Catherine looked up when Gil came into the room. "Hey," she murmured, offering him a tiny smile.
"So... I was thinking."
"Uh oh," she teased.
He shot her a pointed glare. "Hey."
She leaned back on the sofa, unsure of what to expect. Lately, with him, she didn't know what was going on in his head. He wasn't exactly forthcoming with his thoughts. Since the day she saw him sleeping in his living room, she kept herself at a distance from him and didn't ask him too many probing questions.
If she didn't ask, he couldn't lie.
"Let's go out." She blinked. He smiled. "Would you like to go out on a date?"
"Lindsey's at Eddie's... birthday weekend," Catherine murmured.
"And I'm on call. Warrick and Nick can handle the shift."
Catherine's lips slowly curved into a smile at the thought. "You want to take me out?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
He smiled and shrugged. "Because we haven't done anything together lately."
"True," she agreed softly.
"So, I'm going to go home, get dressed up, and I'll be back in half an hour to pick you up."
Catherine pouted. "Only half an hour?"
"Yes."
She glared at him. "Are you insane?!"
"Perhaps," he conceded.
"I can't be ready in thirty minutes, Gil," Catherine said, frowning. "I don't have anything to wear---"
"Don't you?" he asked. "You have tons of clothes. C'mon. Find something beautiful, put it on, and be waiting in this spot---" he demonstrated by pointing with his fingers to the spot where he stood with his fingers "---when I return."
Catherine found herself smiling again. Maybe he was making an effort to change, she reasoned silently. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll be ready when you get back."
&&&&
"Let me get that," Gil said, releasing Catherine's hand to pull the chair away from the table.
Catherine smiled and sat down. He leaned down and kissed her shoulder, and whispered sweet words in her ear to make her blush.
He had rented out one of the private dining rooms at her favorite restaurant. She had to admit that between the reservation and the beautiful flowers and his incredibly delicious appearance, she was feeling a little special.
Gil took his leather coat off and then sat down opposite her. He smiled at her. "I preordered," he admitted.
"You did?"
"Yeah..." he said as the server brought out a bottle of white wine. After inspecting the cork and testing the wine, he smiled at the woman and she left them with a small amount of wine in each glass and the bottle cooling in a high hat.
Catherine sipped her wine. "This is great," she told him in a soft voice. "What else is on the menu?"
He smiled more. "I'm not telling."
She pouted. "No fair."
Gil laughed softly and sipped his wine. Then, he reached forward and took her hand in his. "Is it alright?"
"God, Gil," she replied, after a little chuckle. "I don't think we've ever done anything like this."
"Then, it's about time, don't you think?"
"I don't need special---"
"You deserve it," he interrupted firmly.
She felt her cheeks warming up at his words. "Gil..."
"Catherine."
She smiled. His inconsistent behavior had placed her on edge, but their date was enough for her to let him temporarily off of the hook.
"This is just really nice," she murmured, squeezing his hand.
"We need to get out more."
Gil's words sent a tingle through her spine. She hadn't expected to hear that.
"I do understand, Gil," she said softly. "I mean, with evidence processing and court and impropriety... I don't mind keeping this a secret."
"I don't want it to become public knowledge," Gil admitted. "But, I don't want it to feel like a dirty secret. Because it's more than that."
Catherine smiled and squeezed his hand again. "Are you compromising?"
"Yeah," he replied.
"How can I meet you halfway?"
He smiled shyly. "Just be patient with me, okay?"
She nodded. "I can do that."
Gil brought her hand to his lips. "Thank you," he whispered.
"Stop seducing me!" she whispered, trying to scold him.
"Never."
She grinned and sipped her wine. He smiled back at her.
&&&&
Gil leaned in, scooped some of the chocolate mousse onto his spoon and then he offered it to Catherine. Since they had moved their chairs closer together, Catherine had her hand on Gil's thigh; after she took the bit of dessert, she rested her head upon his shoulder.
"You smell really, really good," she whispered.
