Closer

Rating: You know, I could spoil the whole story by telling you the rating, so... I won't. But damnit, FF has fooled me again. I must provide a rating for the description. My good intentions have gone to waste. LOL.

Disclaimer: If I owned CSI right now, I'd probably shoot myself in the head. But I'm not dead, seeing as I'm writing this. So... I don't own it. XD

Summary: Gil and Catherine have always been close. But how do they handle their relationship being taken to the next level?

A/N: So I know I haven't written a CSI fic in a LONG time, and I apologize. But I'm back now, and I'm trying to stay. But... bare with me, I haven't watched CSI ever since the whole Gil and Sara thing has been clouding the minds of poor, innocent children. LOL. My beta is off somewhere. I haven't talked to her in forever, so I tried to beta myself. Hope I did okay.

The cool Las Vegas wind played with her long, strawberry blond hair. Crime scene at a time, she was known for taking in the surroundings, relevant to the case or not. This scenery had captured her attention. Here she stood, on the edge of what seemed the highest hill, over looking the entire city. It was quiet and dark, something she had always appreciated when she was alone, so she could think. The flashing neon lights and signs captivated her eyes. She stared blankly at them, and as she did, she could see every light blinking, forming the pattern of the never ending flashing that seemed to draw tourists in like flies to a bug zapper.

As she stared, she continued to think. How had she ever managed to get by in a city like this? A city so full of lies and trickery. And then her answer came creeping up behind her without warning.

"What are you thinking?"

She could feel his warmth even through the layers of clothing they both wore. They had never needed a lot of words to communicate. They knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking.

"How well my life turned out in such a violent city," she whispered. He stood there silent, the neon lights captivating his attention, also. "Think of all the bad choices I could've made, choices that could have killed me. There's so many different paths that I could've taken. And I'm standing here, thinking of all the people I would not have been able to meet, of all the things that I would not have been able to experience- it scares me. I'm just grateful I was able to do something productive with my life." She slid her hands into the pockets of her low-rise jeans and turned her head, looking up at his tired face. "Have you ever thought about that? Of all the other choices you could have made?"

"As hard as people try and plan their life, something always comes up and ruins those plans. Life is truly unpredictable. What fun would it hold if you knew what was going to happen next?"

"What if that guy that was killed the night we met hadn't decided to show up at the club? What if he decided to stay home with his wife and child? You wouldn't have had a crime scene to process. You wouldn't have had met me," she added in a quiet voice. It was his turn to look down at her soft face, the neon colors from below making her skin glow. Her eyes were wide with fear. "I would still be at that strip club, working to pay off my rent, and trying to get by in life."

"We would have found each other eventually."

"You really think so?"

"Well... yes. I believe we carve our lives into the path we want it to take. If I wanted to meet you, I would have found a way to do so. My luck, I found you early." She could feel herself blush even as the cool wind hit her face.

"I'm just afraid that I'm going to make a wrong choice that's going to make me lose the most important things in my life. I've already lost so much. Just when I think I have everything under control and everyone I love close, something bad happens and I'm forced to make a decision that forces me to lose those things. I've lost friends, I've lost family- I'm even starting to lose co-workers." She shivered. "There was a time when I thought I had lost you, but then you never cease to amaze me."

"Catherine, I don't know if you know this... but you hold a very important place in my life. And to be honest, not too many people get that privilege. I've always had an issue with trusting people and when I first met you... I just knew. I knew you were different. It was just a matter of time until I fell in love with you." Her head snapped up, her eyes wide again. She could feel her body tingle and her heart felt as if it were caught in her throat. Never in a million years had she dreamed of hearing Gil Grissom speak those words to her.

"When... did you know," she asked in a shaky voice. He didn't dare to move until he knew how she felt about his sudden confession.

