down in his chair behind the desk. "So... what are we going to do in here?"
Gil smiled and picked up a bag from the deli that had been hiding on one of his many shelves. "Eat?"
"Okay... let's go to the break---" She gasped as he picked a blanket up out of another bag and spread it out over the floor. "Okay..." she whispered as she stood up and walked over. "Let's picnic."
"My thoughts exactly."
"Is this..." she trailed off and shook her head.
"What?"
"Nevermind," she said softly as she watched him pull out a container of chopped fruit. "Oh... nice."
Gil opened it and stole a grape. He smiled after swallowing. "Would you like some?"
"Yes, please," she whispered, scooting closer to him. He smiled more and fed her a small piece of apple. Catherine had to resist the urge to lick his fingers. By the third piece of fruit, though, her resolve weakened and she let her tongue escape her mouth to lick the juices off of his fingers.
She felt Gil shudder and she heard him sigh. When she looked up at him, she saw that his eyes were closed. Slowly, she took the container out of his hands and set it down. Gil made another soft noise and then she kissed her way up his clothed arm.
When she nipped at the skin on his neck, Gil groaned and put his hands on her. "Wh-what happened to lunch?"
"You started this," she whispered.
"Cath... c'mon..."
His soft plea was like a slap in the face. She pulled back and looked up at him. "It was a mistake... that's what you wanted to talk about, wasn't it?"
"Hmm?"
"You... we..."
"I want you," Gil admitted. "I mean, you know that... but..."
Catherine frowned and looked down at her hands. "But, too much has happened and---"
"N-no," he said, trying to sound firm and very certain. Deep down he could admit that he wasn't certain at all; he had no idea what would happen between them. But, he also knew that if he didn't try, he would lose her forever. "A lot has happened... I pulled away and hurt you---"
"And I hurt you."
"Yeah..." Gil agreed quietly, taking her hands in his. "But, I miss you. The you I used to be with when we were away from the lab, you know?"
She narrowed her eyes a little. "Yeah..."
"I know I'm difficult to deal with."
"Yeah."
"Just promise me... that you won't.... um, do that again, okay?"
Catherine bit her lip as she nodded, trying to keep herself from crying. "I know I won't."
Gil kissed her palms and then leaned in and kissed her temple. "I want our break to be over," he murmured.
At the sound of those words, Catherine cried softly, nodding and reaching up for him. She rubbed his neck with trembling fingers and turned her head to kiss his lips softly. Gil kissed her back, gently and genuinely; he wasn't trying to stoke a fire that he couldn't put out, but instead to offer her the love and comfort he had been withholding for so long out of fear.
"I never stopped loving you," she whispered, pulling back so they could catch their breaths.
"I know," he murmured, running his hands through her hair as he listened to her sigh. "I never stopped, either." He paused, and added, "I think that's why it hurt so much."
She swallowed hard and nodded. "Did you want to come home with me after shift?" she whispered.
"If you want me there," he replied.
"I do... I really---"
Gil leaned in and kissed her again. They both groaned when his pager started humming against his waist.
Catherine smirked when she saw him shift his weight uncomfortably. "I think someone liked that a little too much."
"Shush."
She smiled more and reached out with her hand to tease him. While looking at the display on the beeper, he swatted her fingers away. "Stop that."
"So, you're just going to leave me in here... alone on a blanket in your office?"
"I'll be back after the interview, so if you'd like to make yourself more comfortable," he teased.
Catherine lifted her dark tank top up over her head and tossed it at him. Gil's eyes darkened. "Catherine..."
"Yes?" she asked.
"Stay right there."
She grinned. "Okay."
"I'll be back after the interview," he promised.
~*~
Catherine waited patiently. She was lying on the blanket in her underwear in bra, blonde hair dusting her shoulders every time she moved into a more comfortable position.
"Hey," she heard from the other side of the door. "Do you think Grissom's back yet?"
She froze at the sound of Sara's voice.
Warrick shrugged. "I don't think so, no. C'mon. Let's go wait in the break room---"
"Well, at least, let's try..." Sara said as she knocked. Catherine held her breath.
"Sara, he's not answering. Maybe he's on his way---"
Sara jiggled the doorknob. Catherine gasped and jumped up, almost knocking the fruit over in her mad attempt to get behind one of Gil's bookcases. Sara jiggled it again. Then, Catherine breathed a sigh of relief as she realised that Gil had locked the door before he left.
"The door's locked, he's not there. C'mon, let's go steal some of Greg's coffee."
Sara huffed. "Okay. Fine."
There was another set of feet coming towards the door. Catherine prayed that it was Gil and that he would get rid of the woman trying to break into his office.
She breathed a loud sigh of relief when she heard Gil's voice. "Hi, guys. What are you up to?"
"Greg isn't done yet with our---"
"Okay. Well... relax for a bit," he said as he put his key in the door.
"Can we go over the---"
He cut Sara off again. "I actually have a couple of important calls to make. But, if you and Warrick want to go over the case in one of the layout rooms, feel free."
Warrick chuckled softly and Sara huffed as their feet retreated from the room. Gil opened the door and saw Catherine peeking out from around some jarred specimens.
He smiled and shut the door.
She tiptoed out, blushing a little. "I got scared that they were going to come in," she admitted as he came closer and appraised her appearance. "Stop staring at me like that."
Gil wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up against his body. "I couldn't stop thinking about you," he admitted. "I wondered what you were doing in here..."
She smiled and hugged him. "I was undressing... and then posing on the blanket, waiting impatiently for you."
"Posing? How were you posed, my dear?"
