Title: Love and Justice
Author: lildreamer
Rating: K+
Pairings: Grillows
Spoilers: None
Summary: With those words, the graveyard shift supervisor's world came crashing down all around him.
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of its characters
On with the story…This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this…
Catherine looked through the iron bars at her best friend, who was sitting on the edge of his bed, nervously running his hand through his hair. Grissom had spent the last few weeks in a prison cell, awaiting his sentence. It had been nearly two months since he had been pinned for a murder he didn't commit, but the memories remained fresh in everyone's minds like a horrible nightmare.
With nine simple words, the graveyard shift supervisor's world came crashing down all around him.
Flashback…"Gil, I—" Brass looked up at his friend with a look of infinite sadness. "I'm sorry."
Grissom pulled off his glasses and inclined his head, confused. "For what?"
"For what I'm about to do."
Grissom furrowed his brow, Catherine mirroring his puzzled expression.
"Grissom…" Brass thought for a moment, trying to find the right words, then, "You're under arrest for the murder of Jennifer Collins."
Brass looked away, unable to watch as his friend was put in handcuffs.
That was the hardest thing the police captain ever had to do. And he would never be able to forgive himself for it. He felt like he had betrayed everyone, especially his friends. In all of his years with the department, he never thought he'd actually have to do what he just did.
He had just arrested his best friend.
End Flashback.
"Miss Willows?" said the guard that had been standing next to her, pulling her from her thoughts. "Are you ready?"
She closed her eyes momentarily, considering the question. She would never truly be ready. Not for something like this. She opened her eyes and nodded at the guard. He immediately took out his keys and began to unlock the door. As she watched him, her thoughts went back to that day. She had been so angry at Ecklie that she would have wrung his neck had he not surprised her and the rest of the team the way he did.
Flashback…Catherine was furious as she stormed down the hallway, rehearsing in her mind what argument—or wrestling hold—she would use to get that stupid, self-righteous, filthy little weasel Ecklie off his lazy behind and do something about all this! Whether he was in his office or anywhere else, she was going to find him, and no matter what nonsense he would use to excuse all this, she was going to get some action!
Ecklie sat in his office, waiting. He knew what was coming. He'd known ever since the report landed on his desk. But right now, he felt like he wanted to hide under it. He glanced out into the hallway and saw Catherine and the rest of the team coming his way. And none of them looked to happy.
"Ecklie, what the heck is going on?" Catherine burst through the doorway, followed closely by the others.
Ecklie swallowed hard. "Now, everyone, just calm—"
"Calm down?" Sara burst out angrily. "Grissom just got arrested!"
"I know. I'm sorry."
"You knew about this?" Nick glared at him.
"I got the report two days ago," Ecklie confessed. "Day shift's been working the case for the past few weeks. I was as surprised as you were when I found out who their lead suspect was."
"And when exactly were you planning to tell us?" Warrick asked, his anger boiling. "After he's been convicted?"
"I'm sorry," Ecklie apologized. "My hands were tied. Besides, they weren't even supposed to arrest him, yet. But the stupid DA couldn't wait."
"Do you honestly believe Grissom would do something like this?" Catherine asked.
"Of course not." Ecklie reached for a folder on his desk. "That's why I'm giving you this."
He handed the folder to the female CSI. She opened it and glanced at the first few pages. It was the report that had gotten their supervisor in trouble.
"Why are you doing this?" Catherine asked, eyeing the assistant director suspiciously.
Ecklie smiled. "Hey, I want him back as much as you guys do. He's my best criminalist. He's also…a friend."
Catherine arched an eyebrow. That was the last thing she had expected him to say.
"Uh, thanks…"
End Flashback.
Ecklie's actions had really surprised them. Instead of scolding them, he actually chose to help them. But even with him on their side, they couldn't find anything to clear their supervisor's name. They worked constantly, day in and day out, but all the evidence seemed to be against him, to the frustration of his team. And as the case continued, the press had become more accusing and cruel. They had slaughtered Grissom since the first day. And they would continue screaming retribution until another earth-shattering event distracted them.
Finally getting the door unlocked, the guard led Catherine inside, their footsteps echoing ominously with each step. As they walked down the corridor, she couldn't help but glance into the other cells. One inmate that caught her eye was cowering in the corner of his cell, his arms enfolding himself. He had to be the newest and youngest inmate there. Except for one frightened glance, he would not look at her, unlike some of the others who were giving her wolf whistles and calling seductively to her as she walked past. She ignored them as her thoughts went back to what happened to her friend during his first week in prison. She had had a bad feeling about it from the beginning and knew that it would only be a matter of time before the other inmates would recognize the CSI.
Flashback…She and the rest of the team had come to visit their supervisor under the guise that they were there working a prison break case, which wasn't that far off. They had found their way outside of the prison yard where most of the inmates had gathered after their midday meal. Catherine gazed through the fence and spotted him first.
