Sorry it took so long for me to get this out. It's tough working two jobs and I feel like I'm home only to sleep and shower. On another note, it's nice to see the new CSI season up and running and on fire. Loved the Catherine scenes and can't wait to see how they work this season!
Thanks to Chris (I'm too tired for witty comments…), YoblingDramoineLover, Wileret, Double I 4 My Guyz, slegary, name-me, AutumnDoe, and connielover for the awesome reviews. Thanks also to Taylor for betaing.
Enjoy thisl I can't believe there's only one to go! =( Please read and review! Love you all!
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"What the hell is she doing here? I don't want to see her!"
Catherine didn't expect a cheerful welcome from Lillian Danielson, so at the teenager's annoyed question, Catherine merely followed the district attorney into the room.
"Yeah, well, sorry, you have to see me again," Catherine replied to Lillian, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't want to talk to her!" Lillian exclaimed to her lawyer. "Get her-"
"I'm not here to start anything," Catherine interrupted Lillian before she could get a full rant going. "We're here to offer you a deal."
"A deal?" Lillian scoffed. "I didn't kill my mother!"
"You sure about that?" Catherine shot back.
"Catherine," the district attorney spoke lowly, placing a warning hand on Catherine's elbow. "Relax." Catherine nodded slowly at the woman, a tall, blonde woman named Susan Smith. Susan was fairly new to the game, but her pale brown eyes held a no-nonsense gaze that could pierce even the toughest criminals. She had a spotless conviction record so far, and Catherine couldn't help but think that probably would have many more convictions in her career.
At Catherine's silent agreement to relax, Susan turned her attention to the teenager staring her down. "Now, Lillian-"
"I didn't murder my mother."
Catherine resisted rolling her eyes, knowing that it wouldn't be worth it to argue with the teenager. She wanted nothing more than to get this meeting over with so that she could sign off the paperwork and forget about Lillian Danielson.
Susan's voice broke Catherine out of her thoughts, and the CSI watched closely as Lillian's gaze faltered when she saw the photographs of her shirt, then of the piece that was found in her mother's grasp. Panicked, Lillian looked at her lawyer with wide eyes.
"I – that – that's not mine!" Lillian sputtered, her eyes dilated. "It wasn't-"
Susan merely spoke over her. "Add to this that your neighbor saw you come home within the time period that your mother was murdered, and I think that we'll have a slam dunk conviction. Life in prison, Ms. Danielson. That doesn't sound too good, does it?"
"I didn't kill my mother!"
"Lillian, stop talking!" her lawyer said, nervousness flaring on his face for the first time. He glanced at Susan and Catherine, who were staring back evenly.
"What are you offering?"
The question hung in the air for several long moments. "Fifteen years without the chance of parole," Susan finally said.
"What?" Lillian snapped. "I didn't do anything!"
"Lillian, enough!" her lawyer said loudly. Meeting the teenager's gaze for a long moment, he turned back to Susan. "Ten years and psychiatric care."
"I don't need psych-"
"Thirteen years and psychiatric care," Susan interrupted Lillian.
The lawyer stared at Susan for a long moment, and then looked at Lillian. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, and finally, after a long moment, Lillian nodded. There was a scowl on her face as she glared at Catherine, whispering in her lawyer's ear for another moment. Catherine merely stared back, her gaze even.
"We'll take it," the lawyer replied softly. "Under one condition."
"What's that?" Susan asked warily, prepared to do battle again.
"That CSI Willows has no contact with my client."
Catherine's eyebrows shot up at request, yet she stayed calm as she spoke up before Susan could. "Your request is unnecessary. Once I get a conviction I have nothing to do with the felon," she informed Lillian and the lawyer. "However, I will respect your 'condition' and will not have contact with Ms. Danielson or her family."
Lillian and her lawyer exchanged a glance, and finally he turned to Susan. "That's fine. Draw up the appropriate paperwork and myself, Lillian, and her guardian will sign them," the lawyer said.
"The papers will be on your desk tomorrow at nine A.M.," Susan said. She stood up, Catherine following her motion as they made their way to the door.
Lillian's voice stopped Catherine cold in her tracks when the teenager spoke up. "You know, Ms. Willows, the prison walls are pretty thin, and from what I heard, your daughter has been in prison," Lillian said casually.
