Author: Coolcatz

Rating: CSI-2

A/N: Thanks Allison for the beta but all the mistakes are still mine.

Catherine was brought back to the present by the ringing of her phone.

"Willows."

"Catherine, where are you?" It was Gil. She would have known that had she taken the time to check the caller ID.

"I…uh…what?" She was still lost in the memory of Eddie.

"You were supposed to be bringing me a cherry roll. I heard you walking through the lab but never saw you. Greg said you ran out."

"He did? I did? Oh, um, I remembered something I needed to take care of."

"Catherine?"

"What?"

"What happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just overreacted because a test didn't come out the way I expected. You always tell me not to take cases too personally. I'll be back in a few minutes. I promise."

Catherine hung up the phone and sighed. Her mind continued to revisit the past.

"Thanks. I needed this." The two of them sat in the back booth of the diner, finishing off the food on their plates.

"It's nothing, just breakfast."

"I know. It's just…"

"Yeah."

"I should be going." But she stayed where she was.

"Catherine, why are you avoiding home?"

"I'm not avoiding…" Gil interrupted before she could finish.

"Catherine, you've pulled three doubles and a triple in the last two weeks."

"I needed the overtime." Gil just stared at her. "Fine. Eddie and I, we decided we needed a break. He's gone to the coast and I just don't like staying in the house by myself." It was the truth, just not the whole story. She didn't want Gil to know all of her business.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize…"

"Don't be. I'm surprised we lasted this long." Catherine never let anything bother her, at least on the outside.

"If you need to talk…" He took her hand in his.

"…You're there. I know." She squeezed his hand tightly. "Thanks Gil." She got up and left.

Catherine opened the door to find her husband standing there, suitcases in hand.

"You didn't have to knock." Her hand was griped tightly to the door handle. They hadn't seen each other in five months. She had forgotten how blue his eyes were.

"I just... It's been a while. I wasn't sure." Eddie stared at his wife. There was something different about her, some aura around her that made her even sexier than he remembered.

"We both agreed to give this another chance." Catherine shrugged her foot nervously.

"I know. Still..." Eddie couldn't stop staring. She was glowing.

"Are you going to come in or stand on the porch?" She hadn't felt this nervous on their first date, but then there was much more riding on this than a first date.

He came in, setting his bags down in the living room before heading to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Eddie, I'm not putting your…" Her voice was loud and Eddie turned quickly to explain himself.

"Cath, I didn't think you'd want me to…" He looked towards the bedroom, their bedroom. This had been the first marriage for both of them. He wasn't sure if reconciliation meant he was instantly back in bed with his wife and he wasn't going to push the issue.

"Oh. Sorry. I just assumed you'd be moving back into our bedroom." She recalled his last words before leaving and she was determined to make sure her husband was satisfied whether she was or not.

"Are you sure?" He stood where he was, not willing to push the issue. For all Eddie knew, she was just saying this so that he would feel more comfortable.

"Yeah." She crossed the distance between them and pulled him into a long, languid kiss.

"Wow. I didn't realize you were such a great cook." Catherine was washing up the breakfast dishes.

"I'm not but thank you."

"No, you are. I can't remember the last time I had homemade biscuits this soft, this buttery."

Gil smiled at her and she smiled back. He had invited her over a couple of times since finding out about Eddie and her desire to not be home alone. They were just coworkers but she was easy to talk to and wasn't freaked out by his creatures.

"So what are you going to do with your weekend?" He pictured Catherine heading out to the clubs, partying till all hours, especially after the stories she had told him about her past.

"Haven't really thought about it. You?"

"Thought I might head out to Lake Mead for some camping and fishing."

"You?"

"You say that like you're surprised."

"I am. I figured you for the kind who would be at a museum."

"There are many things you don't know about me."

"Obviously."

"Why don't you join me?"

"What?"

"Or are you afraid of the great outdoors?"

