Part 2/8
"Catherine we have to talk about…"
"I want to see Gil."
"Catherine, I don't know where he is! He just disappeared. Now about this…"
"It's not true. And I want to go find him." Catherine's eyes pleaded with her lawyer. "Please."
The lawyer finally agreed, saying that she would work on viewing the tape among other things. Catherine dashed out of the room and quickly rang the CSI lab.
"Stokes."
"Nicky, why do you have Grissom's phone?"
"Because he asked me to answer it."
"Where is he?"
"In his office. All the doors and windows are shut and the blinds are down. What happened down there?"
"Just make sure he doesn't leave."
Catherine stood in front of the door to her husband's office. Never before had she been afraid to walk into that room. Until today. She was terrified of what she would find in there. Steeling a breath, she knocked slightly on the door.
"I said not to be disturbed, Nick!"
She opened the door and saw him sitting at his desk, eyes closed.
"It's not Nick," she murmured, shutting the door behind her.
His eyes snapped open and he swiveled around in his chair to face her. "Catherine."
She could see pain in his eyes, but dammit, she was hurting too. "You left me alone."
"Your lawyer was there."
"You broke your promise. You promised that you would stay the entire time."
He stood up. "You didn't tell me you were pregnant."
"I wanted to tell you the second I found out."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because, I knew it would worry you. And I wanted the time that you found out you were going to be a father to be perfect. I wanted us to kiss, go out for dinner, hell, make love! But I knew you wouldn't, that you'd worry."
His eyes looked worried. "The other night! God, I could have hurt you…"
Catherine threw her hands in the air. "See?" She sat down on the sofa. "What we did the other night…I needed it, Gil. More than anything." Her eyes darkened. "You don't…you don't believe what they said about me, do you?" She stood up and moved over to him, kneeling in front of his chair. "Gil, I swear I never…"
He placed a finger on her lips. "I know, I know. I know you would have told me." He lifted her to sit in his lip, and she curled up, snuggling close. His hand traveled to rest on her abdomen.
"We made a baby?"
She smiled broadly, and rested her hand on his. "Mhm. Six weeks. I'm not showing yet, but it's there."
Gil smiled and kissed her forehead. Ever so gently he began to rock a little in his chair. Catherine let out a content moan and moved closer, burying her head in his shoulder.
"I love you, Catherine. So very much. And I'm sorry you have to go through this. I wish I could make it better."
"You are, just by being there for me," she answered, her voice slightly muffled by the fact her face was buried in his shoulder. "I love you too."
"How about I take you home?" he suggested, stroking her hair as he rocked her in his arms. "You can call Lindsey. I bet she and my mother are up watching movies."
"Your mother is so good with her."
"Lindsey's an amazing girl. Just like her mother."
Catherine stared at the tape in her hands. Her lawyer had couriered it over, asking Catherine to watch it and then call her with her opinion. Gil was asleep, and she was determined he was not going to see this. With a sigh, she slid the tape in the VCR and pressed play.
The images that filled the screen made her feel nauseous. The woman was certainly blonde, but the images were fuzzy which made it hard for her tired eyes to distinguish how anyone could believe it was her.
"That's not you," came a voice from behind her.
She instantly pressed stop and whipped around. "Gil, what are you doing up?"
"You weren't there. You know I don't sleep well unless you're in my arms." He walked over and ejected the tape, slipping it back into the box. "It's not you so we don't need to watch it."
"If you hadn't heard it from me, how would you know?" she asked, standing up.
Gil moved beside her and took her in his arms. "Because I know how you look, feel and sound. I know how you move when we make love. And I know whoever that woman is, it's not you." He kissed her forehead. "Besides, I trust you. More than anyone." He tilted her chin so that she was looking into his eyes. "And you know how hard it is for me to let someone in and for me to trust them."
She smiled and hugged him, resting her head against his chest. "Thankyou."
"For what?" he asked her, rubbing her back.
"For being you. For loving me. And for letting me love you back."
"I love you," he murmured. "Now come on, let's go back to bed."
Taking her hand, he took her into their bedroom.
"Did you watch the tape?" Catherine's lawyer, Jenni asked her.
"It's not her," Gil stated firmly.
Jenni nodded. "I know. But at the moment it's a "he said, she said" game. We need some evidence that the woman on the tape isn't Catherine."
"It's shaky," Gil said, glancing at his wife, who was being uncharacteristically silent, "because the video is so fuzzy. It could be anyone."
"That's the problem," Catherine murmured. "It could be me."
"But it's not," Gil told her. "We all know that."
Catherine stood up and walked over to the window, gazing down on the busy Las Vegas traffic. "Knowing it and proving it are two different things."
Jenni looked at her. "We have to fight this. We can't just give up."
"What would he want to settle it?" Catherine asked.
"Don't answer that," Gil said sharply. "Catherine…"
She turned to him, tears glistening in the corner of her eyes. "Gil, let's face facts. I used to be a stripper. I gave men lap dances for money. Who are they going to believe? A former stripper turned CSI who married her supervisor and kept it secret, or an upstanding citizen?"
"He's hardly upstanding," Jenni retorted. "He tapes women he sleeps with."
"It's not a crime," Catherine replied.
"It is if he did it without their consent." Jenni sighed. "Look, we've all had a long day. How about you guys go home and take a break? We're not in court for another day."
Gil nodded. "I think that's a good idea."
"Pasta a la Grissom," Gil grinned, placing the dish in front of Catherine.
She looked up at him and smiled. "This looks great."
He smiled fondly at her and sat down at the other chair. "I do my best."
They ate in silence for a few minutes, Gil keeping a close eye on her to make sure she ate properly.
"Why did you marry me?"
Gil widened his eyes, looking at her. "What?"
"Why did you marry me?"
"Because I love you. More than anything or anyone in the world. Because you make me happy. Because I can't live without you." He watched her for a moment. "I could keep going. Want me to?"
She smiled. "No, I get the gist."
Gil nodded. "Good. So you won't be asking anymore silly questions like that?"
Catherine shook her head. "No."
