A/N: More for you readers. Enjoy.
Chapter 6:
-Grissom's Apartment-
Grissom went straight to bed once he got home. The only problem was ... his dreams were filled with Catherine. She was all he could think about, all he ever was able to think about. Now, though, his thoughts were filled with her recent behavior. As were his dreams. He dreamt that she was with Eddie laughing at him … mocking him … joking him. He had, after all, believed someone like her could fall for him. That was a joke in its self.
When his alarm clock went off at one he woke and went to take his shower. Quick math told him that he only got three hours of sleep. Not what you want when your about to testify. He's done it for years and was used to it by now. So, he took his cold shower, changed into a suit and tie, and got his cup of coffee. Then he began to make breakfast and turned the television on. The morning news, to his surprise, was about the dead four year old girl from twenty years ago.
"Twenty-one years ago," The report spoke and Grissom leaned against the counter and sipped his coffee. 'So Catherine got the years right,' He spoke wondering how Catherine even knew that. Though, he figured, it could be due to the fact that the case was in her home state and had been all over the news. "What was that?" After a pause the woman nodded. "Twenty- one years, two months, and as three days ago the death of …" There was a pause. "Of a four year old Jane Doe back in Bozeman, Montana," The image of a little girl on a horse waving at the camera filled the screen. Jane Doe was written across the bottom and below that was the town.
"Catherine Willows what are you hiding," Grissom asked the television screen. A knock came at his door and he went. The television continued to talk about the case, mainly the investigators and the suspects, four of them, all disappearing suddenly. When he opened the door he was shocked to see Eddie Willows standing at his door with Lindsey at his side. Lindsey turned and upon seeing Grissom squealed with delight and jumped into his arms. He lifted her and held her but never took his eyes off Eddie. "Eddie … what are you doing here?"
"We need to talk," Eddie spoke carefully and Grissom let him in. "Lindsey, why don't you watch some TV."
"In the guest room, sweetie," Grissom added and Lindsey ran off. The two men went into the kitchen where Grissom resumed cooking and looked at the television screen. It was now playing a video of the four year old holding onto a horse as a young woman whose face you couldn't see since she wasn't facing the camera sat behind her. "Cute kid."
"Adorable," Eddie whispered and Grissom looked at him confused for a moment. But then Eddie shut the television off just before the woman turned to face the camera. Neither spoke as Grissom removed his mixture of eggs, potatoes, and sausage from the skillet into a bowl. He added some salt then turned and faced Eddie. Still neither spoke.
-Catherine's House-
When Catherine went back into the house she went to the freezer and pulled out one of the skillet breakfasts. Grabbing another she poured them into a large pot in order to fit in. Lindsey was playing with Eddie and Silvia in the living room as they waited for the breakfast. She made sure to stir the eggs, potatoes, and sausage so that it was evenly cooked through. No one spoke about the case or why Eddie was here or anything about anything. It was all just playing 'tickly Lindsey till she dies of laughter' and that was it. Nothing else. When the food was ready she scooped everyone a bowl and turned the stove off. Adding a little salt to all of them she stirred them up to get it nice and even.
"Breakfast is ready," She called glad her voice didn't show how much things were bothering her right now. Lindsey came running in and grabbed her bowl, which was smaller then the others. She then sat down at the table. "Sweetie, we are going to all go outside. We have to talk about some things."
"Okay, mother," Lindsey replied her voice telling her how much she wasn't her mother's biggest fan today. "I'll watch television while you and daddy fight."
"Thanks, Catty," Silvia picked up the tray Catherine had put the other bowls on along with glasses of orange juice. "Anything special in the juice?"
"You know me so well," She replied with a wink. "I'll be out in a bit." Once Silvia was gone she looked to Lindsey. "Lindsey –"
"Don't mother," Lindsey sent her mother a glare. "I should have known it was always your fault. Daddy's to nice to hit anyone without a reason. It was all your fault." Catherine's hands shuck a little. That had been what Eddie always told her after he beat her. That it was her fault. She had lived with it then because she knew he was making excuses, trying to put the guilt somewhere else. But Lindsey … Lindsey had no reason to say it unless she truly believed it. Turning she went outside. Eddie looked at her and instantly knew something had happened.
