Zodiac

by d-kronk

Gil and Catherine get some unexpected time together.

Title: Zodiac

Author: Angie

Email: Gil and Catherine get some unexpected time together

Disclaimers: CSI Crime Scene Investigation does not belong to me, they are the property of CBS, Alliance Atlantis, Jerry Bruckheimer and the wonderful actors who portray them.

Author's Notes: January Challenge (pick a room)... you'll see what room I picked. Actually this fits two other challenges two. The personal alphabet challenge (this would be my 'Z' fic) and it also fits the August 2004 challenge (the locked challenge). This fic came about when I was trying to think of something to title a fic starting with 'Z', no idea... just trying to think of words starting with 'Z'. I thought of Zodiac, did a little research and this happened. Many thanks to Marianne, for being the fabulous beta that she is. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to review, I really appreciate it and probably don't express my gratitude enough.

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: nothing really, possible slight reference to "Pledging Mr. Johnson" if you look for it.

Distribution: The GraveshiftCSI Homepage

XOXOXOX

Catherine leaned back against the wall and began sliding down it when his hands pulled her back up.

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting down. I'm tired."

"You can't sit there. You might destroy evidence."

"What evidence am I going to destroy in your closet?" Catherine sighed, standing straight and pulling herself out of Gil's arms.

"Transfer…"

"Gil…"

"You have transfer on you Cath. I just want to be sure that we don't lose any of the evidence."

"And pulling me into your arms a second ago didn't compromise the evidence?"

He remained silent, then took a step forward, raising his hand out to her. "I'm sorry. I just…"

"I'm worried too, Gil. But leaning against the wall, or sitting on the floor isn't going to change anything. The evidence will still be there, just… on the floor." She stood awkwardly, watching him take in her words.

He motioned for her to sit and soon followed her to the floor. "I'm sorry about what happened out there. I should have been able to…"

"What? Gil there was nothing you could do. You'd have just gotten yourself killed and you know it."

"But I should have been able to do something."

Catherine shook her head and moved closer to Gil, wrapping her hands around his. "There was nothing you could do." She told him again. "I'd much rather have you locked in here with me than the alternative. And look on the bright side."

"The bright side?"

"We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other."

"We already know each other, Catherine."

"So, reacquaint ourselves with each other. Isn't that what this breakfast was for anyway?"

"Please don't mention breakfast. I can still smell it and we didn't even get but two bites in before everything happened."

"When was the last time you actually ate something?"

Gil leaned back, glancing upward as his mind searched his memory. "Yesterday. I had a bowl of cereal when we got off work."

"I don't suppose you have anything… in here."

"I will after we get out of here." Gil looked down at their hands, still connected, then looked back up at Catherine. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing really." She replied after taking a minute to think. "I think the closet has sucked my will to talk. What time is it?"

"Nine."

"Are you working tonight?" At Gil's nod, she continued. "So only about twelve hours before someone actually misses us."

"What about Lindsey?"

"Going to a sleep-over directly from school. She'll be gone until tomorrow evening."

"Oh."

XOXOXOX

"I'm bored."

Gil looked over at Catherine, an incredulous look on his face. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Entertain me?" She asked, hopefully.

"'Entertain you?'" He repeated. "How do you want me to do that? We're stuck in a closet. There's nothing in here."

"There has to be something in here." Catherine said standing up and reaching towards the shelf above their heads.

"What are you doing?"

"Seeing what's up here. You don't keep any bugs up here, do you?"

"No. You're safe from bugs in here."

"So what's up here?" She asked, her hand coming into contact with a box. She pulled the box out, tilting it slightly to fit in the small space between the shelf and the wall.

"I'm not entirely sure. Books. Some other odds and ends."

Catherine sat on the floor with the box between her legs, lifting the lid and peeking inside. "What is this?" She asked as she picked up the newspaper wrapped items. She removed the paper and revealed a champagne flute. Picking up a similarly wrapped item, she unwrapped it and revealed an identical glass. "Gil?"

"My mother sent them to me. My parents used them to toast at their wedding. She's always been a stickler for tradition. She still thinks that… well, she thinks I'll have a use for them."

"They're beautiful." She whispered, sliding across the floor to Gil, the two glasses delicately standing next to the box. "And your mother's right, you'll have a use for them someday." She leaned against him, smiling as she felt his arm drape over her shoulders. "She didn't happen to send a bottle of champagne along too, did she?" She could feel the tremors in his body as the slight chuckle bubbled out from within, bringing a smile to her face.

"So did you find anything else up there?"

"Nothing I could reach. Did you purposefully put everything back out of my reach?"

"Well, not on purpose…"

They turned to look at each other, both smiling as their easy banter returned. Catherine reached forward and grabbed one of the sheets of newspaper that had been wrapped around the glasses.

"What are you doing?"

"Reading the paper."

"How old is that?"

She looked up at the top of the paper, searching for the date. "About ten years."

"Why are you reading a paper that is ten years old?"

"You have any better suggestions?"

Gil silenced himself and reached for part of the paper. "What section do you have?"

"The horoscopes. What does yours say?"

