Author Note: I realized awhile back that this story was not my best work. Since I am still an avid fan of Grillows shipping, I wanted to revamp the old. I remember this being the first (I think) in a trilogy I had created back in my high school days called the Exotic Love Bug series. I mixed Catherine's previous occupation as an Exotic Dancer with that of Grissom's obsession with bugs. Cheesy I know, but hey, what do you expect from a fifteen year old!
Anyways, R&R if you so choose, always welcome to hear comments\critiques\enjoyment from my followers
B.
Update 09/02/2016: Thank-you Hazmatt for pointing out discrepancies in the ages of Lindsey & Sara's mom. I've made adjustments accordingly
- Updated 02-Apr-2019 - minor edits -
Second Chances
-1-
-Catherine-
It was her day off, something so trivial has become bit of a luxury when working frequent double shifts at the #1 Crime Lab in the country and having a rambunctious nine year old to deal with. She was sleeping soundly in her nice warm bed, enjoying the fact that her daughter Lindsey was at her sisters house for the evening. It was Friday and usually that meant a mac n' cheese slumber party. It had been so long that Catherine could not remember the last time she had the house to herself.
Before bed she cooked herself a meal, thankful to break the cycle of take-out while on the job. She poured herself a few glasses of wine, enjoyed a relaxing bubble bath and caught up on some reading that was not case reports. Catherine of course loved her daughter, she was the best gift she had ever received, even if her ex husband Eddie was a deadbeat, alcoholic father, but it had been before Lindsey was born that she was last able to enjoy a night of pampering herself.
Catherine laid on her back, staring up at her ceiling, able to make out the vague shape of her ceiling fan in the pitch dark room. She glanced at the clock and noticed that a whole five minutes had passed since she last looked at the time. Her internal alarm was ringing, for this was normally the time she would get up, being called to the next crime scene, the adrenaline pumping, veins hyped on coffee to keep her going. For the past fifteen minutes she had been tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, knowing that the serene bliss of tonight would not last long. As much as she enjoyed time to herself, the silence i the house was unnerving, as each creak or snap would disturb her sleep.
She was lucid dreaming most of the night, and mostly about the first time she met one of her oldest friends, Gil Grissom. They became acquainted nine years ago when he was sent to investigate a murder at the French Palace, a strip club she used to dance at. Catherine could tell the moment she saw him that he was uncomfortable being in a room full of half naked women. When it came time for Catherine to give her DNA sample and fingerprints she put on a robe to cover her body and his body instantly relax, no longer worried about where his eyes were going to accidentally wander. She also gave him a few leads on what could have happened to her friend and fellow dancer, Stephanie. He seemed genuinely interested in her theories, fascinated that she knew anything about forensics.
Catherine felt that night that their was some sort of spark that ignited between the two of them, when the following night he asked her out for breakfast after work. She agreed, hoping to get some more information on what happened to her friend. Instead she had gained a new best friend, talking for hours about their lives, and aspirations. That conversation lead to a job off and now almost ten year relationship with the man that never crossed the lines of friendship. It was no secret they were getting older, with no secret elixir existed to stop to test of time itself, However, her desire for companionship was growing. She had dated off and on, mostly guys that turned out to be like her ex husband; low lives and dead beats. Relationships fizzled after a few dates when one of them would screwed it up. She wanted someone that she could count on, who was loyal, dependable, and above all loved children. The more that Catherine was trying to find this perfect 'Mr. Right' the more she realized he had been dangling in front of her for almost a decade.
These dreams and desires started about six months ago. That was when she started getting butterflies in her stomach in the presence of Gil, stumbling on her words when they spoke causing her to blush a deep crimson in embarrassment. They were all the obvious tell tale signs of a teen heart throb crush. There was only one problem, they worked together, in fact, Gil was her boss. There was no way in hell the Lab would allow them to date if they continued to work together. Not to mention, Gil was oblivious, completely clueless that she had feelings for him. Catherine was certain that she could said 'I want you' to him and he'd probably ask her 'to do what?'. It frustrated her, and made her think that his ignorance was his way of saying he was not interested.