"Gil…" She was going to tell him she grew up on a ranch and could probably outhunt and outfish him with both hands tied behind her back but the man just kept talking.

"I've got a spare tent. It will give you a chance to get away for a few days."

"Why not." It was better than spending the weekend in that house all alone.

"Damn it, Ed! I told you not to do that till I got home." Catherine was beyond pissed. She had pulled a double working a homicide.

"You were late." Eddie was laid out in the floor, beer in hand. The living room mirror was on the floor beside him with a white powdery film covering it.

"I called." She did call. She knew he was waiting on her to do the lines. She also knew he'd get tired of waiting if she didn't call.

"I'll get more." His voice was agitated. He didn't understand why she wanted to kill his buzz.

"With what? Damn it, Ed, I don't get paid again for another week." She was screaming with everything she had. It had been three days since her last line. They had agreed to ration their supply so it would last till payday and now this shit.

"Relax, I've got it covered."

"Oh really."

"We're having a party."

"What?"

"These guys I met at a club last night, they need someone to host a party for their album. I volunteered our place. Twenty dollars a head plus they bring a little something for the host and hostess."

"And when is this party?"

"Tonight."

"I've got to work."

"No you don't. Call in sick."

"If I keep calling in sick, they're going to figure something is up." Catherine was already nervous about her job. If they ever found out she was doing coke, her career would be ruined.

"For me." He walked to her on his knees, pulling her to him. He pushed her blouse up giving him access to her navel. He ran his tongue along the outside before flicking it in and out.

"You know I hate you." She ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the sensation the touch of his tongue was causing her.

"No you don't." His hands worked open the buttons on her slacks and he slid them down her legs, his lips trailing his hands and leaving kisses down to her feet.

"Damn it, I don't." Her head rolled back with a satisfying sigh as his hands and tongue found her sex.

"I haven't been fishing in years." Catherine sat on the edge of the pier, fishing rod in hand and a bucket of worms beside her.

"Is that your way of saying you need me to bait your hook?" Gil was still unloading supplies from the back of the truck he'd borrowed from a friend.

"As long as you are offering…" She smiled coyly at him and held out her rod, letting him attach the worm to the hook.

They sat in virtual silence while fishing. Only when they were cleaning their catch did they begin to talk again.

"Thanks." Her voice was so quiet Gil barely heard her.

"For what?"

"The invitation. I know how you like your privacy."

"If I didn't want you here, I wouldn't have invited you." His voice was steady and strong. Catherine never doubted the sincerity in his statement.

"Catherine, we need to talk." Eddie stood at the bedroom door watching his wife spray her hair.

"Eddie, I'm late for work. It will have to wait." Catherine ran past him into the living room, grabbing her handbag.

"Cath…" Eddie's voice was tired. He watched as his wife flew around the room in a mad frenzy.

"Not now, Eddie. Where are my damned keys?" She was upending sofa cushions, rummaging through the mail and looking in bowls for the keys and not having any luck.

"Yes, now." She stopped and turned to him. Then she spotted her keys on the wall behind him.

"You've got two minutes." Catherine reached past Eddie and grabbed the keys.

"I'm leaving." Eddie's words were soft and solemn. Rather strange because Catherine felt as if she'd been hit by a Mac Truck.

"What?" Her arm was still beside his head, keys in hand. Rage filled her face. Eddie decided it was best to step back and maybe a little to the left.

"I'm leaving." His voice was still calm, but with a little less confidence.

"What the hell? You wait till I'm walking out the door to…" Catherine was moving towards him. He knew what was coming.

"Stop yelling." He kept his voice steady, hoping to avoid a repeat of last week's fight.

"I'm not yelling." She yelled. Then she looked at him, her eyes full of pain. "Why?"

"I miss you. And I can't stay here knowing you aren't here with me." He was crying. She was crying. Nothing was making sense to either of them.

