Chapter Two

'What are you thinking?' Catherine reprimanded herself as she walked further into the ballroom. Her marriage had barely been over five minutes and yet she found herself wanting to see that man inside; in fact her heart rate increased at the mere thought of it. Trying to shake herself free from such crazy notions, she looked around the room, hoping to catch sight of Jenny – she just hoped she would recognise her friend beneath her disguise.

She was just quickly turning around having spotted someone who could quite possibly be Ben when her cell phone rang. She panicked at first, given that Ben had been on the phone when she had noticed him. He wouldn't call her, right? He would expect her to be on stage right now. Quickly snatching her purse open, she grabbed her cell phone, and sank with relief on seeing Jenny's name on the display.

"Thank God it's you," she laughed as she answered. Her relief was short-lived though as Jenny explained that she had fallen on the stairs at home and couldn't put any weight on her left ankle. "Is there someone to take you to the hospital?" Assured that Jenny's husband was taking good care of her, Catherine in turn assured Jenny not to worry about her being alone at the ball, and the call ended with a promise to call her friend the next day.

Looking around at all the couples and groups, laughing and drinking, and enjoying the celebrations, Catherine was just deciding to go home when her phone rang again. Retrieving it from her purse once more, her stomach churned when she saw Fay's name lighting up the screen.

She hadn't even spoken her greeting when Fay announced, "You've got to be back here by twelve thirty! Ben just called Mike and he's bringing some friends of his to the club after that party. He's ordered champagne and reserved the best seats."

"What happened to keeping his secret?" Catherine asked bitterly.

She could hear the shrug that would have accompanied Fay's reply, "Clearly he's realised his position gets him street cred… I'm sorry, Cath."

Catherine shook her head even though Fay couldn't see her. "It's okay. Jenny can't make it anyway. I'll just come back now."

"No! You're all dressed up. Stay and party."

"I don't know anyone."

"Well, get to know someone. Flirt with some guys. Have some fun!"

"I'm really not – "

"Catherine Willows," Fay cut her off, "If you return to this club one minute earlier than necessary, I will tell Ben that you went to that ball."

"You wouldn't," she stated, knowing it to be true.

"No, I wouldn't," Fay admitted, "But I'm sure there's something cruel I would be willing to do… You deserve some fun. And it's Christmas! End of discussion. See you later."

And Fay hung up before Catherine could respond.

Laughing at her friend's persistence, Catherine dropped her phone back into her bag, and made her way around the dance floor to the bar. She felt a little like an intruder, not actually knowing the hosts, but no one seemed to have noticed she was a stranger, so she ordered a white wine and looked around for the best place to sit – as far away from Ben as possible.

-----

Walking back into the room, Gil found his eyes instantly sweeping the many faces, looking for the woman with whom he had almost collided. He had been unable to think of anything else while he had been outside – her smile kept replaying in his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had met her before.

His heart sank a little when he couldn't see her. The room was a sea of black and white; of masks and disguises; with a whirlpool of dancing couples in the centre distorting his view.

He also couldn't locate Jim, so he made his way to the bar and ordered another drink, intending to return to his earlier corner until such time as he could leave without it being disrespectful.

It was as he approached said corner that he found his mystery woman – or rather, she had found his hiding place.

"Hi," he greeted her as he stopped at the table.

"Hey," she smiled, and his heart skipped again.

"I see you're trying to disappear as well," he smiled.

She laughed. "Something like that."

"Well, I found that this table is ideal for that… Do you mind if I join you?"

She shook her head and indicated for him to take a seat.

"I'm Gil Grissom," he introduced himself, offering his hand for her to shake.

"Katie Flynn," she responded, a slight hesitation beforehand making him wonder if she was telling him the truth. "So, who are you hiding from?" she asked him.

"I'm not much of a social butterfly," he replied. "So, it's not that I'm hiding, per se… Rather I'm trying to be inconspicuous."

"And I guess the absence of a mask doesn't make that easy," she smirked.

He laughed. "No. Exactly… What about you? Who are you hiding from?"

She sighed and, though they were partially hidden by her mask, he caught the wave of sadness that swept through her eyes. "No one in particular. I'm just not in a partying mood."

"Ah," Gil nodded, understandingly. "Here because you promised a friend?"

She laughed at this for some reason. "Sort of… I'm here because I need to be in a partying mood."

"Yes. Tis the season to be jolly."

She nodded. "No matter what else is going on in your life."

Wanting to know what it was that was making her so sad, so that he could make it go away, Gil smiled sympathetically to her. "Well, we can sit here and be 'unjolly' together if you like."

Her lips curved into that beautiful smile again. "Thank you…" Then she glanced towards the dance floor. "But how would you feel about going up there and faking jolly for a while?"

-----

Catherine held her breath as she waited for his response. She didn't know what had come over her tonight. Whether it was Fay's words from earlier, her anger at Eddie, or her seemingly genuine attraction to this man, she found herself wanting him to accept her offer. She wanted him to take her in his arms, and twirl her around that dance floor like something from a fairy tale. She wanted to dance and forget everything else. Fay was right; she deserved a night of fun; and, inexplicably, she felt that her fun was supposed to include Gil Grissom.

It felt like minutes before he replied, but she rationalised that it must have been only seconds. He said nothing; he merely smiled and held his hand out to her. Relieved and excited, she slipped her fingers into his and they made their way to the dance floor.

TBC…