The cordless phone began to ring on the night table as she jumped at the sudden sound. Catherine pulled the chain to her lamp, temporarily blinded by the bright light that filled her bedroom in a soft yellow hue. She picked the cordless phone, sitting up in her bed while running her hands through her blonde mat of curls.
"Hello" She whispered wiping some of the sleep out of her eyes.
"Catherine? It's me Gil, I need to talk to you,"
She was surprised that the man she had just been thinking about was now on the other end of the line. "Do you need me at the lab?"
"Oh, no, no, it's uh, it's personal."
Catherine stopped running her hands through her hair. Gil Grissom wanted to talk about something personal? now there's a newsflash. "Uh, oh, okay." She said, mentally slapping her forehead for how juvenile she sounded.
"I can be there in fifteen? Just finishing up an autopsy."
"Uh, sure, yeah, just come in when you get here."
"Okay, see you soon." Gil then hung up as Catherine dropped the phone on her bed, a large smile radiating her lips.
It was not the first time Gil had been to her home, but the fact that he was coming over to talk about non work things, now that was something that deserved the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. She quickly changed out of her nightgown and into jeans and a t shirt and fluffed her hair in the mirror, trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes. Catherine made the bed, something she barley did unless company was coming over and rushed down the hall to the kitchen. She made quick work of putting away the dishes and cleaned up her daughter's mess sprawled out across the kitchen table. Crayons and paper were everywhere, mixed with half finished 'masterpieces' as Lindsey liked to call them, scattered om the table and crumpled into balls on the floor.
It wasn't that Gil was a special guest, it was the fact that he was showing up on her doorstep at 2 AM with a personal issue, something a man as socially awkward as Gil would never do unless it was extremely important. Her heart was pounding as she put on a pot of coffee and paced the kitchen, looking at the clock and ticking down the minutes until he appeared on her door step.
-Gil-
When he got off the phone with Catherine Gil felt, for the first time, he was able to finally take a breath. He had done it, with a little encouragement from Albert, the only person he had ever confided in about his personal life. He scolded himself for making the conversation sound so cryptic, but in those two minutes he had never been more scared of something in his life. For months he had been looking for a chance to have a non-work related conversation with Catherine, around the same time he began to feel attracted to her. Even to someone as clueless as Grissom, he noticed that Catherine was not acting herself recently, that their relationship had shifted, in a good way.
Instead of saying something he knew he'd later regret, Gil needed to seek out some advice from the one person he knew would keep his secret; Albert. He was more familiar with the dead than the living but, when it came to the romance department, he did have some sound advice for Gil, which all started with calling Catherine and actually talking about their feelings, like adults.
Gil drove to Catherine's, knowing that if he stopped and thought about all of this, allowed his analytic side to overrun his emotional, he would never get there. He knew the way by heart, hanging out with Lindsey when a babysitter cancelled, or just having a few drinks and unwinding after a particular tough case. Before he knew it, he was parked in her driveway, staring at her front door from his driver seat. His palms were sweaty, still gripped on the steering wheel. He glanced at the clock, it was two in the morning, no normal person would knock on someone's door at 2 am. What if he had awoken the nine year old? Catherine would be so mad at him if that was the case. All of these complications were beginning to make him second guess this decision, fighting the desire to just put his truck in reverse and drive away. However, the fact that everything might change between them, edged him on to do this.
Gil got out of his truck, walking up to the front door and knocked, testing the door knob seeing it was unlocked. "Cat?" He called into the house, awaiting her response.
"In the kitchen!" She called back as Gil shut the door behind him, removing his loafers and jacket.