"Eddie, if I don't work we don't have a 'here' for me to not be with you at." Her mind was reeling. They'd always had disagreements but nothing that they couldn't work out.

"Your job is too important. I don't matter now." Catherine was shocked. She took the job so they would have a future. She took the job so Eddie could keep managing bands. She took the job because the lifespan of a stripper's career wouldn't last until they retired.

"That's the most ridiculous thing…" Eddie didn't let her finish.

"When was the last time we made love?"

"What does that have to do with…" Catherine wanted to scream. She wanted to hit him. She wanted him to hit her. Anything to end this conversation but Eddie stood his ground.

"When?" This time it was Eddie who yelled. He wanted an answer and he was going to have it.

"Eddie…" She was going to tell him she would stay home, that she would call in sick. She was going to tell him she loved him and needed him. She was going to tell him to make love to her right then and there. She was going to.

"Just tell me."

"I don't know." Her head fell as she admitted this. It had been a while, a long while since they'd been together but it wasn't Catherine's fault. Her job was demanding. She needed to sleep when she was home so she would be alert on the job. Eddie didn't understand.

Eddie kissed her softly before walking out of her life.

"I haven't gotten laid in three months." Catherine lay on Gil's bed, screwdriver in one hand and remote in the other as she absentmindedly flipped through the channels on his television.

"I thought you and Eddie only split up three weeks ago." Gil was lying on the floor playing with his spider.

"We did." She glanced down at the two of them, more to make sure the spider stayed on the floor than any other reason, before turning her attention back to the television.

"Oh. That sucks."

"Yep."

"Four months." He gathered his little friend in his hand and carefully put him back in the terrarium.

"What?" Gil had mumbled something but she had been looking at Sean Connery's butt. The cosmic gods had been kind and she had flipped to "The Highlander" just as his kilt-covered bare-butt jumped.

"It's been four months for me."

"Cold showers?" She laughed at him.

"Bitterly cold." He laughed back. Since Catherine and Eddie had split, they had been spending a lot of time together. He was amazed at how comfortable they had become around each other in such a short time.

"We should go out." Gil sat upright when she said this, causing Catherine to backtrack trying to explain herself. "And meet people. I mean we should go out together to meet someone." He looked at her and grinned broadly, the image of a threesome with a stranger playing in his mind. "Fuck you. Your mind is in the gutter you know."

"At least some part of me is." She pegged him with a pillow from across the room.

"You know my divorce isn't final yet." They were laying on Gil's sofa, half dressed, hands all over each other. For the past month, they had been fooling around, always stopping before things had gone too far, neither wanted to jeopardize the divorce. It was never easy for them to stop. Tonight was no different.

"You've been apart for four months, Catherine, it may as well be." Gil's mouth was on her breast, his tongue circling her nipple. Catherine shivered as the sensation shot from her nipple towards her sex. God, this man was good.

"I know. It's just technically I'm still married." She pushed him back, cupping his face. Catherine hated doing this to him but she couldn't bring herself to cheat even though all the papers had been signed for her divorce.

"Technically he left you." Gil's voice was impatient. He wanted her. He wanted her yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and he wanted her now.

"The divorce will be final in two weeks. We can wait a few more days." She said it. She wanted to mean it. She tried to mean it.

"I can't wait." His mouth was on hers only a moment, hungry and demanding in a way she had never felt before. He stood up and took her hand in his, leading her back to his bed.

"What is it?" They were lying in Gil's bed, wrapped up in each other after a long shift. Gil wanted to wind down before moving on to more important activities. Catherine wanted to move on to more important activities in order to wind down.

"Hmmm." She was busy undressing him and wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. The man did that to her.

"There's something you aren't telling me." Gil had quickly learned that Catherine was more aggressive in bed when something was bothering her. While he appreciated that quality, he felt the need to find out what was on her mind.

"Aren't you more interested in…" Her head disappeared under the covers.

