THE BUGS

Spoilers: "Ellie" (210)

Catherine sighed, cradling the phone between her ear and her bare shoulder, laying on her side on her hotel bed. She glanced down at her attire, smoothing out her black hip huggers and picking a piece of lint off her black lace bra before turning her attention back to the phone. "Come on, pick up..." she sighed.

For the past twenty-four hours, she'd been in Reno, accompanying Sam Braun, an old friend of the family, and someone who'd been like a father to her, to the opening of his brand new casino. She almost giggled at the fact that she'd only been away from Gil for one day and already she was aching to see him. Gil himself was out of town and away from the lab... in Duluth for some sort of convention. She'd called it a 'bug convention'... mostly because of the fact that she didn't really pay attention to what he'd said it was. When it came to his mention of anything to do with entomology, she found she would always drift away.

Warrick had been left in charge of the night shift subsequently, and she chuckled, wondering how he was handling things. Knowing her CSIs, she figured Nick would be okay with everything... Nick let pretty much anything slide off his shoulders. Sara was the one that would be giving Warrick hell right about now. Catherine smiled to herself. For being a grown woman, Sara certainly acted like a child a lot of the time... especially when she didn't get her way. And she knew that Grissom not choosing her to supervise would definitely leave her panties in a twist. She only hoped Warrick and Sara hadn't killed each other yet.

Finally, the other end of the line picked up. "Grissom."

She grinned. He always sounded so gruff when he answered the phone, no matter if he knew who would be on the other end or not. "Hi," she answered, and the change in his tone was immediate.

"Hey!"

She giggled. "How are things out there in Duluth, Minnesota?" she asked, turning to lay on her stomach, bending her knees behind her... her feet drawing imaginary patterns in the air.

"Oh, ya know, they're... well, they're cold," he replied, inciting another giggle from her. "How's Reno?"

"It's great... the casino's gorgeous, and the weather is fantastic."

"Oh sure, rub it in..." he teased.

She laughed. "I was just... calling to see how long we could stretch out these little 'vacations' of ours."

From hundreds of miles away, she could still sense him furrowing his brows. "I don't know... why?"

She smiled, shifting her position once more to lay on her back... her right leg bent while the left leg dangled over it, her ankle bobbing in the air. She twirled the cord around her finger absent-mindedly. "Well, I was thinking you could fly down to Reno for awhile and join me. Maybe gamble a bit at Sam's new casino?"

"Cath, you know how I am about gambling..." he sighed, "I don't like to do it."

She grinned, her tone flirty. "What if I told you there was a gorgeous blonde waiting in Reno for you to join her? Would you gamble for HER?"

"Why, do you know someone?"

She smirked playfully at the phone, and could tell by the silent pause that he was doing the same, before he remarked softly, "I'll book the next flight out."

She giggled. Oh, how easily she could wrap him around her finger... and she hoped that in just a matter of time, she'd be able to wrap him around her in other ways, as well. "Goody! Call me when you land!"

"I will," he promised, then they said their goodbyes and hung up.

"So how was your flight?" she asked him, loading his suitcases, with great effort, into the trunk of her Tahoe.

"Oh, fabulous," he sighed, tone laced with sarcasm, and she smirked in response. "I got to sit through two hours of 'Charlie's Angels'... talk about your in-flight entertainment."

"What's wrong with 'Charlie's Angels'?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing... it's just a poor excuse for entertainment. The TV show was bad enough... do we really need a MOVIE?"

She rolled her eyes at his typical 'Gil' response. "Always such a snob," she replied, heading around to the driver's seat while he climbed in the passenger side. She turned the key in the ignition, bringing the engine to life. "And don't act like you WEREN'T in love with Jaclyn Smith."

He was silent as he stared out the window momentarily, before softly replying, "I'm admitting to nothing."

She grinned, chuckling, and when he turned to smile at her, she shook her head at him, maneuvering the SUV back out into Reno traffic. "You don't need to," she sighed, pulling her sunglasses on, "I found the fan club membership card in your desk."