"She's just upset, Cat," Eddie made the excuses again and she brushed them off.
"First," Catherine spoke sitting down. "Let's eat." They all finished the breakfast easily and then picked up their glasses of orange juice. Catherine drowned her entire thing and then poured another glass of her concoction of orange juice and vodka for herself. "Okay, first, what I did, Eddie, was calling off the engagement."
"Why?" Eddie asked as Silvia sat up in her chair curious now. Catherine knew this conversation should be private but she could care less anymore.
"Disagreements," Catherine took a sip and Eddie nodded not really caring anyways as long as it was over. "I'd appreciate it if you started to discipline her when she's out of line, Eddie. We can't both try to be the fun parent; it's just not going to work. We both have to have an understanding with her. That there are rules she has to follow and that if she breaks them she will get in trouble. We can still play with her and have spoiled her but we can't let her get away with everything. She'll end up in jail that way."
"Or stripping," Eddie supplied and Catherine glared at him.
"That is a possibility but I had a damn good reason to do that. I needed money and I wasn't about to work for Sam Braun," She replied. "Not again. I love him an all, I mean he is like a father to me, but still … that's not the point. My point, Eddie, is that she'll use it against us and it won't be good for her. Can her start to punish her when she does things wrong?"
"Whatever," Eddie waves her off and she takes a deep breath in order to prevent herself from getting angry. "Can we talk about the pager?"
"It started this shift." Catherine spoke with ease. "The first time was when I was leaving the house to go to work. It's been going on since," Her pager, as if on cue, started to vibrate on the table. Eddie picked it up and then put it down. "I don't return the page and I don't acknowledge them. Brass knows of it and is prepared to act the moment I give the word. I ... I might add charges of harassment but its not going to do much but add a year or two too the sentence. They are already going up for life."
Her cell phone began to ring and before she could get it Eddie picked it up. He leaned back in his chair and with a large smile opened it. "Mr. Braun," he spoke as if he knew Sam personally. Which he did, but Sam actually hated him. "She's busy right now ... how should I know what she's doing ... she'll call you back," He hung up. "The flowers?" He motioned to the vases sitting around the back porch.
"That's not even related to them so you don't need to know," She spoke. "Eddie," She grabbed her phone back and looked into her living room. Lindsey was sitting on the couch watching some cartoons. They weren't letting her go to school today, with the doctors orders any ways that school might be to hard after what she went through, and now this, it was only right that they kept her out of school. Her work for the week was sent to the lab and Catherine had brought it home. Lindsey had finished it within two days. Lindsey smiled and laughed and Catherine smiled. It was a hard decision but she had to do it. "How long have you been sober?"
"Since the incident," He shrugged. "I've had Lindsey coming over every night. Haven't been able to go out."
"Drugs ... alcohol ... everything?"
"Yeah. What are you getting at?"
"Can you take Lindsey," She turned to look at his shocked face. "If she stays with me and ... look until these guys are put away I want her safe. I want to know that she is safe. You can take her on vacation or something; I'll clear it with her doctor and the school. The school will just send over more work for her. Or ... you can help her get ready to go back to school and I can have her for a few hours after school and she could go back to you. That way she stays safe at night. I'll even pay for you to get an alarm system."
"Wait ... how is she not safe?" Silvia asked and Catherine barely gave her a glance. She just stood and walked over to one of the pillars and leaned against it holding herself. Eddie quickly told Silvia what had happened almost two weeks ago now. Then he stood and walked over to Catherine. He touched her shoulder gentle and she looked at him. He just nodded and she whispered a few things and he went inside. Lindsey's squeal caused the dogs in the neighbors' yards to start barking. Silvia stood and went to the pillar across from Catherine. "I take it she wants her dad?"
"I was engaged," She informed. "To Grissom actually."
"Do tell."