He kissed her forehead. "Thank you," he whispered back. "Would you like some more?"
She lifted her head and smiled at him. "How about I feed you?"
Gil's eyes twinkled. "You want to?"
"Mmm... watching your mouth," she murmured as she plucked the spoon out of his hand. "That sounds like a lot of fun to me. Gets me all fired up."
"Hey, we still have to talk about Lindsey's birthday plans," he reminded her. "So you can't get too worked up."
"Good point," she said softly as she brought some of the mousse up to Gil's mouth. She felt her pulse quicken when he licked a trace of chocolate from the corner of his mouth. "So, let's talk."
He chuckled. "Okay, then."
"I found that Bridal Barbie doll that she's been asking for," Catherine told him, tracing an invisible pattern on his leg. "And I have a card from both of us."
"Did you sign it yet?" he asked.
"No..." she said slowly, sounding puzzled.
He smiled. "Good. I want to sign it. I bought her a gift certificate to that science store we saw at the mall last weekend, so I wanted to put that inside."
"You did?"
"Yeah," he replied, shrugging a little. "It's a pretty cool store... with kid-orientated experiment kits, and... and I don't know. I thought she might have some sort of fun in there."
"She might like it more if you take her there," she pointed out.
"Maybe I'll mention that in the card."
Catherine beamed at him. "It would mean a lot... to both of us."
Gil kissed her temple. "It would mean a lot to me, too." He kissed the same spot again. She sighed and snuggled up to him. "Do you need me to pick up wrapping paper?"
"Would you?"
He nodded. "Sure thing. When I get some time tomorrow, I'll get some."
"And you can drop it off. And... visit."
"Sounds good to me," he replied quietly, brushing his fingers along her arm and making her shiver.
"Mmm... I know," she whispered, smiling at him.
"You're picking Lindsey up at Eddie's, and taking her to the party?"
She nodded. "Yeah... I don't know if Eddie's going or not. Probably not, but Linds might talk him into coming." She sighed. "It'll be okay. We won't fight around her and her friends... well, probably not."
"I don't like you being alone with him," Gil said quietly.
"Yeah, well... I don't either, believe me, but we won't be *alone* so it should be alright."
He kissed her cheek. "Call me if---"
"I will," she promised, before turning his face towards hers for a proper kiss. "You're my first call."
"Always?"
"Always," she murmured, smiling at him.
Gil smiled back at her, and then closed the narrow gap between them to steal another kiss from her lips. She sighed softly, happily, and brushed the fingers of one hand through his hair.
"Love you," she whispered.
"I love you," he murmured, before kissing her again.
Catherine smiled when she pulled back. "If you kiss me again, I won't be responsible for my actions."
"This is a private room..."
"Not private enough. Let's get the cheque and go home."
Gil nodded and within ten minutes, they were holding hands and walking towards the parking lot.
"Thank you for dinner, Gil," she murmured.
"You're welcome," he replied quietly as he brought her to the passenger side of his Tahoe. He unlocked the door and helped her inside. Catherine chuckled softly at his attentive pampering, and waited for him to get into the driver's seat.
She took his hand once he backed out of the parking spot, and as they pulled out onto the road, he wove his fingers with hers.
After two minutes of driving, Gil's pager broke the silence. Catherine sighed. "Well, you are on call tonight."
"Yeah... can you get it off the dash and see what the message is?"
"It's Brass. Car accident," she said quietly, after examining the display on Gil's pager. "Car versus pedestrian."
"Lovely," Gil muttered.
"The address is on there... why don't you drop me off at home?" she suggested. "If you're still working tomorrow, just let me know if you didn't get the paper... and I'll pick it up."
"If I get it though, would you visit me at the lab?"
"Maybe," she murmured.
He smiled at her for an instant, before sighing and shaking his head. "I had other plans for tonight."
"I know you did," she said softly, while squeezing his hand. "Don't worry... we'll have other days with other plans."
"Yeah..."
"Call me if you need a break," she added, a smirk playing upon her lips.
"A little mid-shift entertainment?"