Catherine grunted as she lifted his heavy suitcase from the trunk of her car, practically dropping it onto the ground. She glanced up at him through her sunglasses, watching as he thumbed through his wallet. "Don't worry Gil, I'll get the bags," she quipped wryly.

Ignoring her comment, he glanced toward the hotel before going back to looking through his wallet. "How much does it cost?" he asked.

She grinned playfully, looking up at him while setting his duffel bag on the ground. "Well big boy, it's an even thousand if you want me for the whole night."

He cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes slightly while he gave her 'the look'... that look that was a combination of exasperation and amusement. "A hotel room, Cath," he sighed. "How much am I gonna have to shell out to appease you?"

She giggled, nudging him playfully. "I knew what you were taking about... but you don't have to shell out anything!"

"Huh?" He furrowed his brow and watched as she started heading into the hotel with his bags, before he shut the trunk and followed after her. "I already spent five hours on a plane for you, I'm not sleeping in the alley for you too!" he exclaimed, following her into the lush hotel lobby.

She rolled her eyes and smirked at him, calling over her shoulder while she headed up the stairs. "You're sleeping in my room!"

He froze midstep, mouth hanging slightly open as he just watched her trudge up the stairs. When she was out of sight, she called down to him, "Close your mouth."

Once he had finished unpacking, Gil spun around to face his blonde companion. "So! What shall we do?"

The loud rumbling in his stomach gave away his idea for what to do, and she grinned. "How about we go get something to eat?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Good idea," then he placed a hand feather-lightly to the small of her back and guided her downstairs to the restaurant.

After a nice, leisurely dinner, Catherine managed to convince Grissom to head into the casino with her. As they strolled around, she linked her arm through his, smiling up at him when he turned to look at her in surprise. She then pointed out several different areas of the casino to him, giving brief explanations about the decorations that Sam had chosen, or how much a certain machine had cost to install... and all the while he nodded along, not really caring about the details of a casino, but enjoying himself in Catherine's presence.

A loud, booming voice drew their attention from each other. "Well, well, well!"

Catherine immediately burst into a smile and stepped forward for a hug, while Grissom lagged behind, smiling cordially at the man that had called to them. "Sam!" she exclaimed. She pulled away and winked at him. "Long time no see, huh?" she quipped.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, what's it been now, Mugs? A whole twelve hours or so?" He turned his attention to Catherine's companion, extending his hand in a shake. "Gil! Nice to see you again..."

Grissom nodded in return and smiled politely, shaking his hand. Sam smiled, shoving both hands into the pockets of his designer dress slacks. "I had no idea you accompanied Catherine for the weekend."

"I didn't, actually," he replied. "I had a conference in Duluth, but Cath managed to convince me to come down here for a bit."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, she certainly has a way, doesn't she?"

Grissom sniffed... barely a chuckle as he nodded his head, muttering under his breath, "You have no idea."

Despite how quietly he'd uttered his comment, Catherine caught it nonetheless, and smiled up at him briefly before turning to Sam. "So, what do you recommend we try first tonight, Sam?"

"Ahh..." he glanced briefly around at the gaming tables, before turning back to the pair with a smile on his face. "I say head for the craps table first! I hear people have been getting pretty lucky there tonight."

Catherine smiled. "Great! Thanks!" She once again linked her arm through Grissom's, leading him away while she touched Sam's arm briefly. "We'll catch you later then, Sam," she whispered.

"Okay," he smiled. "Have fun..." Teasingly, he added, "And don't get TOO lucky!" to which Catherine responded with a smirk over hers and Gil's shoulders.

"Gil! Oh my God, you're up six grand!" Catherine squealed, bouncing up and down like a kid on a sugar high while she squeezed his shoulders.

"I know!" he exclaimed, shaking the dice in his closed fist before releasing them in an almost suave manner, him and Catherine watching as the two ruby-colored cubes sailed to the other end of the table.

