Title: One More Chance

Author: Anita

E-mail:

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I wish I could say that CSI belongs to me, but that would be perjury.

A/N: The song is by Celine Dion. I love Celine Dion, almost as much as I love G/C. This fic contains lines from a famous movie. Bonus points if you can figure out which one. Hint: It's old and it won several Oscars including Best Picture.

Catherine Willows stood on the back porch of her house in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans, sipping a screwdriver and reminiscing. Normally she didn't think of the past, but it was a year to the day since she left Las Vegas and she couldn't keep the memories away. A year to the day since she turned down the proposal she had wanted to hear for so long, and walked out of Gil Grissom's life forever.

Here they come
Every night the same
Silent stars
Light from a distant flame
Just like the memories of you
That I hold inside
I see your touch
But all the warmth has died

The stars slowly came out as the sky darkened, and the warm summer breeze tousled Catherine's hair. She looked up to find the constellations he had taught her, remembering the hours they spent in the planetarium searching out pictures in the sky and yes, sometimes making love.

"Gil!" she shrieked as he tickled her ribs once more. "Someone's going to find us…"

"Especially if you don't stay quiet," he teased, tickling her again. Then his hands slid beneath her low-cut blouse, caressing her bare breasts.

"Gil!"

"Shhh. Be quiet or I'll have to kiss you."

"But what if someone walks in?"

"I told you, they won't. They know we're here and they know better than to intrude."

"Oh, so I'm not the first woman you've brought here, is that it?"

In the dark he could not see her face, but he could guess her expression. "No," he admitted. "But you are the most important."

"Yeah, right," she chuckled. "Well, since I'm here now and they aren't, I guess I'll forgive you." With that she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his chin, slowly making her way up to his lips.

Empty rooms
Crowded by the past
Time is my enemy
Days keep moving faster
But the nights alone can be
An eternity
That never heals the scars
Of foolish pride

It hardly seemed like a year. She had been so busy since they moved that the days had just raced by. Lindsey had adjusted well to the new environment; Catherine almost thought it had been good for her to leave 'Sin City' and all the bad memories there.

If only Lindsey didn't ask after Gil. At first she had asked at least two or three times a week, not comprehending that 'Uncle Gil' was the reason they had moved. Catherine couldn't explain it to Lindsey; she couldn't even explain it to herself. It was just something she had to do.

After awhile the inquiries were more spaced out, but anytime Catherine talked to a member of the graveyard shift team she knew they would return. It had been especially bad when Warrick had come to visit them. Lindsey constantly asked what Grissom was doing, and Warrick tried really hard to be non-responsive, but eventually she wore him down. That's how Catherine had found out that Grissom and Sara were engaged. She'd had to leave the room abruptly, fighting the sudden tears and telling herself how foolish she was. She had turned him down, for God's sake, what did she expect him to do? He had a right to be happy; after all, she was happy, wasn't she? Wasn't she?

If only you could see me now
Goodbye is not so easy now
The freedom that I walked away to gain
Is nothing but these chains
That you alone can break
And you would free me now
Your heart would come undone
Just looking at me once
And my love would bring you back
If only you could see me now

She went back inside to get another screwdriver. She had sent Linds to a friend's house for the night, knowing that she would want to be alone. But now that she was alone, she didn't know quite how to face the feelings she was having. "Never doubt, never look back," she had said. Yeah, it sounded good, but sometimes it just wasn't possible. Right now she was doubting and looking back like crazy.

She had the horrible feeling she had made a huge mistake. And now Sara was going to get what Catherine had refused.

"Dammit!" she muttered as the tears began to prick at her eyelids.

Here I am
Stranger to a smile
Trying to fight the tears
Missing by a mile
I'm not the one who laughed at you
On that yesterday
When you warned me not to throw your love away

"Catherine, are you sure?" he asked for the third time, anger and hurt battling inside him.

"I told you, Gil, the answer is no! What part of 'no' do you not understand?" She pulled away from his embrace, turning on her heels to leave.