It all felt so routine, as if he was a hardworking husband returning home from a laborious shift to a faithful wife preparing him a drink and snack in the kitchen. That may be very sexist, but it was the first image that popped in his head as he made his way down the hall from the front foyer to the kitchen. Gil glanced at the series of pictures of Lindsey from a baby to her school picture done just last month. How much of a mini-Catherine Lindsey looked like was astounding. Her blonde hair and blue eyes and even the same smile. There was not a hint of Catherine's ex-Eddie, Lindsey's father, in her. She was going to be just as beautiful when she got older and be capable of amazing things just like her mother.
Gil could feel his heart pounding as he turned the corner stepping into the kitchen. Catherine had her back to the doorway, pouring fresh brewed coffee into two awaiting mugs. She was beautiful, even at two in the morning dressed in baggy jeans and a white t-shirt that looked two sized too large for her. Her blonde hair was a slight mess of curls that brushed over her shoulders and swept up into a high pony tail. He stood in the doorway and admired her beautiful figure, mentally taking note that he was like a gawky teenage horn dog at this moment. Gil cleared his throat as Catherine spun around, her eyes wide as if she was just caught in the middle of a crime. There were slight bags under her eyes but Gil did not care, she was still gorgeous, still the woman he was absolutely infatuated with.
"Is uh, is Lindsey home?" Gil asked, loving the colour that reflects off her eyes from the lights in her kitchen.
"She's at my sisters for her weekly mac n' cheese slumber party." Catherine stated grabbing the coffee cups off the counter and handing one to Gil. She watched as he began to relax, obvious he was concerned he had awoken Lindsey. "Why don't we go sit in the living room?" She suggested.
Gil could smell lavender wafting off her skin, itching to run his fingers through her golden locks. He gulped and nodded as Catherine brushed past him, leading them back down the hall he came from, turning left before reaching the foyer as Catherine turned on a few lights in the spacious living room. She took a seat on one end of the couch, Gil sitting in the winged chair next to her with a smile. He watched as Catherine curled up on her cushion, tucking her feet under her bottom, staring at Gil intently over the rim of her coffee cup.
"Catherine, I-we've been friends for quite sometime right?" He asked, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, knowing that he could do this.
"Uh, yeah."
Catherine knew she had to do it, she had to make the first move. When she placed her hand on his knee she thought the feeling of an electric current coursed through her body. A blush began to form on her cheeks as the warm soothing feeling Gil always creates every time he looks at her with large dopey eyes and a soft smile. He opened his eyes at the sensation of her hand on his knee, a simple, yet comforting gesture. He looked into her eyes, seeing the confusion and concern and the half smile on her lips. It was then Gil knew he could do this, that it felt right.
"Gil what is it? You're beginning to scare me a little." Catherine replied, squeezing his knee gently.
"I'm scheduled for surgery at Desert Palm two days from now." Gil stated, watching her smile turn to a frown.
"Surgery?"
"I-I'm loosing my hearing Catherine."
Catherine removed her hand from his knee, dropping it back in her own lap. That was not what she was expecting to hear. Was she really that naive to think that his personal drop by at two in the morning was going to be a confession of his feelings? She got off the couch, no longer able to sit still as she started to pace behind the couch, Gil remaining where he was silently watching her go back and forth.
"I know this is a bit of a shock, but the Doctor said it was all routine, nothing to worry about." Gil explained.
"How could I be so stupid," She muttered under her breath, shaking her head, eyes cast down to the floor.
Gil got up from the chair, grabbing Catherine's hand to stop her from pacing before she made him dizzy. "Catherine, listen, I told you this in confidence. You are one of my oldest friends, I could not keep something like this from you."
Catherine looked at Gil, her bottom lip began trembling as hot tears ran down her cheeks. "I love you." She breathed, staring into his eyes, searching for a response. "I've always loved you and I thought, when you asked to come over, you'd-god I'm so stupid!" She spat, breaking away from Gil.