"A finale to our great date," she amended.
He smiled and kissed her hand. "Maybe it'll be an easy case."
"I'll keep my fingers crossed."
They drove the rest of the way to Catherine's house in silence. When he stopped the car in front of her driveway, she unbuckled her seat belt and turned to look at him.
"See you later," she murmured, before stealing a quick kiss. "Good luck on the case," she added softly as she pulled away.
"Thank you," he replied. He smiled and touched her cheek gently.
She opened the door and slid out of the seat. Before closing the door, she turned around and smiled. "I forgot to tell you something."
"Oh?"
"You look really handsome tonight," she said, her smile stretching.
Gil blushed and smiled shyly. "Thank you, Catherine."
She flashed him another grin and then she waved as she stepped away and closed the door.
He waited until she was inside her house, and then he checked his pager for the address of the crime scene before driving away.
It took him about thirty minutes to get to the scene. He saw Brass waiting, looking rather impatient, but he took the time to look in the rearview mirror for any traces of Catherine's lipstick. Then, he got out of the Tahoe and walked towards the detective.
"Where's your posse?"
"I have no idea," he replied without thinking. "I was actually on a date."
"Hmm?"
Gil chose not to respond to Jim's question, and instead, he focussed on the scene in front of him.
&&&&
Catherine parked her car and walked into the lab building. As she did, Judy, the receptionist, called out to her from behind the front desk.
"Ms. Willows?"
She stopped walking, sliding a little in her sandals. "Hi. What's up?"
"Dr. Grissom asked me to tell you he'd like to see you in his office when you came by."
Catherine smiled. "Thanks. See ya."
"Bye," the petite woman said as she resumed walking.
Her stride increased in speed and length as she continued down one of the halls, towards her lover's office.
She stepped through the door, and saw him standing in front of his desk, reading something in a file. She smiled, closed the door, and walked as softly as she could, hoping to sneak up on him.
He made no move---until Catherine put her hands on either side of his waist. And then, he gasped and jumped.
She giggled and pressed her face against his back. "Sorry," she murmured.
"I was thinking," he explained lamely, as he put his hands over hers, turned, and tugged her into his arms. "I didn't hear you come in."
She smiled up at him. "I was trying to be quiet," she said. "I wanted to scare you."
Gil's body relaxed under hers. She smiled and snuggled up to him even more. He kissed the top of her head and then rested his cheek against her hair.
"You smell really, really good."
She laughed quietly. "Thank you."
"I bought some wrapping paper," he said. "I didn't know which one Lindsey'd like more, so I got a couple."
Catherine laughed again. "Gil, it's just wrapping paper."
"Yeah, but..."
"Oh, before I forget," she said when he trailed off. She pulled back and rummaged in her black purse and pulled out an envelope. "Do you have the gift certificate? You should sign the card and---"
Gil picked a piece of paper off of his desk. "Here it is."
"Here's the card. Trade ya."
They traded off. When Gil was finished writing a message in the card, he handed it back to Catherine, and then she put the gift certificate inside, before sealing them both inside the envelope and tucking them back inside her purse.
"There. That's out of the way... now what?"
"I have to go to ballistics soon," he said. "But, Sara's still out in the field..."
"So, we can have some quality time?" she asked hopefully.
Gil chuckled softly. "We can."
"What's so funny?"
"How much 'quality time' do we have in this office?" he asked, smiling at her. "Sometimes it feels like we have more here than at home."
"At home?" she echoed.
Gil's eyes darted away from hers. "Um... yeah."
Catherine's smile stretched and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You mean the house I share with you and my daughter?"
"That... that would be the one," he said quietly, blushing as she sought his gaze.
She grinned and kissed him gently. "I'm glad you feel that way," she whispered, before she kissed him again.
Gil made a soft noise in the back of his throat and deepened the kiss as his hands slid down into the back pockets of her jeans. Catherine purred and stretched her body against his, lifting up onto the tips of her toes.
"Delicious," she whispered, threading one of her hands through his hair, before she kissed his neck.