Catherine's back stiffened at Lillian's words, and she turned slowly. "Someone's lying to you," she said evenly. "My daughter's away at camp."
"In the middle of the school year?" Lillian challenged.
Catherine swallowed, working to control her temper. "It's something that has to do with school," she finally replied, realizing how lame that probably sounded.
Lillian smirked, taking pride at the fact that she was getting under Catherine's skin. "What happened to your face? Looks like you got fu-"
Susan laid a hand on Catherine's hand, encircling her fingers around her wrist. "Catherine, let's go," Susan whispered urgently as she cut off Lillian's statement. "She's not worth it."
Catherine glared back at the teenager, who seemed to be staring back with a satisfied look in her eyes. "You're right," she finally said to Susan. "I'm done with this case."
Susan kept her hand around Catherine's wrist as she pulled the CSI from the room. She was particularly glad she did so when she heard Lillian's parting words.
"I'll see you in thirteen years, Ms. Willows."
Susan effectively slammed the door before Catherine could react, and the CSI breathed in heavily. She placed her hands on her knees, working to regain some control of her shallow breathing. When Catherine straightened up, Susan was staring her down with that unnerving gaze of hers.
"Something you want to tell me, Catherine?" Susan asked calmly. Seeing Catherine's blank stare, she elaborated, "About your daughter?"
"There's nothing to tell," Catherine replied evenly.
"Was there any basis to what Lillian Danielson said?" Susan pressed.
"Lindsey's never been arrested," Catherine answered. "You can check her record."
Susan raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "What did happen to your face, Catherine?" she asked.
"I fell," Catherine said simply. "Hit my face on the end table."
The district attorney held Catherine's gaze for a long moment, then shook her head. "I just don't want any surprises when Lillian goes to sign those papers," Susan explained.
"Well, there won't be any," Catherine replied confidently. She trusted that Gil and Jim would take care of the issue, and as best as she knew, they had.
"Good," Susan finally answered.
The two women stood there tensely as Brass walked up. "Hey, Catherine, Susan," he greeted the women. "How are you this evening?"
"Fine," the two women answered at once, though their icy tones indicated to the Captain that there was a lot of tension in the room.
Jim swallowed slightly, rubbing a hand over his tired face. "That's, uh, that's good," he finally replied, glancing at his watch. "I just got a call, Cath, about a body that was found in an abandoned warehouse. You want to come with me?"
Catherine didn't look at Susan, knowing that the district attorney would be searching her face for any sign of weakness. "Sure, Jim," she agreed. "Just let me grab my kit."
"Okay," Brass agreed. With a small nod to Susan, he turned and left the room, leaving Catherine and the district attorney.
The two shared a wary look before Catherine finally asked, "You'll get those papers to me to sign at some point tomorrow, correct?"
"Yes," Susan answered stiffly. "Have a good night, Catherine."
Catherine nodded back before making her way out of the building to Jim's car. He watched her approach, worry evident on his face at her slow pace.
"You okay?" he couldn't help but ask.
"I'll live," Catherine shrugged, walking over to the passenger's door with a hand on her back. "Just promise me some pain meds to knock me out when we're done with Peterson?"
Brass looked at Catherine critically, wonder for a brief moment whether this was smart. Seeing the fire in the strawberry blond's blue eyes, though, he finally nodded. "Sure, Cath. Let's rock and roll," he told her.
~/~
When Catherine and Jim pulled up at the abandoned warehouse, they were met by a small group of annoyed reporters. Much to Catherine's relief – and annoyance – Kay Peterson was in the front of the pack.
"What the hell is going on here?" Peterson demanded, stepping up as close to Catherine as she dared. A small ripple of satisfaction crossed Kay's face when she saw the bruising on Catherine's face. Catherine felt her blood pressure rising when she realized that Kay thought that her slap had done the damage to Catherine's face.
"Why are we out here, man?" a camera man within the crowd spoke up. "There's no damn killer hiding out here!"
"Killer?" a woman near the front asked. "I thought he was a rapist!"
Voices mingled together angrily before Brass finally spoke up. "I'm sorry, folks, that you were duped into coming here, but there's something that we'd like you to get on tape, if possible," he said.
