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'Officer!'
'Catherine!'
Chaos reigned in the interrogation room as all hell broke loose. A suspect had launched out of his seat just as Brass left the room to confer with the officer who had knocked at the door. He had lunged at Catherine who was caught unaware and both of them were tangled in a heap on the floor, with the 6'4" suspect straddling Catherine.
'You b****, can't you just keep out of my damn business?' the suspect yelled as he raised his fist, preparing to land a punch on the struggling CSI beneath him.
Meanwhile, Grissom, who had been watching in the other room, rushed over to Catherine's aid, with Brass leading the way. The two of them tried to lift the suspect off Catherine, but his struggles and brute strength were almost too much for them to handle.
He had managed to land a punch on Catherine's shoulder, and slammed her onto the floor hard, trashing her about like a rag doll. By the time the others, with Warrick's help, had managed to restrain the suspect, Catherine was bruised and scratched all over. Brass and Warrick then led off the still protesting suspect in handcuffs.
'You all right, Cath?' Grissom looked at the blonde's large stricken blue eyes and quivering mouth.
'Been better.' She said with a small smile that was meant to reassure him that she was ok.
He covered the distance between them and swept her into his arms for a comforting hug.
Then, to his eternal shock, shame and embarrassment, tears dripped from his eyes onto her hair. He figured later that it must have been the shock of seeing her being attacked right before his very eyes.
He wished he could fall between the cracks in the floor! He couldn't remember the last time he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. He never cried, not even when his father passed away, because grown men don't cry. Especially Gil Grissom. They coped at all costs. They kept their feelings bottled inside and went toe-to-toe with the whole world before they would allow anything to break them. This philosophy had worked well for Grissom throughout his years as a CSI. Little did he know that a 5'6" blonde would break through his defenses. To cause the brick wall he had erected to keep the world out to come crashing down.
'Jeez, Catherine, the things you do to me,' he muttered, trying to get a grip on his emotions.
'I'm sorry,' she said, and he realized that she was sniffling into his shirtfront. And shaking like a leaf.
Blinking furiously, he wrapped his arms more firmly around her. Seeming to decide that they were superfluous at the moment, the other members of the team who came to check on Catherine backed out of the room.
'It's over, Catherine,' Grissom murmured unsteadily as he stroked her hair.
She hiccuped softly and buried her face against his chest, and for a while there were no need for words. It was enough that he was holding her. Enough that he could run his hand up and down her spine and know she was in one piece. It was enough for her to know that he was there for her, like all the times he was there for her after Eddie took a swing or two at her. When the suspect had attacked her, all those bad memories had come flooding back.
Eventually she grew calmer and lifted her head to shoot an embarrassed glance his way. 'Sorry, pretty pathetic huh?'
His gaze scoured her face. He saw the beginning of a bruise on her forehead and there were several rather red marks and scratches on her arms where the suspect had manhandled her.
'I'd like to kill that guy.'
'Come on Griss, he made a mistake, and I know what that's like. You start out with something small and before you know it, things have snowballed out of control, and it's too late to put a stop to them.'
'Still, he should have known better than to attack a CSI, especially you.'
She drew a finger over his mouth. 'The way you are carrying on, anyone would think that you cared about me,' she teased with a laugh.
'Jeez, woman, I love you!'
She stared at him, her eyes wide blue pools of shock, while the words bounced off the stark walls of the room and ricocheted back to haunt him. 'What did you say?'
Pretty shaken himself, he stared right back. Having this conversation take place in an interrogation room hardly fit his idea of romantic ambience, but the moment was right, and he'd put off baring his soul long enough. 'I love you,' he repeated sheepishly.
He kind of thought that she'd throw her arms around him and tell him that she loved him too. After all, the others had been telling him that she definitely had been implying it. Instead, she put a safe six feet of space between them. 'No, you don't. Not really. You're just grateful and relieved that I am not hurt.'
Outside, a collective gasp was heard. The other CSIs had just been dealt with a few shocking revelations. First, their boss, seemingly unfeeling, had declared his love. Secondly, the woman whom they expected to react with joy, had turned him down flat! What was going on?