They'd been playing for nearly three hours... and had been drinking for the same amount of time. To Catherine's surprise, Grissom had loosened up considerably and was actually enjoying himself. He was actually smiling. She hadn't seen a smile on his face that big since before he became supervisor. She watched him throw the dice, win, bet again, and throw the dice again, and all the while a warm, loving smile settled on her face.

And unbeknownst to herself, she was loosening up considerably as well. Not that she was normally as uptight as Grissom, but she definitely was showing more affection toward him than she normally would. Everytime he won, she'd pounce on him, either kissing his cheek, ruffling his hair... or even occasionally pinching his butt. And what she enjoyed most about doing all those things was not the fact that it gave her a strange sort of high... but that Grissom didn't mind in the slightest that she was doing it. He actually seemed to be enjoying it.

"Gil!" she screeched upon watching him win once more. "Ten grand! I can't believe this!"

He rubbed up and down her back as he turned to smile lovingly at her. "We'll be able to send Lindsey to the best college if I can keep this up!"

Catherine froze, staring up at him with a look of complete awe on her face while he resumed focus on the game. Her heart sang with his choice of wording... the fact that he'd said 'we' rather than 'you' meaning more to her than any confession of love. He thought of her and Lindsey as his family, and that meant the world to her. "Gil..." she whispered.

"Hmm?" He didn't look up as he rolled the dice again.

"Did you mean what you said?"

The softness in her tone caused him to finally break focus and meet her eyes, still shaking the dice in his closed fist. "Well, of course! Lindsey deserves the best." After a beat, he added, "You both do."

And, with a brilliant smile directed at Catherine, he rolled the dice and flung them toward the other end of the craps table... and everything moved in slow motion. The dice floated to the other end of the table, revealing when they stopped the fact that Grissom had won yet again. Twin wide-eyed expressions appeared on the faces of the pair so intently watching the small, ruby cubes. His total skyrocketed past fifteen-thousand dollars in that instant, and both Grissom and Catherine were flabbergasted.

Her screech finally brought everything back to its normal, fast pace. "Oh my GOD, Gil!"

She leaped into his arms as he grinned at her, and he swung her around, hugging her tight. Caught up in the excitement of the moment, Catherine pulled away and, without thought, loudly pressed her lips to his. When they broke apart, something different colored their eyes and he slowly set her down, reaching for his chips. He turned to the dealer. "I think we're done here."

He then gathered up his plastic tray holding his numerous chips, took one more look at Catherine, and headed toward the cashier to cash his winnings. She followed silently, heart thudding at the moment that had just passed between them. Once he'd collected his several wads of cash, Grissom turned to her, his eyes diving deep beneath hers for a moment before he nodded his head in the direction of the elevators.

On the seemingly endless journey back to their room, a pensive and slightly awkward silence encompassed them both, their minds occupied with what had just transpired back at the craps table. They walked the long hallway to their room side-by-side, both wondering what to say to break the silence.

When they reached their door, Catherine bowed her head and began digging through her purse, Grissom stepping up directly behind her. After a moment of frustratedly digging into the far recesses of her purse, she turned to face him. "Gil, I think you've got the--" She then gasped at the look in his eyes, and became unable to tear her own eyes away as he gently pressed her against the door. She finished her sentence in a shaky whisper. "Key..."

Keeping his eyes trained on hers, Grissom reached up and swept a hand through her chin-length hair, stepping as close to her as possible. He smiled as his lips neared hers, his free hand holding their room key behind his back. "I know," he whispered, and crashed his lips to hers.

Catherine's hands immediately flew to his body, grasping at his waist, his shoulders, his biceps... needing to touch him everywhere at once, while he slipped the key card into the slot. The barely audible beep signaled their ability to go in, and they did so by stumbling inside, not wanting to break the kiss. They didn't even bother turning on the lights as the door clicked shut, and they fumbled around in the dark trying to remove each other's clothing, all the while moving closer and closer to the bed.

