Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Note: I was thinking, since it's Valentine's Day, why not write a fluffy little one-shot? Enjoy!
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Catherine searched her surroundings desperately, determined to find out who left the bouquet on her front stoop. She really wasn't in the mood for a stalker, though she wasn't entirely sure that was why two dozen roses lay at her feet. Picking up the bundle, her eyes immediately began scouring for a card. She found her target in the center of the grouped flowers and pulled it out, careful not the ruin the beautiful arrangement. She read the inside and gave it a curious look.
What our eyes cannot see is what our hearts long for most of all.
She blinked, unclear of exactly what the poet meant by the statement. After five minutes of deliberations, she gave up and unlocked the front door to her house. Her gaze immediately fell upon a square paper object that lay on the floor. She studied it intently for a moment, then leaned down to pick it up. It was another card. She tore it open, her patience being relentlessly tested.
All things worth having are worth fighting for.
"What the…?" Her head started to ache slightly. She hadn't slept in twenty three hours and didn't have the energy to deal with a secret admirer.
Catherine trudged her way into the bedroom, the lack of sleep finally catching up to her. She didn't have a chance to change before she passed out on the bed.
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As she walked out to her car that night, she noticed yet another square envelope secured under one of her windshield wipers. "God… not another one." Her patience was running thin, and she almost ripped the card in half as she tore the envelope open.
Real love is only found once in a blue moon.
"Alright, I'm just getting tired of these riddles," she growled as she climbed into her truck.
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She continued to mutter her annoyance with her secret admirer's riddles as she walked into the lab. Before she could even get past reception, Judy stopped her. "Ms. Willows, I have a letter for you." Turning her attention to the petite woman behind the desk, she reluctantly took the envelope from her. She already knew what it was, but this time it had the address for the lab written on it. The handwriting looked terribly familiar, but Catherine didn't think much of it as she tore the envelope open.
Reach for my hand when you fall: I promise I'll catch you.
Catherine rolled her eyes: that was the lamest line she'd ever seen, but somehow it touched her to know that someone cared. She stuffed the letter and envelope in her pocket as she made her way to the locker room. As she entered, she noticed Warrick and Sara gathered at her locker. "Looks like someone has a secret admirer," Sara teased.
She glared at the younger woman as she pulled the envelope from the locker. "Obviously it's someone who works here, so that narrows it down to…" She thought about that for a moment, then quickly shook off the thought. It can't be him. She opened the envelope and stared at the scrawling handwriting.
If you doubt the path your heart leads you down, turn around and come back to me.
What? She stared at the note in confusion until she realized that she had to go to the break room for case assignments. She wracked her brain for the meaning of the last note as Grissom appeared in his office doorway, nearly colliding with Catherine. "Well, hello, Catherine. It seems that someone left a note for you on my desk by mistake." He handed her the envelope, her name scrawled on the front. Not another one. She pinched the bridge of her nose before she opened it.
Can't you see my life is incomplete without you?
Catherine was beginning to get the feeling that whoever she was dealing with was someone she knew. She walked into the break room, shoving the sixth card of the day into her back pocket.
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Dragging herself out to her car, Catherine was ready to classify this as the worst shift ever. She wound up processing a particularly gruesome decomp, and was now desperate to get home and sleep. She approached her car, groaning impatiently at the rose scotch-taped to her driver's side window, the card slid precariously behind the rose above the tape. "This is getting ridiculous," she whined as she pulled the rose and card from the window. She pulled the card out of the envelope and read.
Keep your thoughts on the beginning of a brand new day.
The emphasis on the word 'beginning' sparked Catherine's investigative instincts, and she pulled out the three previous cards and lay them - in chronological order - side by side on the hood of her car. She first looked at the first word of each, but found any combination of the words meaningless. Then a thought struck her. What about the first letter? She proceeded to take the first letter of every line and spelled them out in her mind. R-I-C-K… She smiled to herself, ready to run inside and find him when she remembered he had gone home.
Opting to go home and wait until next shift to talk to him, she hopped into her truck and headed off.
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As she turned onto her street, Catherine noticed another truck identical to hers parked in the driveway. As she drove closer, she saw a man standing on her stoop. She grinned wide when she realized who it was.
Forcing herself into some form of composure, she parked the car and forced herself to get out slowly. She didn't understand why she was so giddy, but she just walked around her truck, presenting the dazzling smile she was unable to wipe from her face. As she approached him, she began to speak. "So why didn't you just come right out and tell me?"
Warrick smiled broadly as he stared down at her. "Because I wanted to have a little fun." She went to punch him playfully in the arm, but his hand caught hers mid-strike. He pulled her into him, and she started laughing gleefully. She had never been so happy.
Her laugh was broken off when his lips met hers. It was a warm, deep kiss. One that Catherine had never experienced before. Oh, yeah. I could definitely get used to this.