Gil stood dumbfounded, trying to process what Catherine had just confessed to him. He stared at her beautiful form in the lamp light, her soft curls around her face, her deep blue eyes and perfect lips. Even when upset and blotchy she still looked like the most beautiful woman Gil had ever laid eyes on. He was excited that Catherine shared the same desires as him, but now that that was out in the open, he was not sure how to proceed. All of the practice conversations he had had in his head were with him dropping that bombshell and Catherine being at a loss for words.
"Catherine, look at me," Gil asked as Catherine wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands, staring at Gil, but not moving closer.
"You're right, when I called to come over, it wasn't just to tell you about my surgery, it was to finally get something off my chest that has been there for years. Please, join me back on the couch?"
Catherine gave in, returning to her seat on the couch as Gil sat beside her, so close that he smell the coconut in her hair. He used his thumb to brush away the tears on her cheeks, cupping her chin. "You are the one person I always want to be honest with. Our friendship is very special to me, we have a bond that I have never been able to achieve with another human being, ever." Gil paused and smiled, watching Catherine devour every word as it was his last. "There is no denying that their is something between us, something more than friendship."
Catherine just nodded, still too upset to articulate words. Gil let go of her cheek and gripped her hands, feeling the sweat pucker on his fingertips, the spark igniting.
"I have stuck by you through your worst, but I have also seen you at your best. I-I want to watch Lindsey grow up, to blossom into an intelligent, beautiful woman just like her mother. I never want to loose you, to loose what we have. I feel so lucky to have someone like you in my life." Gil squeezed Catherine's hands tight, looking in her eyes misted with a fresh batch of tears. "I-I guess what I am trying to say is that, I love you Catherine. I always have and I always will." Gil confessed.
Before he could register why he did it, he kissed Catherine, finally making something he dreamed about for years become reality. Her lips were soft, taking her off guard for a moment before she reciprocated, deepening the kiss, feeling the chemistry radiate between them. After a few moments Catherine broke her lips away, staring into his eyes that were glazed over with passion and fulfillment. She never thought Gil was capable of such raw emotion, which is how she knew that everything he just said, it was all true.
She stroked her hands against his cheek, feeling the hairs of his beard tickle her fingers. Catherine wanted more than just kisses, more than just confessions of love and passion. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man and not as her second in command at the Crime Lab.
"Let's get married" Catherine whispered, sparkle of joy igniting in her eyes.
If everything he had just said was true, then this was the only logical course of events; wedding bells and beautiful gowns. Catherine admitted it was a little rushed, but they have waited almost fifteen years to say 'i love you' to one another, how long would it be until he got down on one knee and popped the question?
"Catherine I don't know if that's such a good idea," Gil replied bewildered.
Catherine frowned, "You want me in your life forever right?"
"Well, yes"
"Then what better way to do that than for me to become your wife?"
Gil let go of Catherine's hands, internalizing everything that had just taken place. It was a true roller coaster of emotions, going from crying, to confessions of love, to now a haphazard marriage proposal. He suddenly felt overwhelmed, his heart racing and skin going hot. Of course marrying Catherine was the ultimate goal, what he would consider his ideal scenario, but not like this. She deserved a proper proposal, a proper marriage.
Catherine could tell Gil was not happy with her outburst, "Y-you don't want to marry me do you?" She sulked.
Gil quickly shook his head, "Hey, I didn't say that. I would be honoured to be your husband, but we should do this right, don't you agree?"
"But we love each other, isn't that enough?"
Gil knew he needed to tread carefully, not wanting it to appear as if he was rejecting her, "Why don't we go on a date? Like a real couple, see how that goes?" He offered, trying to treat their new found romantic relationship like a bargaining chip.
Catherine was about to protest, but knew that Gil had a valid point. Five minutes ago they finally expressed their true feelings for one another, it was ludicrous to think that they would be a great husband and wife without even going on a date. "Deal," She stated, extending her hand for a handshake.
Gil smiled, shaking her hand as Catherine pulled him into her, collapsing back on the couch in another fit of kisses.
T.B.C.