"Catherine…" A very reluctant Gil pulled her back up and held her against his chest. He looked at her pouting at him and laughed. "What's wrong?" She tried to wriggle free from his grasp but he wasn't giving way so finally she told him.

"Eddie called today." It was not unusual for Eddie or his lawyer to call, but her tone of voice told Gil something was different about this call.

"And?"

"He wants to try counseling."

"Catherine, the divorce is supposed to be final in two days." Gil sat upright, holding her at arms length.

"I know. It's just…" She didn't want to hurt Gil but there was no way he wasn't going to be hurt.

"Are you still in love with him?" The question had been lurking in his mind for a long time. Catherine had never been in a hurry to sign any of the papers that the currier had brought over, sometimes taking as long as a week to return them after signing.

"No." Her eyes averted his.

"Catherine." He cupped her face in order to bring her eyes to where he could see them.

"It's just…I think I should give him this chance." Catherine looked at his ears, his mouth, his nose hairs…anywhere but his eyes. She couldn't look him in the eyes. He let go of her.

"He ran out on you." His voice was laced with bitterness, causing Catherine to feel the need to defend Eddie.

"He felt like I wasn't there."

"You're going back to him?"

"I owe it to him."

"And you were going to tell me this when?" He grabbed his shorts, pulling them on in record time.

"I need to be with you."

"No, you don't. Not if you are going back to him." He walked out of the bedroom slamming the door behind him.

"Gil." He was gone though. She lay back in their bed fighting the tears. "Fuck."

"I guess my cycle is a little off." They had been sleeping in the same bed for three nights, literally sleeping. Tonight had been the night they were to make love. Catherine was on the verge of tears.

"I understand. We just wait a few days." He held her close.

"Eddie…" She wondered if he'd always been this patient and decided that he had.

"Catherine, it's fine. It's been a while. We're both nervous." Eddie was afraid that pushing her would only push her away. He was far from lonely while they were separated but being with Catherine was different. She satisfied his needs in a way no other woman ever could.

"Thanks. I don't understand. I'm never early."

"Baby, it's probably stress."

"I was just leaving." She had a bag of clothes in one hand and her personal items in the other.

"Don't stay on my account." He stood holding the door open waiting on her to leave.

"Gil." She wanted him to listen. She wanted him to understand. This wasn't about her marriage. It was about her childhood. She watched her mother with man after man, marriage after marriage, only to go back to Sam Braun each time. She swore as a child she'd never give up on her marriage like her mother did. She wanted Gil to know but he was so angry she couldn't tell him.

"Catherine, just leave. Please."

"I'm sorry." She bit her lip to fight back her tears. He wasn't going to see her cry today.

"When did he get back?"

"He's coming back on Tuesday."

"Two days in that house by yourself. You'll have to find a man to keep you company until then."

"That's not fair." It wasn't and Gil knew it. He wanted to hurt her like she was hurting him. From the way she was walking out, he thought he'd done just that. It wasn't enough.

"No. This isn't fair." He grabbed her by the arm, kissing her. He wanted her to know what she was giving up. He wanted her to need him more than he needed her. He wanted her to walk out frustrated, craving his touch over Eddie's. He wanted her.

"We've got two days." Neither was sure who said it. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore except the next forty-eight hours that they would spend wrapped up in each other.

"God, I've missed you." The two of them had spent the day in bed. Catherine's period had been surprisingly short. Eddie hoped it didn't mean that she'd start again when she normally would.

"I can tell." She had forgotten how vigorous Eddie was in bed. She was definitely going to be sore later.

"You're going to be late for work." He patted her on the butt teasingly.

"Am I?" She was playing with the hairs on his stomach. Eddie was ticklish and she was getting ready to pounce.

"Yes." He saw the look in her eyes and knew what was coming but he wouldn't stop her. He wasn't about to give up his vantage point.

"I thought I was calling in sick." She pounced but not quickly enough.

"I like that idea." Eddie rolled them over ready to make love to his wife again.