Once they both had managed to get half-undressed, they tumbled backwards onto the bed, and Grissom hurriedly pulled back the covers, enveloping them in their own version of paradise for the rest of the night.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, the lovers collapsed against the bed, snuggling up together immediately. "Wow..." Catherine breathed, "That definitely gives the phrase 'all night long' some merit, huh?"

Grissom chuckled breathlessly and nodded emphatically, cupping the back of her neck in his hand and drawing her to him for a long, sensual kiss. She hummed contentedly against his lips and returned his kiss passionately, collapsing against him when they finally pulled apart. Grissom smiled at this and immediately flipped her onto her side, curling his body against hers and wrapping an arm tight around her waist as he nuzzled into her hair.

The sound of his cell phone ringing broke their tender moment, and Grissom groaned into Catherine's hair, hugging her tight when she giggled at his behavior. When she felt him leave her side, she turned over her shoulder, her eyes following him as he reached for his discarded pants and pulled out his cell phone, flipping it hastily open and answering unenthusiastically, "Grissom..."

She smiled at his tone and rose to her knees, wrapping the sheet tightly around her body before creeping up behind him, kissing and rubbing his shoulders while he sat at the edge of the bed, listening to the voice on the other end. "Why? What's goin' on?"

He turned slightly over his shoulder to meet Catherine's questioning look, mouthing 'Warrick', smiling halfway as she nodded knowingly. After a pause, he sighed heavily. "Yeah... fine. We'll be back soon, we just want a little more time to sleep."

At the use of the word 'we,' Catherine straightened abruptly, her eyes widening in time with Grissom's. "Uhh, what? Did I say 'we'?" He chuckled nervously. "I was talking about me and the bugs... they're pretty exhausted after all that racing."

Catherine sank back against the pillows, grinning widely. "You'd better believe it," she murmured, then squealed as Grissom reached back to tickle her.

"Uh, what's that, Warrick? That was the TV. Okay, so I'll see you guys later! Hang in there!" he exclaimed hastily, "Bye!" He then hurriedly hung up, shooting Catherine an evil glare before pouncing on her.

She giggled and squealed as he wrestled with her and pinned her back against the bed. When he had both wrists pinned above her head, they stopped for a moment and just stared into each other's eyes. Catherine offered a small smile, noting the quickening of his breathing and his involuntary response swelling against her hip. She rubbed against him teasingly. "If we wanna be able to work tonight, big boy, we gotta get some sleep," she purred, and grinned devilishly as he groaned in disappointment.

"You're right," he grumbled, and spooned into her once again.

When she turned to smirk at him over her shoulder, he gave her a look. "And yes, that may be the ONLY time you'll hear me say that."

She glared facetiously and stuck her tongue out at him, then burst into a grin, kissed him quickly, and flipped back onto her side, snuggling back against him to go sleep.

"Hey!" Warrick called as he caught sight of Grissom and Catherine walking down the halls together. "Where the hell were you guys?" He glanced down at his watch. "You're two hours late for shift."

"Well if SOMEONE could read a map, we would've been here a lot sooner," Catherine sighed, grinning at her salt-and-pepper-haired companion.

He glared facetiously at her. "I can READ a map. I just..." He shrugged, his voice dropping to a barely audible tone as he sheepishly shuffled his feet, "Had it upside down." He glanced back up at Warrick and shrugged once more, allowing a sheepish smile to escape. "We got a little lost."

While Catherine rolled her eyes and jabbed him playfully in the side, Warrick eyed them warily. "What do you mean 'WE' got lost? I thought you were flying back from Duluth..." He turned to the strawberry-blond at his supervisor's side. "And I thought YOU were driving back from Reno."

Grissom and Catherine shared a look, Catherine raising an eyebrow and pressing her lips tightly together while Grissom just grimaced at their slip-up. As realization sank in, Warrick nodded knowingly, a wry smirk plucking at his thick lips. "The bugs again?" he quipped.

Catherine smiled, biting her lip. "Yeah... the bugs."

FINIS