"The night you came to my townhouse with Lindsey. Eddie had done some pretty bad damage." She pressed her lips together, her eyes almost swelling with tears. He had been in love with her for that long and she never knew? That was at least ten years ago. "You looked so tiny in my arms. I just wanted to take you in and never let you leave," he whispered gently. His heart ached to hold her once again as he did that night. "You were married with a child. There was nothing I could do except be there for you."

"You... God, Grissom. Why didn't you tell me?"

"And risk losing what I had with you? I realized if I couldn't be the love of your life, I'd settle for being your best friend."

She was at a loss for words, so instead, she turned to face him slowly and held her arms out. He accepted the invitation happily and slid into her embrace, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and pulling her small body against his. Her arms went around his neck and she buried her face into his neck, needing to feel his skin upon hers. She needed to know this was real, that she wasn't dreaming- that Gil Grissom was actually in love with her.

She had been let down by so many men in her past and her search for that special someone had always continued, but now, she could honestly say her search was complete.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner," her whispered against her, tangling a hand in her soft hair. "I was too afraid you wouldn't feel the same way." She quietly sobbed against his shoulder, letting her tears soak his jacket.

"All the time we lost, Gil. All the hurt we've been through."

He pulled back to see her face and his heartbroke when he saw her tear stained face. He cupped her cheek and wiped her tears awake with a gentle sweep of his thumb. He wanted to make up for all the lost time, but they were still at work and their scene still needed to be processed. He looked into her eyes and saw the love and trust she had for him.

"You are so beautiful."

"Gil, I'm a mess," she went to lean away from him, trying to wipe away her running mascara and make up, but his grip around her waist tightened and he pulled her back.

"You look gorgeous. Even when faced with the most difficult task, you still manage to come out on top. That's why I fell in love with you. That's why I have so much respect for you. You're so intelligent and you're so free," he whispered, calming her down and swaying with her. "Maybe you could teach me how to do that sometime."

"Do what?"

"Live my life freely. I'm tired of living in the dark, Catherine. When I see you at work, everything's so bright and full of life, but at night I go back to the same, dark townhouse. I don't want that anymore. I want a life with you."

"Gil. Where is all of this comming from," she asked with a giggle behind her voice. He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She smiled and swallowed hard at his light touch.

The ringing of his cell phone brought them back to reality and made them jump. The cell's ringing was an unwelcome noise in their quiet and peaceful area. It was Brass. Another body had been found. More processing to do. Grissom informed Catherine and she straightened up, running a hand through her hair and cleaning her face of her smeared make up the best she could with her jacket's sleeve.

"My place after shift, okay?" She nodded and hugged him one last time before they both walked down the dark hill together, hand in hand, until they reached their scene. Their hands drifted back to their sides when they neared the flashing lights of the cameras. It's as if no one had ever missed them as they went back to work. They bagged evidence, talked to witnesses, wrote notes, and took pictures before heading back to the crime lab to turn everything in to the technicians.

Grissom and Catherine had went their separate ways upon their arrival at the lab; Catherine busying herself with fingerprints and Grissom with DNA. It wasn't until the day-shift CSIs arrival that Catherine had realized her shift was over. She dragged a hand over her face to wake herself up as she approached Grissom's door. A streak of excitement shot through her when she thought of all the things to come for them, having their feelings being revealed to one another. She knocked gently and heard his gentle voice to enter.

"Still working on that," she asked as she closed the door behind her and made sure the blinds were drawn. She didn't bother to lock the door, knowing everyone else from her team had left. She rounded his desk and stood next to his chair. He pushed himself away from his desk and turned so she could seat herself on his lap. The feeling was new, but very welcome.

"I guess I got caught up. The others left?"

"Yeah. Our shift ended exactly an hour and forty-eight minutes ago."

"Then what are we still doing here," he asked with a grin. "Breakfast?"

"Most certainly."

A/N: So... that was it. I will continue if you guys like it. I mean, it's not exactly perfect now, but I'm hoping to develop a plot for this... by tomorrow, while I'm sleeping during my Junior orientation. Ha.

So... lemme know if you want me to continue... or delete. LOL. I missed you guys soooo much :(