He didn't understand. Everything had been fine. They were getting closer by the day, no major arguments, Lindsey seemed happy, and Catherine was happy too. Or at least, she said she was. He had no reason to think otherwise.

He was so sure she would be thrilled by his proposal. When she'd said no the first time, he thought his hearing was playing tricks on him. Why would she say no? It made no sense. They were perfect together.

"Why?" he asked again, just as she was about to leave the room.

"I don't know, Gil," she said wearily. "Now just let me go."

He watched her leave, wondering if it would be fruitful to go after her. Then he sat back down, reassuring himself that she would be back and they could discuss it when she was calmer.

But she hadn't come back. That was the last time he'd seen her. Two days later he received her resignation in the mail. A week more and she was gone from Vegas entirely.

Like the lonely moon
You see above
That sails the dark alone
Forever
I have no light of my own
Other the love we've known
So long ago
Together

She still didn't know why she'd said no. But she wished, oh God how she wished that she could have just one more chance to say yes to the love of her life.

It was too late, now. Yesterday was their wedding day. He hadn't sent her an invitation – he didn't even know where she was, unless Warrick or Nick had broken their promises – but she had heard the news anyway. Grissom and Sara would be on their honeymoon now. The very thought wrenched at Catherine's heart and she began to cry in earnest, setting down her glass and dropping to the floor, her head in her hands as she wept bitterly.

If you could feel me now
Your heart would come undone
If you could touch me once
I know love will bring you back
If only you could see me now

She cried until she was too tired to cry anymore, and every moment she hated herself for what she'd done. Finally she just lay there on the cool floor, her mind empty of all thoughts.

The doorbell rang, accentuating the dull ache in the back of her head. "Who the hell is that?" She jumped up, smoothing out her clothing, and ran to the kitchen to get a wet washcloth to wipe her face.

She heard the doorbell again just as she started for the door. "Who is it?" she asked. She wasn't going to open the door to just anyone at this time of the night.

"It's Gil."

She stopped dead in her tracks. Oh, God, no, she thought. She couldn't bear the thought of this. "Um…. Ah…. Are you alone?" She could have smacked herself when those words came out of her mouth, she sounded so pathetically childish.

"Yes."

She slowly opened the door to see him standing there, looking just the same as he had a year ago. "What the fuck are you doing here, Gil? You're supposed to be on your honeymoon! I don't imagine that Sara is going to be too pleased that you stopped by here…."

"May I come in?" he asked gently.

Wordlessly she moved out of his way, and he walked in as she shut the door behind him.

"Catherine, there isn't going to be any Sara."

"What?" she asked, not comprehending.

"We've called off our engagement."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"You are?"

"You did?" She turned to look at him, finally realizing what he had said.

He began to walk towards her. "Well, you can't marry someone…. When you're in love with someone else. Can you?" His hand gently caressed her cheek, and she leaned into his touch.

"No, I – I guess not," she murmured, keeping her voice quiet while her heart was shouting for joy.

He took her face in his hands and slowly kissed her, his lips soft against hers even as his beard was rough. "I love you, Catherine," he whispered against her forehead. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else. Won't you please come back and give me one more chance?"

She had to laugh then, and he pulled back, the hurt evident on his face. "Cath, please don't laugh at me…"

"Laugh at you? I would never laugh at you, Gil. I'm laughing at myself. Here I was, thinking how much I wished you would give me one more chance, and now you're asking me for one?"

"So is that a yes?" he smiled.

She beamed back, then snuggled into his warm embrace. "God, Gil, yes, yes, yes!" She thought of how happy Lindsey was going to be, then she realized how happy she was. "I love you, Gil," she murmured. "I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you please say yes?"

"Catherine, I accept your proposal," he said solemnly. "Now, shall we confirm this?" He lifted her off her feet and into his arms, looking around for the door to her bedroom.

"You know, the living room rug is very soft," she offered, gazing into his deep blue eyes.

He carried her the few steps to the living room and gently laid her on the rug. For several seconds he just stood there, thinking about how vulnerable she looked.

"Gil," she said softly, "make love to me."

Never one to deny her anything, he quickly complied.

Finis