He glanced down at the paper searching for 'Leo.' "'Secrets, secretive people and things you swore you'd never talk about -- that's what's on the agenda for the next few days. Will you mind? Not at all. Will they? Only if you give up the goods without their knowledge.'"

Catherine read the words again, taking in their meaning as she glanced at Gil. "What does mine say?"

"Can't you read it for yourself?"

"Just checking to see if you knew what mine was."

"March twenty sixth. You're an Aries, Catherine." He said without hesitation. He pulled the paper away from her and looked for 'Aries.' "'It's time to listen to your body and slow down just a tad. Relaxing at your place with some interesting, funny friends wouldn't be a bad option, rather than going out and painting the town red.'"

"Interesting."

"Cath, besides the fact that this paper is ten years old, horoscopes are designed so that…"

"I know your thoughts on horoscopes, Gil. I just said it was interesting. I'm not at my house, but I'm relaxing, with a friend. It wasn't really a secret, but you did reveal a story to me about your past."

"You can get anything to fit into your horoscope if you manipulate it enough."

"Gil!" She hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Give me that paper. What else is in here?" She began glancing over the page, her eyes drawing on yet another section about horoscopes. "Hmm…"

"What?"

"Did you read this? It tells you more about what your sign means."

Gil rolled his eyes, knowing this conversation was going to continue for a while. "What's it say?" He asked, humoring her.

"Well this is actually about who your love sign is. Which signs are most compatible with each other. Hmm… interesting."

"What?"

"We're compatible. Though we both want to be boss. Never would have guessed that." Catherine smirked. "We are both passionate and dynamic. The relationship between Aries and Leo is about fiery passion and domination. Both wanting to be on top."

Gil cleared his throat and looked at Catherine. "What else does it say?"

Catherine smiled and continued paraphrasing what she was reading. "We can both be impatient and proud. We have genuine admiration and respect for each other but need to learn to take turns commanding and giving orders. I think we do alright in that aspect." She shuffled the paper and continued reading. "Hmm… fiery passion… oh yeah, here's where I was at. You like to be adored and have your ego stroked, which I, who am apparently easily bored, may not want to provide. And your flirtatious."

"I am not."

"You are. You just don't always realize it. That little glint you get in your eyes, that little smirk. Your cheesy little jokes and awkwardness. It's flirting."

"Me being awkward is flirting?"

"Yes. It's adorable and women love adorable. But despite our differences, Aries often looks to Leo for guidance. Hmm…guess that is true, huh? Any differences between us can be overcome, and we are both respected by others, and it's important that we respect each other. Do you respect me?"

"Catherine."

"You're right… silly question. Of course you do. And I know you do, deep down, even if you don't say it often."

"Do you want me to say I respect you?"

"I don't need you too. I know it." Glancing back down, she once again continued with her reading. "We are both coming from the same place, so we understand each other. We're highly compatible and can make a powerful team. When our relationship is good, it's very, very good. But when it's bad it's loud arguments and damaged egos. Gil? Did you make this up?"

"What?"

"This paper. Is it all a joke?"

"No."

"This is just unreal. It's almost like it was written about us. Although we both may disagree often, our differences of opinion don't last long. I'm too busy moving on to the next challenge to hold a grudge."

"Pfft."

"What?"

"That should definitely tell you that I didn't make it up."

"What are you talking about?"

Gil shook his head. "Never mind."

"Gil…"

"I don't want to mention it."

"You brought it up."

"But you have obviously forgotten. So why would I bring up something that…"

"You're talking about Eddie." She took his hand in hers and grasped it gently. "It's alright. That was a long time ago."

He squeezed back, glad to have avoided the inevitable argument. "So what else does it say?"

"Leo needs to remember to not be resentful of me if I don't show you enough respect. It's in my sign… I can't help it. I give you the assertiveness to take chances and you help stabilize me. Sometimes I hurt your feelings by saying something hurtful without thinking."

"We both do that."

"We should work on that."

"Or at least remember that we don't mean it."

"Aries can be irritated by your bossy nature and tendency to sulk."

"I don't sulk."

"You don't sulk? Yes you do. It's one of the things that prompted my coming over today. Watching you in your office every morning as you watched the rest of us leave. That look on your face just got to me. I wish it hadn't, or you'd still be at work and neither of us would be here."

"Maybe this isn't such a bad thing." Gil held up his hand when he saw Catherine open her mouth to speak. "Just hear me out. We are being forced to spend time together. Neither one of us can run away. Maybe this is what we need."

"Now you sound like me."

"I know. I do actually listen when you speak, I just don't always acknowledge it."

"So I'm learning."

"Anything else?" He pointed to the newspaper.

"Oh…" She glanced back down at the article, finding where she had left off once again. "We both are loyal and care deeply for each other. Once we realize there doesn't have to be a boss, our relationship can be exciting bliss. The best thing about our relationship is the mutual admiration we have for each other. Our mutual energy and passion makes our relationship dynamic. And that's the end of the article."

"Interesting."

"I know."

She moved away from Gil, taking the paper with her. She knelt in front of the champagne flutes and carefully wrapped them back up, placing them in the box before putting the box back up on the shelf. She stood before him, watching as he remained seated on the floor. "So…"

"So?"