Grissom sat by himself at a table, his nose buried in a book, one of the only personal items the prison had allowed him to keep along with his glasses. One of the inmates, a hulk of a man covered in tattoos, made his way over to the table, flanked by four other large inmates. He snatched the book out of Grissom's hand, tore the pages apart, and flung it to the ground.
"Looks like you're one of us now, CSI." The tattooed inmate gave Grissom a taunting little shove.
Grissom glanced at the large man then bent down to retrieve his book, not saying a word.
"Not so brave now, are you?" Tattoo growled. Another shove. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" A two handed shove.
Grissom took the shoving and tried to stay cool. "Look, I don't want any trouble, but I'm not—"
OOF! He should've seen it coming: a violent punch to his midsection. He double over, pain coursing through every organ in his body. He toppled to the ground, his arms enfolding his stomach.
"Get up!" Tattoo demanded, about to kick him.
"Hey, didn't you see what that guy just did?" Catherine demanded, glaring at one of the guards watching over the inmates.
The guard stared at her, eyebrow raised, then glanced at the scene over by the table.
"Cool it, Rex," he called to the tattooed man. The way he'd said it, he didn't seem to care about what was going on.
Rex ignored him and smirked as he watched Grissom get back to his feet.
"Just so you know, all that science crap of yours ain't gonna work here, CSI," he laughed. "You're done."
Catherine and the others saw the look on their supervisor's face. Grissom was scared. He was backing up toward the building while Rex and his guys kept coming at him. They reached the wall. Grissom was hemmed in against the fence.
"Someone's gotta stop this!" Nick cried from behind Catherine.
The entire yard exploded in yells, taunts, and jeers, cursing the former CSI. Rex and his men, egged on by the crowd, grabbed Grissom and dragged him toward the center of the yard. The mob followed, surrounding him. He was trying to run, tripping, falling, and crawling on the ground, trying to get up, knocked down again, crawling again, covering his head with one arm as Rex and his goons kicked, poked, slapped, and shoved him, and as the rest of the mob got their licks in. Some of the inmates had drinks that they had had since mealtime. They poured the drinks all over the cowering CSI, cheering loudly with each splash.
Several officers finally appeared in the yard, running from different directions, shouting, waving their guns, making threats.
But the inmates were a mob now, beyond words, beyond threats, beyond control. They enveloped the officers, attacking, slapping, punching, throwing anything they could find, without reason, without mercy. Grissom ducked, his arms over his head. He caught an arm right in the face, breaking his glasses. He threw a few punches, but the guys throwing punches back were bigger than he was.
By the time the mob was finally subdued, Grissom was tattered, bruised, and soaked with who-knows-what. His friends immediately ran to his side and helped him to his feet then helped him inside.
End Flashback…The next prisoner that caught Catherine's eye was grumpy and was clearly not interested in the two people walking down the corridor. Catherine felt a pang of guilt as she looked into the next cell. The inmate in it apparently had been there for a long time. The poor man sat painfully in the corner, bent, crooked, arthritic. His joints were knobby and his limbs weak. He tried to reach out, but he was too tired to move.
One cell's occupant sent shivers down her spine. His cold, gray eyes studied her with suspicion and loathing. He looked like he'd been injured recently, his leg bound in a cast. He huffed at her and tried to rise to his feet to scream and threaten. The injured leg buckled and he fell back onto his seat, resigned to making threats he could never carry out.
A hint of sadness flashed in her eyes when she glanced into one of the last cells. Its occupant didn't acknowledge her and the guard's presence, but merely sat there, endlessly counting his fingers. Catherine recognized this mannerism. He'd given up.
She suddenly remembered when they had almost given up. The lab was about to give up on them and they weren't far behind.
Flashback…"They've got a good case if you'd just listen!" Brass defended his friends.
"I'd like to hear it," Ecklie said.
"You'll lose credibility!" one of the lab techs warned. "You're losing people already, or haven't you noticed?"
Catherine and the rest of the team stood to the side, having slept little and accomplished less. They weren't invited to be part of the discussion.
Another lab tech spoke up. "Sir, pardon me, but a lot of us need to know we're not wasting our time."
"Yeah," an officer agreed. "How do we know he didn't kill the girl and he's just making up his innocence?"
Brass bristled. "Hey, why don't you just shut up?"
"Well, I'm not the only one who thinks so!"
"Shut up anyway."
Ecklie glanced over at Grissom's team as if trying to read them.
"Ecklie, there is more to this," Brass said. "You haven't seen all the cards yet. You just have to trust them."
"What about the investigation? Are we done?"
Brass looked down at the ground. "I know some of you don't see much point in keeping this case going, and maybe you're right. But I'm gonna keep on it, even if I'm alone."