"What, you want us to do your scut work?" a heavy New York accent scoffed.
"Can't you people do your own damn work?" a female voice asked, and soon after that, everyone was murmuring their agreement.
"Yeah, well, something like that, but it's to catch a plagiarizer!" Brass spoke up above the voices.
"Plagiarizer?" someone repeated. "I hate them. Some bitch at the Times plagiarized my work but I could never prove it. I never got a promotion there thanks to that damn article."
"Me too," another voice chimed in.
Catherine glanced at Kay Peterson, noticing for the first time since she met her that Peterson seemed to have a wary look on her face. She actually looked nervous as the reporters talked amongst themselves. Peterson caught Catherine's glance, and the reporter merely sneered at the CSI.
"What's ridiculous," Peterson spoke up loudly, causing the group to look at her, "Is that we were all dragged out here on false prefixes thanks to someone who thinks that I got her in trouble." Catherine merely raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she looked at Peterson. "Yeah, that's right, I'm talking about you!" Peterson said when she saw the dubious look on Catherine's face. "I know that you dragged us out here as a twisted plot to get revenge on me because of that article I wrote. Well, trust me, I have my sources and I know that you are having an affair with Warrick Brown!"
"Are you done?"
Catherine's calm question was enough to stop Peterson's rant cold. The reporter looked at her with huge eyes, fear creeping into the green pools.
"No, I'm not done!" Peterson finally stammered. Seeing the crowd of reporters looking at her funny, she continued, "That woman is a liar! Don't believe a word she says!"
"And they should believe you?" Catherine asked, her tone even. "Maybe I should ask Gina Helgen to believe you. Or perhaps Dr. James Hall would have something to say?"
"Who are Gina Helgen and James Hall?" the man with the heavy New York accent asked. The rest of the crowd nodded in agreement to his question, looking at Catherine for a response.
"Nobody-" Peterson began, only to stop speaking when Catherine spoke above her.
"Gina Helgen is a former LVU teacher who was run out of town after Kay Peterson wrote an article accusing her of having an affair with a student," Catherine said. "Dr. James Hall was a coroner who had his work stolen by Kay Peterson."
Peterson glared at Catherine, fury in her eyes as the CSI spoke. "You can't prove that," Peterson hissed lowly at Catherine. Raising her voice, she continued, "Haven't you ever heard of slander? I could sue you so fast-"
"Have you ever heard of slander?"
"Of course I have," Peterson snapped.
"Then you know that I could sue you right back," Catherine answered. She felt somewhat relieved that the dozens of reporters who were standing behind her, knowing that the camera men were now recording the confrontation. She was calm and cool while Peterson was quickly becoming flustered. "I have dozens of colleagues and friends who are willing to testify that Warrick Brown and I were not in a romantic relationship when you wrote that article, including my supervisor and his boss."
"How convenient," Peterson snarled.
"It's not a convenience if it's the truth," Catherine shrugged.
"Whatever, I'm out of here," Peterson finally said. She glared at the group of reporters that were standing there, all of them looking at their fellow reporter dubiously. "Please, don't tell me that you appreciate being called out here in the middle of the night!"
The crowd was silent, and Peterson shook her head. "You people are idiots!"
"Do you have an alias of Dana Fox?" The voice caused Peterson to falter, and she turned around to try to meet the voice.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Peterson scoffed.
"Four years ago, I was working on an article for the Times that would have made my career," a young reporter spoke bravely, stepping out from behind a cameraman. "My manuscript went missing from my desk when I went out for lunch, and the next day, an article that was nearly word for word of what I wrote appeared in the paper."
"Oh, get out of here," Peterson said angrily, relishing when the shy young woman blanched. "She's lying, people. I don't have any aliases!"
"Then who is Marie Williamson?" another voice spoke up bravely.
Peterson rolled her eyes, hitching her purse up on her shoulder. "Oh for God's sake, I'm out of here!" she said, moving to walk away.
Catherine stepped in front of Peterson, effectively blocking her path. She knew that she would regret the move if Peterson were to become violent again, but at the moment she didn't care. All Catherine cared about was trapping Peterson like the rat she was.