"What do you want to do now?"

He held his hand out to her, tugging once she put her hand in his. "Sit down."

Catherine complied, taking her place next to him. "Did you have something else planned?"

"Maybe we should think about sleep?"

"What if they come back? I don't want to be asleep if they come back."

"What are the odds that…"

"I don't know… but those odds exist. I'd rather be awake if it does happen."

"We could take turns." Gil offered. "You sleep first. I'll wake you up when I get tired."

"Are you sure? You're not going to fall asleep on me, are you?"

"I promise. I'll sit here and listen to you breathe."

She rolled her eyes and looked towards the empty bar. "Why don't you have any coats in here?"

"Drycleaners. I forgot to pick them up today."

She scooted down, curling her body against his, letting her head rest in his lap. "Gil?"

"Hmm…?"

"I'm glad you're here with me. You might think that you should have done something more, but the thought of what could have happened to you scares me to death." She raised her hand to her mouth, covering the yawn that was escaping.

"Go to sleep, Catherine."

She closed her eyes, feeling his hand glide across her hair before gently massaging her scalp.

XOXOXOX

Turning slightly, Catherine moaned has her head landed on the hard wooden floor. "Ow." She opened her eyes, only to be greeted by darkness. "Gil? Why did you turn off the light?" Not getting a response, she quickly sat up, turning to where Gil had been earlier. "Gil!"

"Hmm… what?"

"You were sleeping? You promised me you would wake me up."

"I'm sorry. The light bulb burnt out. So I was sitting here in the dark. I must have fallen asleep."

"You think?" Catherine scoffed, moving to lean back against the wall. "That watch work in the dark?"

"Yeah, um…" He moved his hand illuminating the face of the watch. "It's five now."

"Great. We still have hours before anyone is going to think to look for us." She began shifting again. "Gil…"

"What?"

"I need to…"

"What?"

She lowered her voice down to a whisper. "I need to use the restroom."

"Now?"

"Yes now. I'm sorry. It's not like I planned…"

"Well… what do you want me to do?"

"Think of something. Or distract me."

"Distract you how?"

"I don't care how. Just think of something."

Gil sat quietly, contemplating what his next words should be. "Do you think we'd have fiery passion?"

"What?"

"If we, you know… became lovers. Do you think we'd have fiery passion?" Gil asked again.

"Definitely."

"How do you know that?"

"Well… I don't have first hand knowledge…yet. But if we take into account how we fight. The loud arguments… saying things to hurt one another, then we can't discount the romantic aspect. It would be safe to assume that we would also fit that description."

"It's an interesting theory. But you know what they say about theories."

"They need to be proven?"

Catherine pressed her cheek into the sudden pressure on her face, licking her lips as she felt the slight rush of air on her face. "Gil…" She managed to breathe out seconds before her lips surrendered to his assault. Her arms subconsciously wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.

He held her tighter, his tongue pressing inward as he slid their bodies to the floor, pressing his body into hers as his hands made their way down to her waist.

"Catherine…"

"Gil? Where are you at? You said you would be in your driveway waiting for me when I showed up. You know how Nick is when it comes to holding our table. If you aren't out of there in ten seconds, I'm coming in. And I know you don't want that."

Gil pulled back, panting slightly, torn between the woman under him and the noise he had just heard.

"What was that?"

"Warrick."

"I know who it was." Catherine sighed, pulling herself out of his arms and sitting up again. "What's he talking about?"

"Dinner. I forgot I was having dinner with him and Nick tonight."

Catherine nodded, speaking when she realized Gil couldn't see her movement. "Hopefully he'll stick with his words…" She trailed off as she heard a door creak open. Opening her mouth, she raised her eyebrows in surprise as she felt a hand clamp over her.

"Let's make sure it's Warrick first." He whispered in her ear, slowly moving his hand away from her mouth.

The two sat silently, waiting for more sounds from outside the door. A shuffling was heard, followed by a twist of the door handle.

"Gil? Are you in here?"

They blinked, their eyes unaccustomed to the harsh light now entering their world.

"Warrick."

"Catherine? Gil…what happened?" He reached his hand out to help them up, pulling back when Gil shrugged him off.

"Can you call this in? Home invasion. Grab your kit."

Catherine scrambled up, rushing out the door, past Warrick, and heading down the hall.

"Catherine…" Gil called after her.

"I'll bag my clothes and stay on the linoleum. Besides… I transferred any transfer to you."

Gil smiled as he heard the door slam shut.

"What did she mean by that?" Warrick asked, heading for the door.

"Nothing. Just get your kit."

"No problem. By the way…" Warrick called back, stepping out of the door. "Your lipstick's smeared."

XOXOXOX

Author's Notes part 2. The horoscopes in this are real. On Saturday January 22 I went to

http/astrology. to look at horoscopes and that is what was posted for Leo and Aries that day, and it fit perfectly.

This fic started with me wondering about the romantic compatibility between Gil and Cath based on the characters signs. I read the description and it perfectly fit them, and my wording is pretty much paraphrasing what I found. To view for yourself go here: http/astrology. . and put in Aries and Leo.