'Officer!'
'Catherine!'
Chaos reigned in the interrogation room as all hell broke loose. A suspect had launched out of his seat just as Brass left the room to confer with the officer who had knocked at the door. He had lunged at Catherine who was caught unaware and both of them were tangled in a heap on the floor, with the 6'4" suspect straddling Catherine.
'You b****, can't you just keep out of my damn business?' the suspect yelled as he raised his fist, preparing to land a punch on the struggling CSI beneath him.
Meanwhile, Grissom, who had been watching in the other room, rushed over to Catherine's aid, with Brass leading the way. The two of them tried to lift the suspect off Catherine, but his struggles and brute strength were almost too much for them to handle.
He had managed to land a punch on Catherine's shoulder, and slammed her onto the floor hard, trashing her about like a rag doll. By the time the others, with Warrick's help, had managed to restrain the suspect, Catherine was bruised and scratched all over. Brass and Warrick then led off the still protesting suspect in handcuffs.
'You all right, Cath?' Grissom looked at the blonde's large stricken blue eyes and quivering mouth.
'Been better.' She said with a small smile that was meant to reassure him that she was ok.
He covered the distance between them and swept her into his arms for a comforting hug.
Then, to his eternal shock, shame and embarrassment, tears dripped from his eyes onto her hair. He figured later that it must have been the shock of seeing her being attacked right before his very eyes.
He wished he could fall between the cracks in the floor! He couldn't remember the last time he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. He never cried, not even when his father passed away, because grown men don't cry. Especially Gil Grissom. They coped at all costs. They kept their feelings bottled inside and went toe-to-toe with the whole world before they would allow anything to break them. This philosophy had worked well for Grissom throughout his years as a CSI. Little did he know that a 5'6" blonde would break through his defenses. To cause the brick wall he had erected to keep the world out to come crashing down.
'Jeez, Catherine, the things you do to me,' he muttered, trying to get a grip on his emotions.
'I'm sorry,' she said, and he realized that she was sniffling into his shirtfront. And shaking like a leaf.
Blinking furiously, he wrapped his arms more firmly around her. Seeming to decide that they were superfluous at the moment, the other members of the team who came to check on Catherine backed out of the room.
'It's over, Catherine,' Grissom murmured unsteadily as he stroked her hair.
She hiccuped softly and buried her face against his chest, and for a while there were no need for words. It was enough that he was holding her. Enough that he could run his hand up and down her spine and know she was in one piece. It was enough for her to know that he was there for her, like all the times he was there for her after Eddie took a swing or two at her. When the suspect had attacked her, all those bad memories had come flooding back.
Eventually she grew calmer and lifted her head to shoot an embarrassed glance his way. 'Sorry, pretty pathetic huh?'
His gaze scoured her face. He saw the beginning of a bruise on her forehead and there were several rather red marks and scratches on her arms where the suspect had manhandled her.
'I'd like to kill that guy.'
'Come on Griss, he made a mistake, and I know what that's like. You start out with something small and before you know it, things have snowballed out of control, and it's too late to put a stop to them.'
'Still, he should have known better than to attack a CSI, especially you.'
She drew a finger over his mouth. 'The way you are carrying on, anyone would think that you cared about me,' she teased with a laugh.
'Jeez, woman, I love you!'
She stared at him, her eyes wide blue pools of shock, while the words bounced off the stark walls of the room and ricocheted back to haunt him. 'What did you say?'
Pretty shaken himself, he stared right back. Having this conversation take place in an interrogation room hardly fit his idea of romantic ambience, but the moment was right, and he'd put off baring his soul long enough. 'I love you,' he repeated sheepishly.
He kind of thought that she'd throw her arms around him and tell him that she loved him too. After all, the others had been telling him that she definitely had been implying it. Instead, she put a safe six feet of space between them. 'No, you don't. Not really. You're just grateful and relieved that I am not hurt.'
Outside, a collective gasp was heard. The other CSIs had just been dealt with a few shocking revelations. First, their boss, seemingly unfeeling, had declared his love. Secondly, the woman whom they expected to react with joy, had turned him down flat! What was going on?