"Unless you want me to slug you again, I suggest that you move!" Peterson hissed at Catherine.
"This time, I hit back," Catherine warned lowly. "And with as pissed as these people are at you, I'm sure that everyone will back me in saying that it was self defense."
It was a thinly veiled threat, as Catherine knew that her back wasn't up to taking on Kay Peterson in a fist fight. However, at the slight cringe that Peterson offered at Catherine's words, the strawberry blond crossed her arms. "So answer the woman's question. Do you have an alias of Marie Williamson?"
Peterson glared at Catherine, then hissed, "Yes."
"What about Dana Fox?"
"Yes."
"Did you steal the works of Dr. Hall or this young reporter over here?"
"I wouldn't call it stealing-"
"You blatantly stole their work with the intent to publish it as your own. That's plagiarism."
Peterson sighed, running a hand over her face. "Yes."
"Did you print false articles about me, Gina Helgen, and twenty-two other women?" Catherine asked calmly, though on the inside she was shaking with anger.
Peterson looked as if she was about to lie, but seeing a camera pointed out her, she sighed out her answer. "Yes."
"Why?"
"I…I honestly don't know," Peterson admitted miserably, her shoulders drooping slightly. She sniffled, looking up at Catherine. "Are you going to ruin my career now?"
Catherine frowned, her eyes darkening as Peterson's words washed over her. Was she going to ruin Peterson's career? Catherine pondered.
"No."
The word shocked Catherine as much as it did Peterson, and the reporter frowned in confusion. She stared at Catherine for a long moment, then asked, "Why?"
"I…don't know," Catherine replied. "Don't think that I'm letting you off the hook, though."
"What do you mean?" Peterson asked nervously.
"I will have all these reporters not show their footage on air or print anything in a magazine, as long as you write an article admitting that you lied in the articles about me and the other women, and admit that you have plagiarized in the past," Catherine stated calmly.
Peterson glowered at her. "You've got to be kidding me! That will ruin my career just as much, if not more!"
"I'm not so sure about that," Catherine answered with a raised eyebrow. "Admitting your mistakes is much better then having the media exploiting them."
Peterson nodded, running a hand through her hair. She glanced at the angered reporters gathered behind Catherine like an army, and she sighed. "Your article will be printed in tomorrow's paper," Peterson said grudgingly.
"And you're not to harass me, my family, my colleagues, any of the reporters here tonight, or any of the women that you mention in the article, or else this footage will be aired," Catherine finished.
"Fine," Peterson grumbled, her face red with embarrassment. "I'm out of here."
"Good," Catherine answered, smirking at Peterson's figure slinking away. She turned back to the crowd of reporters, glad that Jim had her back. "I'd like to thank all of you for coming out here tonight," she finally said to the group. "I'm sorry that you were duped-"
"Duped?" Heavy New York Accent, as Catherine was thinking of him as, cut her off. "That was the best stuff I've seen in awhile! It's about time that bitch got hers!"
Catherine merely smiled weakly, glancing desperately at Jim. The adrenaline was wearing off, and she wanted to just lay down in her nice warm bed. "Let's get out of here, Cath," Brass said softly, leading her by the elbow to the squad car.
Catherine merely nodded, giving one last glance of appreciation to the dispersing crowd behind her.
~/~
Catherine tiredly made her way into her house, exhaustion of the last few weeks finally catching up to her. Now that Kay Peterson and Lillian Danielson, not to mention her issues with Lindsey, had been taken care of, she felt like she could sleep for a year.
She tossed her keys on the counter, stifling a yawn as she did so. Catherine was surprised that she was so tired, as she was usually headed to work at this time, not getting ready to crawl in the bed and pass out.
The light in the hallway was on, giving Catherine enough light to make her way through the kitchen. She was used to ambling in the dark, but as she got older, Catherine noticed her vision faltered at times and there were shadows present. She smiled to herself, thinking of how she used to be able to dance in the dark without a problem mere years-
Catherine squeaked as she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist, and she stiffened, her elbow swinging back to get whoever grabbed her around the waist to let go.
"Whoa, whoa, Cath!" Warrick whispered in her ear. "It's just me, calm down!"
