Hey guys. Just a little one shot from me. Got the idea while watching David Tennant's version of Hamlet the other night. Credit goes to my mom for herlping me decide on the last line. Enjoy!!!

Gil Grissom was bored. It was his first night off in months, he was supposed to be at home reading or finishing off his latest crossword puzzle. However, his current location couldn't be further from that.

"Uncle Gil! You're not paying attention!"

The voice of eight year old Lindsey Willows pulled him from his reverie. Earlier in the evening he had received a phone call from Catherine. It was also her night off but Warrick had called needing her help on a case. However, both her mother and sister were out of town and none of her usual babysitters had been available on such short notice. She had sounded so desperate that he had been unable to refuse. Ok, that was a lie. Gil doubted there would ever be a time that he would be able to refuse a request from his favourite strawberry blonde.

That phone call had been precisely five hours and 31 minutes ago, not that he was counting. Deep down he had been excited to begin with; he rarely got to see Lindsey and enjoyed spending time with her. But, three and a half Disney movies later his enjoyment was beginning to wane. She and Catherine had been half way through 'Cinderella' when he had arrived. When he remembered the look of relief and gratitude on Catherine's face when she'd opened the door and seen him there, he was almost able to forget the animated torture her daughter insisted on inflicting upon him. Almost.

Catherine had thanked him countless times before kissing Lindsey, instructing her to behave and dashing out the door, a promise that she wouldn't be too long thrown over her shoulder as the door shut. He had been grateful that Cinderella had finished not long after that; the short portion he had seen hadn't impressed him.

Lindsey's next choice had been 'Alice in Wonderland'. Gil had never cared much for Lewis Carroll's original story, but this version had him cringing from beginning to end. It had been followed shortly after by 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'. The novel had been one of his favourites in high school, but Disney's retelling strayed too far from the original story for him to find it enjoyable.

Finally, Lindsey had picked 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', the movie he was currently being directed to pay closer attention to. The story itself wasn't so awful, it was more the happily-ever-after ideal that was portrayed. The handsome prince always married the beautiful princess; it was nothing like real life at all. Well, that and the fact that the music made him want to bang his head against the nearest wall.

A short while later the movie drew to a close, and Gil couldn't hold back the sigh of relief that escaped from him. His gaze shifted to the floor and a smile spread across his face at the sight of Lindsey fast asleep, curled round a pillow. He stood from the couch and moved toward her, gently lifting her into his arms and carrying her up to her bedroom. She shifted slightly as he placed her under the covers, tucking her in and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. The door was halfway closed when her sleepy voice stopped him.

"G'night Uncle Gil."

"Goodnight Butterfly. Sweet dreams."

Back downstairs, Gil was all too happy to switch off the DVD player and seat himself back onto the sofa, flicking aimlessly through the channels before settling on a documentary on moths.

Roughly an hour later the programme finished and he was just about to decide what to watch next when he heard a key turn in the lock. The door opened and a slightly weary looking Catherine entered, shutting and locking it once more behind her. Dropping her purse on the table and kicking off her shoes, she caught sight of him on the couch and walked over smiling before dropping down next to him with a loud sigh.

"Where's Linds?"

"She fell asleep so I put her to bed." Catherine smiled again and headed upstairs to check on her daughter, reappearing a few minutes later. Spying the DVD cases on the floor she scooped them up, glancing at the titles.

"Alice in Wonderland… The Hunchback of Notre Dame… Snow White?" She gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

Gil shrugged. "Snow White was the worst. That damn music. It's lucky I didn't have my gun or I might've ended up on Doc Robbins' slab!" Catherine stifled a giggle as she moved into the kitchen, returning a couple of moments later with a beer in each hand, passing one to Gil as she resumed her place on the couch.

"How was the case?"

"Alright, only took about an hour, but just as I was leaving Sara needed a hand ripping a Porsche to pieces in the garage so I stayed to help."

Gil smirked as he took a swig of his beer.

"Sounds like you had fun."

"Well, more fun than you by the sounds of it."

Gil groaned and Catherine laughed, reaching across him to grab the remote. His eyes widened.

"I swear to God woman, if you put on anything with a singing forest animals or evil playing card soldiers I will not be held responsible for my actions!"

Catherine laughed louder as she pressed the button for her TiVo.

"I think I'm safe then. I saw this was on the other week so I recorded it. I thought you might want to watch it after all those hours of Disney torture."

He turned towards the TV with trepidation. After a few minutes dialogue his eyes widened and lit up.

"Hamlet? You recorded the new adaptation of Hamlet for me?" Catherine nodded. "I was so disappointed I missed it. Thank you so much Cath." She smiled at him before they both turned their attentions back to the television, settling into a comfortable silence.

A couple of hours later, as Hamlet was dragging Polonius' dead body from his mother's room, Gil felt a soft weight dropped against his shoulder. Glancing down he smiled. Catherine's eyes were closed and her breathing was deep and even. He shifted his arm to the back of the couch, allowing her head to rest on his chest. His smile grew wider as she snuggled closer to him, lifting her arm so her hand lay next to her head. Moving a piece of hair away from her face he decided to let her sleep, returning once more to Denmark.

As the end credits rolled a while later he looked down at Catherine again. She looked so peaceful, he didn't have the heart to wake her so he settle back further against the couch, absentmindedly stroking her hair with his right hand as he watched her sleep. His eyes roamed over her face, taking in the soft curve of her cheek, the way her eyelashes rested against her skin, her full lips parted slightly. Gil's heart ached; he longed to wake her and finally tell her the truth, that he loved her, had done for years.

He sighed softly, a quote from Hamlet leaving his lips in a gentle whisper.

"Doubt thou the stars are fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love."

A few silent moments passed, before a sleepy voice startled Gil from his reverie.

"I don't doubt it."

Love it? Hate it? Review and let me know :D
Lily
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