"Oh?"
"Mmhmmm..." she confirmed, lips pressed against one of his pulse points.
"Cath, dear..."
She chuckled and lifted her head. "You know you wanna," she teased. "Isn't that why you called me down here?"
"I called you down here so you'd get the wrapping paper."
"Maybe you'd like to unwrap me while we're at it?"
He smiled. "Yeah..."
"Goodie."
He laughed a little as she took her grey sweater off. "Catherine, there's no real hurry. Sara's still out in the field. We've got enough time."
"She might decide that she misses you."
"That door better be locked," he said quietly.
She smiled and nodded. "I'm well-practiced in the art of sex-at-work. You should know that."
He smirked. "You are very good at it."
"So're you," she replied as she unfastened his belt and dark pants. "Desk? Chair?"
"Slow down," he complained, although he was still smiling.
Catherine laughed. "No way. I still have a Bridal Barbie to wrap."
Gil smirked and kissed her again as she started to unfasten their clothes. He tugged her jeans off; she stepped out of them, and then threw them, along with his jacket and shirt, across the office.
"Impatient," he scolded.
"You bet, baby," she murmured.
Within a few minutes, a nude and eager Gil was steered towards his chair behind his desk, and Catherine was following while tugging her underwear off. Gil bit his lip, smothered a little laugh, and then offered her his hands so she could balance herself and finish undressing.
"Drop the chair down," she whispered, as he settled down.
"Why?"
"More leverage," she pointed out, a wicked grin spreading across her face.
Gil's ears pinkened and he did as she advised. Catherine put her hands on his shoulders and positioned herself so she could sink down into his lap smoothly.
When she finally sank down, taking him inside her body, she let out a low moan and tipped her head back. Gil took advantage of the new access to her skin and leaned forward. When Catherine felt his tongue snake an upwards moving line along the side of her neck, she shuddered and tightened her grip on his shoulders.
"Gil... stop teasing..."
"You should know by now that I like to tease," he muttered, before kissing another line, this one along her jaw. "So, get used to it."
Catherine grunted in reply. She felt him nip at her throat, a little more aggressive than usual, so she retaliated by squeezing her hidden muscles around him and rocking her hips slightly. Gil's breath was expelled sharply near her ear; she smiled and repeated her actions.
"If you keep that up..."
"Mmm... okay," Catherine whispered.
"Cath."
"Gil."
He groaned and slid his hands down her back. He cupped her to him, guiding her movements for a while; Catherine took over the rhythm when his hands traveled between them.
While he explored her breasts, Catherine struggled to maintain breathing. She felt him roll one nipple between his thumb and index finger, causing it to tighten; she felt his other hand pressed against her other breast, squeezing it gently. He alternated tasks between his hands, until Catherine was whimpering softly.
"Evil man," she panted.
"Not so much," he countered, his voice breathless as well.
Catherine ground her body against his; Gil used the lower position to push back against her. He knew he was doing it properly when she whimpered and dug her nails into his shoulders.
He smirked and slowed down. Her eyes popped open and she glared at him.
"What are you---"
He squeezed her breast again. She sagged forward, pressing her forehead into his shoulder, and then she breathed shakily.
She had been moving, rocking gently against him, but after a minute, she stopped and groaned.
"Oh, god... Gil..."
"What?" he asked. "Are you alright?" He tipped her head up and looked her over. "What's wrong?"
She looked down again. He followed her eyes.
"Oh."
She blushed a bright crimson. "Sorry... I thought tomorrow... I'm early."
Gil smiled a little. "It's okay. It's just blood."
"Gil."
"Catherine."
She sighed. "You're not grossed out?"
"I've got a beautiful woman in front of me," he said. "Besides, there's a bathroom here. We can clean up after."
"Yeah?"
"You're already on top of me."
"Gil..."
"Catherine, I don't care," he murmured, sliding one hand up to cup her cheek. He kissed her. "I really don't care."
"Lust trumps blood?"