She relaxed, but nevertheless shimmied so she was facing him. His arms remained around her waist, and she couldn't help but notice – and like – how close Warrick's face was to hers.
"Make a little noise next time, would you?" Catherine scolded gently. "You scared the daylights out of me!"
Warrick smiled down at her, tightening his grasp around her waist slightly. Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck, savoring the hug. She breathed in his scent happily.
"What are you doing here?" Catherine asked, closing her eyes.
"I missed you so much that I couldn't bear being away from you much longer," Warrick answered. "I took a personal day."
Catherine chuckled lightly, instinctively kissing Warrick on the cheek. "I missed you, too," she told him.
"How was your day?" Warrick asked.
"It was okay…pretty decent, actually," Catherine admitted. "I got Lillian Danielson to take a plea and trapped Kay Peterson like the rat she is, and now I'm in the arms of a very handsome man."
Warrick laughed, and Catherine's heart fluttered as she felt the sound rumble against her chest. They swayed in silence for several long moments before he finally sighed softly, prompting Catherine to open her eyes and look at him inquisitively.
"I could get used to this, Cath," Warrick quietly admitted.
"Me too, Rick," Catherine replied.
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it slowly. "What?" Warrick prompted her gently.
"I just…this is so perfect. I don't want to think of the lab, because the Kay Peterson thing will be taken care of come tomorrow, but we can't lie," Catherine chose her words carefully. "I don't want to hide our…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"Our what?" Warrick prodded her.
"Our attraction to each other," Catherine finally finished. "I want to say relationship, but we haven't even gone on a date-"
"Then let's change that."
Catherine raised an eyebrow at him, smiling slightly. "Right now?"
"Right now," Warrick confirmed. "This is Vegas, baby. The city never stops running. Let me take you to some movie theater and dinner-"
"Rick, honey, that sounds great, but you're missing the point," Catherine interrupted gently, placing a finger over his lips. "It doesn't really matter when we establish our relationship; we can still get in trouble at the lab because two members on the same shift aren't allowed to date each other."
Warrick nodded slowly, finally letting go of Catherine. Her body ached slightly, and she wanted nothing more then to be close to him again.
"What should we do, then?" Warrick asked, taking her hand in his.
Catherine shrugged slightly. "I don't know, Warrick," she answered. "We can either hide our relationship, which I don't want to do, or…" she trailed off, looking to Warrick as she struggled to find the right words.
"What, Cath?" he asked softly, his green eyes filled with passion.
"Or we admit to the sheriff everything, and one of us transfers," Catherine replied. Seeing the displeased look on Warrick's face, she sighed. "It's not my ideal choice, and I don't want to split up the team, but…" She let the words fade as she looked up to Warrick, her blue eyes wide with unshed tears.
"But what, honey?" Warrick asked gently, cupping her face in his hands.
"I don't want to lose you," Catherine finally finished. "I finally got you, and I never want to let go."
Warrick stared into Catherine's eyes for a long time before he finally dropped his hands to her shoulders, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "You're not going to lose me, Catherine, even if the entire Las Vegas Police Force were to try to break us apart," he said softly.
Catherine smiled, closing her eyes in an attempt to regain her bearings. "You have no clue how glad I am to hear you say that, Rick," she managed.
"I know," Warrick answered, kissing her forehead one more time.
Catherine sighed contentedly, but she couldn't help the cringe that crossed her face as her back ached.
"What's wrong?" Warrick asked, his voice filled with concern.
"Back hurts," Catherine replied simply.
"Have you changed the bandage lately?" he questioned her.
"No," Catherine answered sheepishly. Seeing Warrick's disapproving look, she defended herself. "What, I couldn't reach back there and I wasn't about to ask Jim to change it!"
"Honey, you have to be careful," Warrick gently chastised her. "I don't want it to get infected."
"That makes two of us," Catherine replied with a small smile.
"Come on, let me take care of the bandage, and then maybe I'll even give you a back massage," Warrick suggested, taking her hand in his.
"Oh, that sounds great," Catherine agreed immediately. "Thank you."
Warrick smiled down at Catherine, instinctively pressing his lips to hers gently. When they parted, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her to the steps.
"Come on, let's get you all fixed up."
~/~
End 14/15