"It happened Thursday, when I was ... when my crime scene went wrong. We came back to work that Saturday ... this Saturday is when I started going out to crime scenes instead of staying in the lab. He proposed Friday. Was ... it was perfect and random actually. It was just ... we were at a hotel waiting for my house, this place, to be cleared. For me to be able to return and make it home again. Hasn't worked. I'm looking for some place new. He doesn't know." She was rambling and didn't realize that Eddie was in the living room and hearing all this. Lindsey was in her bedroom packing up some suitcases to bring with her. "We were actually at the Tangiers. We were in the pool. Well he and Lindsey were. Gil called me over and then ... then he pulled me into the water. When I came up he had a rose in his hand. Lindsey was smiling next to the table we had been sitting at. The rose ... it was personalized and said 'Will you marry me?' and I just cried. I couldn't help it. My clothes were soaked and the man I had fell in love with over the past twenty years had proposed to me."
"That's so sweet. So ... wait ... you said was?"
"I called it off," She laughed. "God ... I've been so wrapped up in this case and trying to figure out how those bastards got my pager number. He was just ... he was treating my behavior like a case. He ... he was asking questions and I panicked. Eddie had done the same thing so many times. Asking me so many questions and I was afraid. I didn't want to tell him that my past was coming back to haunt me and that my stalkers were paging me. So, I told him not to worry. That it was nothing. I wasn't lying. But he wouldn't trust me and … he had that look in his eyes. That silent question. I knew … I knew he was wondering if I was cheating."
"So you called off the engagement instead of just being honest?"
"I panicked," She laughed slightly. "Eddie … you know how he is when he's mad."
"Beats you until you can barely move. Yeah I remember, trying to figure out how the hell you decided to marry him."
"I was young. I was in love. And … I just assumed that he'd grow out of it. And when we had Lindsey it was perfect. When he got made he'd go do something, go out to a batting range or go to the gym. Anything but hurt me. I choose Gil as the godfather and he choose you. That got him upset; that I choose Gil. I'd take her over to play with him. After a week of that … he started hitting me again. It took until Lindsey was five for me to kick him out. I spent five years going to Gil after being beaten, going and crying and telling him it'd be all right. That he'd stop again. I still loved Eddie, I still do. He gave me … He started accusing me of cheating. So when Gil had that look … I just … I just feared the worse I guess. So I ended it. Lindsey hates me for it."
"She'll get over it. Eventually hate Dr. Grissom for it."
"No she won't," She laughed. "She's like me when it comes to him. Blind by our feelings. I love him so much. I … I watched as he drove away from this house. I've been defending Eddie to him, something, by the way, I have never done. I'll say it will stop. That Eddie isn't that bad but I have never … never really defended him and meant it. Not to Grissom anyways. I feel in love with him because he cared and he didn't care about me because I was … because I was popular or he thought I was an easy screw or that … well that because I was a stripper I would do anything. He cared because I was hurt. Because I was living with abuse and … according to him I have this haunted look all the time, especially when it comes to children cases. He cared and I liked that about him. He treated me like I was the only thing that mattered in the world. And I respected him for that. He treated Lindsey like she's a princess and I adored him for it. I feel in love with him and he convinced me to give up drugs and go to school and get a real job. He helped me so much and I loved him more and more."
"Then why call off the engagement?"
"My mother's marriage failed after my birth. Even my sisters couldn't fix the marriage. My own marriage failed. And he thought I was cheating. I was terrified and with Anna dead … I just couldn't do it again. I couldn't go through all of this and fighting for him at the same time. I love him so much. Lindsey is the only thing that ties me to this world besides him. Cutting off the engagement … it was like … it was like half of me died. The other half … that's Lindsey. I can't lose her now. That's why I gave her to Eddie for now. I have the majority of the custody but he can keep her safe until this is over. If I lose her … I've already lost Gil … I can't lose her."
-Grissom's apartment-
"You said we need to talk?" Grissom spoke once his breakfast was done. Eddie was looking at the breakfast and wanted to laugh. Sam Braun had once told him that you know its love when you were separated from the woman for days but when you picked up the phone and called her and tell her how your day went and what you had to eat … and her response is the same thing as all you did. Sam had walked Catherine down the aisle at their wedding. Sam had told Eddie that the love they shared wasn't enough for them to be soul mates. Now, he knew why he said that. Lindsey's dancing and singing from the guest bedroom made him looked Grissom right in the eye.
"Sit down Grissom." He spoke but Grissom just stood his ground. When he stepped forward so did Grissom. Soon they were face to face and glaring at each other. "We need to talk about Catherine."
A/N: Hope you enjoy. Please review.