"Exactly," he replied, smiling at her. He pushed up with his feet and made her sigh softly.
She smiled back at him and brushed her fingers through his hair. "Okay," she whispered.
Gil smirked and kissed her again; Catherine deepened the kiss, determined to pick up where they left off.
It didn't take long for Gil to push her to the edge. He left her waiting in anticipation for a few minutes, teasing her by kissing over her collarbone and breasts. Catherine squirmed and whimpered while they rocked together; underneath her soft noises, they could hear the squeaking of his chair, but neither of them paid any attention to the sounds.
Catherine cried out when Gil's teeth scraped over her breast. He repeated the action and she fell against his body, her muscles tingling and pulsing around him.
She kissed his neck and resumed moving with him, giving him what he needed to find release. He groaned into her shoulder, his fingers dug into her back, and then he relaxed and sighed.
"Cath..."
"Mmm... I know."
"You are... just... so..." he stopped and chuckled weakly.
She smiled and ruffled his hair. "You, too," she whispered. "Two minutes, and then we should go clean up."
"Yeah," he agreed.
&&&&
While cleaning up, Gil went over the particulars of the case he and Sara were working on. Catherine could admit to herself that their working together bothered her, but she didn't focus on it.
Once finished in the bathroom, Gil and Catherine walked back to his office. She smiled when he retrieved the wrapping paper. "One roll would have been enough," she told him.
"I wanted to give you a choice, in case you didn't like the one I did."
She kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Gil."
"Will Lindsey be sick of cake when I get off of work?"
"Will a nine year old be sick of sugar?" she asked in a dry tone of voice. "Did I rattle your brain?"
"Yes."
She laughed. "Sorry. Maybe I should stop doing that..."
"I wish you wouldn't."
She grinned. "Okay," she said softly, batting her eyelashes at him. "I won't, then."
"Good. Now that that's settled..."
"You should go to ballistics and look at that gun," she said when he trailed off. "You could find a clue there. A new lead."
Gil nodded. "You're right."
She beamed at him. "I know." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Call me when you're off."
"Yeah, I have a small cake for Lindsey."
"You do?"
"I do."
She kissed his lips. "You're a good man, Dr. Grissom."
He blushed and and gently tweaked her chin. "See you later."
"Bye," she replied, before smiling and walking away.
When she saw Sara working in one of the layout rooms, she thought she'd pop into the room to say hello. Part of her couldn't resist; her green monster wanted to get a little dig in, something just to bother the other woman on the graveshift team. It was perverse, but she didn't mind so much.
She saw Sara testing a jacket for GSR. Sara smiled and greeted her.
"Hey."
"Hey," Catherine replied.
"I thought you had a couple days off?"
"I do," Catherine replied. "But I left these on my desk." She held up the rolls of wrapping paper and then explained: "I'm on my way to Circus Circus with five nine year olds. It's Lindsey's birthday---got to wrap a Bridal Barbie."
Sara looked puzzled. "What's a Bridal Barbie?"
Catherine fought the urge to laugh. "Funny." She caught sight of the piece of circular paper. "Oh, blue. Gun shot residue."
"On our stabbing victim's jacket."
"So," Catherine said, pondering the evidence based on what Gil told her in the bathroom. "It means that he may have fired the revolver that you and Grissom found in the park?"
"Yeah," Sara agreed. "Too bad GSR testing can't tie the vic to a particular gun."
"Right..." Catherine said in a distant tone as she baited the hook. "Hmm... but, maybe Grissom can."
"Grissom?" Sara asked quickly.
"Yeah," Catherine replied, as nonchalantly she could manage. "I just passed him in ballistics. He was meditating over your revolver. Didn't even look up."
Sara's smile was an uncomfortable expression, betraying how anxious she felt. "Excuse me."
"Mmhmm..." Catherine replied as Sara breezed past her.
"Have fun," the brunette called out.
"Thanks."
Catherine smiled to herself before leaving the room.
"It's been a really good day," she murmured under her breath, as she walked down the hall towards the exit.