Hodges sighed. "We all feel that way."
"Do we?" Ecklie asked.
"Sir, you know the score here." Archie spoke up. "I don't have to tell you the chances of finding the real killer if they haven't found him by now."
"So now I suppose you want some big decision from me."
Ecklie drew a deep breath and took a moment to weigh his words. When he had everyone by the eyes, he answered, "It's easy to tell me—heck, even tell yourselves—that it's over for Dr. Grissom. But which one of you wants to tell his team, his friends?" He didn't wait long for an answer; he just kept going. "When you can look anyone on that team in the eye and tell them that it's over for their supervisor even though you can't prove it; when you're ready to watch their hope lie right down and die; if any of you can come away from breaking the heart of friend and still call them your friend…" He was beginning to struggle. "Then, all right. I'll accept that and say we did our best."
Everyone was silent and would no longer meet his eye. Ecklie had surprised them yet again. But it was far from over. Catherine went to visit Grissom soon after that and found her friend on the verge of giving up as well.
Catherine stared at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Look," Grissom said. "I may be—was—your supervisor, but I am still struggling with fears and emotions. I'm not as strong as I should be. I—I'm scared, Catherine." He looked up at her with heartbreakingly sad eyes. "I don't wanna be here. I—I don't wanna die."
Catherine's gaze softened.
"Do you think I like being hated by everyone?"
She placed a hand on top of his. "Not everyone hates you."
Tears slid down Grissom's face as he looked into her eyes and found love and understanding. They sat in silence for a moment then he wiped his eyes and smiled for the first time since this had all started.
"Thank you."
"For what?" Catherine couldn't understand why he was smiling. "They're still going to sentence you to death. Don't you care?"
Grissom shook his head. "I don't care what happens to me. I care about you."
She stared at him in surprise, not sure what to say.
"Look at what this case is doing to you. You've been working so much; you're daughter probably hasn't seen you in ages. And you look like you're about to collapse from hunger and exhaustion. You need to drop this case."
"What? No, I can't." Tears flooded her eyes. "I won't. I am not going to lose you…"
End Flashback.
"Hey, Grissom," the guard said as they reached his cell. "You've got a visitor."
Grissom looked up and found Catherine staring down at him, her once sparkling blue eyes now pale and sad. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as the guard unlocked the door so that she could go in. The door slid shut behind her and she took a seat on the bed next to him.
"How're you doing?" Catherine asked softly.
"Considering the circumstances…" he glanced through the bars of his cell, regarding the other cells beyond his own. "Okay, I guess."
"That's good."
"How's the team doing?"
Catherine's thoughts went to her friends who were in another part of the building, waiting for her. "They're holding up."
"What about you?"
She closed her eyes and turned away from him, choking back the knot that had appeared in her throat. She couldn't answer that. She didn't want to lie.
"Catherine?"
At the sound of her name, all the emotions that she had pent up inside for years came out like a flood. She turned to face him, tears streaming down her face. Their eyes met and she could see the worry etched on his handsome features.
"This isn't fair!" she sobbed. "I wish I could…If there was—if there was just some way…I—I'd give anything if…I could just…"
"Catherine…" he pulled her into his arms. "This isn't your fault."
"I could've searched harder for more evidence. Dug deeper…"
"You did all you could do. There was nothing more you could have done."
"But you—you don't deserve this." She pulled away from him and looked up at him, her eyes pleading with his. "You have to get out of here. Make a break for it. Get—get as far away as you can…until we can sort this all out."
Grissom sighed and cupped her cheek in his hand. "But could you love a man who'd run away?"
The couple's attention suddenly shifted to the ominous clanking of steel and the outer door slowly swinging open, reminding them which cellblock they were on—death row. They could hear the sound of several feet marching into the cellblock, coming their way.
"It's time," Grissom whispered as the footsteps drew closer and closer.
Catherine's eyes flooded with tears as he pulled her into his embrace and hugged her for the very last time.
"Take care of the them."
Several officers and a pastor suddenly appeared outside the cell and watched as the same guard from before opened the cell door. An officer immediately stepped inside and pulled them apart, dragging Grissom out of the cell. "Come on."
"No!" Catherine cried, following them. "What are you doing?"
The other officers moved in, surrounding Grissom, forcing him along as the pastor prayed for him. Catherine grabbed one of the officers' arms.
"You can't do this!"
Another officer grabbed her by the arm and held her back. "Stand aside."
She broke free from his grasp and ran after her friend. "Gil!"
Panic and fear coursed through Catherine's body as they led him down the corridor. As they walked, Grissom, being hurried along by the officers, looked over his shoulder and mouthed the words, "I love you." and then they pulled him through a large, heavy door and he was gone.
The door shut completely the instant Catherine reached it. The large door was cold, cruel, immovable. The knob didn't even rattle when she tugged at it.
"No…"
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