"Well, you'll never know now," she whispered, as she brought her lips to his.
Gil groaned against her mouth and then deepened the kiss. Catherine sighed and used the wall as leverage to get her legs up around his waist. Gil groaned again, breaking the kiss long enough to calculate how far he had to walk like that before he could set her on his desk.
Once settled, Catherine smirked at him and pulled him even closer to her with her legs while her hands quickly untucked his shirt and explored his stomach. She scratched over his skin with her hands and savoured the low noises he made into her neck and shoulder. He fumbled down to his waist and unbuckled his belt and pants, letting them slide down his legs before he let her pull his boxers down.
Soon, he was easing himself inside of her. Catherine whimpered and wrapped her arms around his neck, begging him closer without words. Gil's fingers gripped her back as he moved in and out of her, refusing to let her go.
Catherine didn't mind, though. As she felt him pushing her closer to a climax, she hugged him closer and tightened her hidden muscles around him. Gil whispered her name in her ear before he reached out with his teeth and drew her earlobe into his mouth, laving it with his tongue before he decided to suck on the skin of her neck.
She moaned loudly enough that Gil had to kiss her to smother the sounds. Their hands started digging in harder, bracing their bodies for what was to come.
Gil first, Catherine second, and then they collapsed against each other. Catherine tucked her face into Gil's shoulder and he did the same into hers.
He rubbed her back gently. "Love you," he whispered.
Catherine sniffled softly and then whispered, "I love you, too."
Gil lifted her head and then showered her with soft kisses. Catherine inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle affections he was raining upon her.
"I don't want to go back to work," he whispered. "But, we both have cases to attend to."
"Damn."
He smiled and kissed his way into her hair. "Yeah, I know."
"You're coming home with me... right?"
"I haven't changed my mind," he promised her.
Reluctantly, she let him go. They cleaned and dressed silently, pausing onto to touch or kiss each other in a gentle, loving fashion. Once they were ready to go out and get back to work, Gil pulled her close again and kissed her soundly.
Catherine made a soft noise of protest. "Meet me later," she whispered.
"Yeah," he agreed, smiling at her.
After she stole one more quick kiss, she left the office and headed towards the bathroom. Gil watched her walk away and then, he headed to Greg's DNA lab to see what the results of the blood tests were.
He heard the printer spitting a paper out and then he barely heard Greg say something as he put the paper to his head. He studied the younger man's apparel, and wondered why he was wearing the turban.
"It's not from Thora Birch but..."
Gil leaned in and saw the results on the paper. "Thorazine," he blurted out, ruining Greg's moment.
~*~
Lindsey perked up the second she saw Gil walk through the door. "Uncle Gil!" she squealed, rushing forward and jumping into his arms.
Gil groaned and recovered, balancing himself with her hugging him. "Hey, kiddo. Isn't it past your bedtime?"
"Mommy told me you were coming!" she exclaimed.
Catherine laughed as she came into the foyer. Gil smiled; he had missed that pure sound.
He kissed Lindsey's forehead. "Well... I'm glad to see my favourite girls," he told the child. "How was school?"
"Boring. I don't want to go tomorrow. Can't I hang out with you and Mommy?"
Catherine smirked when Gil looked at her and then he turned back to Lindsey. "You should go to school," he told her. "But, we're going to hang out a lot again."
"Promise?"
"Yep," he said, nodding.
Lindsey smiled and hugged him closer. "Goodie."
Catherine chuckled and then moved closer. "C'mon, missy. You have a bed to get into."
Gil chuckled. "How about I tuck you in?"
"Really?"
He nodded and looked at Catherine, who nodded and smiled. "You two go on," she murmured. "I'm going to finish the laundry and then head to bed, too."
Gil smiled at her and took her daughter to her bedroom. Catherine shivered and rubbed her arms as she headed to the laundry room. An hour later, she was finished sorting, washing, and folding clothes, and then she went to the bedroom. She heard the shower running and she smiled more. She undressed, put an oversized shirt on, and got into bed.
The water shut off and soon Gil was joining her in the bedroom. He flashed her a nervous smile.
"It's been a while since we've done this," he said with a shrug as he put a pair of flannel pants on.
"Yeah," she agreed, pulling the covers back for him. He climbed into the bed and cuddled her closer. Catherine sighed and kissed his chest.
He heard her say something, but he wasn't quite sure what she said. He picked out some words, and could fumble through a response. Satisfied with his answer, Catherine snuggled up and closed her eyes, breathing deeply within a few minutes.
Gil stroked her hair and thought about how right it felt to be back. He knew that he had to tell her about his hearing problems, but he was afraid of her reaction and the ways in which his news would change their relationship.
He closed his eyes and prayed that he wouldn't lose her again.
She felt so right in his arms.
~*~
When Catherine woke up, Gil wasn't in bed anymore. She frowned and then started wondering why she was back into his life if he was going to stay away from her.
She grabbed a pillow and wrapped her arms around it. A silly smile replaced her frown as she smelled Gil all over it.
After a little laugh, she realised that they would just have to work on the rest. She got up and padded out into the living area on bare feet. Gil was in the kitchen, scrambling eggs and making toast.
He looked up at her over his glasses. "Hey," he said softly.
She smiled more and waved a little. "Whatcha doin'?"
"What does it look like?" he shot back playfully.
Catherine laughed and walked over to him. He kissed her forehead and then her lips softly. She blushed and kissed him again. He held her close as he finished the eggs.
She smiled and realised that they would have some things to work on, but that the effort would be worth it. She didn't want to screw up their relationship again.
The End!
