Variation #2
He looked back at the woman standing quietly beside him, "So you up for dinner?"
She smiled gently, lowering her eyes for a moment, then looked up at him, with blue eyes sparkling like diamonds.
"Of course," she replied, winking at him as she began to walk down the hall towards the lab.
As Grissom watched Catherine make her way down the hall, blond hair swinging in rhythm to her stride, he felt a huge grin appear on his face.
*******************************************************
"So what's good here?" Grissom asked studying the menu at the small café.
Catherine shrugged, "I always go for the grilled chicken salad."
"Do you still do that?" Grissom said raising an eyebrow at her. For every year he had known her, Catherine had made a New Year's resolution to go on some sort of diet.
"I'm sticking to it this time," Catherine replied. Then as Grissom shook his head, she asked, "What?"
"I give you less than two minutes," Grissom said, waiting for her to turn to the last page of menu.
"Since when do they serve chocolate mousse here?" Catherine muttered, practically drooling over the picture. She looked up at Grissom, who winked at her, "Don't you dare say I told you so, like you did last year."
The pair offered one another a smile, then fell into a comfortable silence, pretending to look at their menu while sneaking glances at the other. As Catherine absentmindedly reached for a sugar packet, her hand grazed Grissom's. However, instead of pulling away at the unexpected touch, Grissom surprised them both by taking her slender hand into his.
"You two ready to order?" asked the peppy teenage waitress.
Like two teenagers themselves, Grissom and Catherine immediately let go of each others hands and proceeded to bury their eyes in the menu.
"So what's new Gil?" Catherine asked once the waitress had left.
"Nothing really," Grissom began with a twinkle in his eye. "Whenever I'm not at work, I've just been checking out the Discovery Channel and working on those genius-level crossword puzzles you so admire."
"You don't ever intend to let me forget about that, do you?" Catherine said, allowing a strand of blonde hair to fall onto her face as she chuckled.
Grissom reached over and brushed the strand from her eyes, letting his hand linger on her cheek. "Cath, why did you agree to come with me?"
"Well aside from the fact that I was starving, I like spending time with you," she replied, letting herself get lost in his blue eyes. "I don't know why don't do it more often."
"Catherine," Grissom began, knowing that now was the time to tell her the secret he'd been keeping for so long. The secret he hated keeping from her.
"Yeah?" she replied sipping her iced tea.
But before he could finish, the waitress came back with their food.
"That was fast," Catherine commented.
"Yeah it was," Grissom replied with a hint of sadness in his voice.
***************************************
After dinner, the pair had decided to take a stroll in a nearby park.
"So what were you going to tell me?" Catherine asked as they sat down on a bench.
"When?" Grissom said, part of him wanting so badly to tell her, the other part wishing she would forget about it.
"Well you were about to tell me something right before the waitress brought our food out," Catherine said. "And it had to be somewhat serious because you had that look."
"What look?" Grissom asked.
"It's hard to describe really...the same look you used to get when Eddie.." She trailed off, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Gil, please, you can tell me."
"I..I don't even know where to begin," Grissom said softly. But Catherine's comforting expression gave him the courage to go on, "I know I've told you about my mother, and I'm sure I may have mentioned once or twice that she's deaf."
Catherine's eyes immediately widened.
"Oh my god Gil," Catherine whispered. "This whole time, I was hoping that wasn't the reason why you'd been acting so strange..but after the Haviland case, I found myself wondering more and more."
"I've wanted to tell you for so long Catherine, really I have," Grissom said, immediately feeling guilty for keeping something so serious from her.
"I believe you," Catherine offering him a gentle smile. "And I don't want you to think you ever have to go through things like this alone Gil."
"I realize that now," Grissom replied hugging her. "I couldn't have ever asked for a better friend.
Catherine sighed softly and snuggled closely into Grissom's embrace.
"Cath," Grissom asked softly, savoring the feeling of her in his arms.
"Hmmm?"
"If you could go anywhere in the world, do anything, where would you go and what would you do?" he asked, absentmindedly running his fingers through her blonde hair.
"I would stay right here with you," Catherine said without a hint of hesitation.
"Same here," Grissom replied, tipping his chin down to kiss her forehead.
He looked back at the woman standing quietly beside him, "So you up for dinner?"
She smiled gently, lowering her eyes for a moment, then looked up at him, with blue eyes sparkling like diamonds.
"Of course," she replied, winking at him as she began to walk down the hall towards the lab.
As Grissom watched Catherine make her way down the hall, blond hair swinging in rhythm to her stride, he felt a huge grin appear on his face.
*******************************************************
"So what's good here?" Grissom asked studying the menu at the small café.
Catherine shrugged, "I always go for the grilled chicken salad."
"Do you still do that?" Grissom said raising an eyebrow at her. For every year he had known her, Catherine had made a New Year's resolution to go on some sort of diet.
"I'm sticking to it this time," Catherine replied. Then as Grissom shook his head, she asked, "What?"
"I give you less than two minutes," Grissom said, waiting for her to turn to the last page of menu.
"Since when do they serve chocolate mousse here?" Catherine muttered, practically drooling over the picture. She looked up at Grissom, who winked at her, "Don't you dare say I told you so, like you did last year."
The pair offered one another a smile, then fell into a comfortable silence, pretending to look at their menu while sneaking glances at the other. As Catherine absentmindedly reached for a sugar packet, her hand grazed Grissom's. However, instead of pulling away at the unexpected touch, Grissom surprised them both by taking her slender hand into his.
"You two ready to order?" asked the peppy teenage waitress.
Like two teenagers themselves, Grissom and Catherine immediately let go of each others hands and proceeded to bury their eyes in the menu.
"So what's new Gil?" Catherine asked once the waitress had left.
"Nothing really," Grissom began with a twinkle in his eye. "Whenever I'm not at work, I've just been checking out the Discovery Channel and working on those genius-level crossword puzzles you so admire."
"You don't ever intend to let me forget about that, do you?" Catherine said, allowing a strand of blonde hair to fall onto her face as she chuckled.
Grissom reached over and brushed the strand from her eyes, letting his hand linger on her cheek. "Cath, why did you agree to come with me?"
"Well aside from the fact that I was starving, I like spending time with you," she replied, letting herself get lost in his blue eyes. "I don't know why don't do it more often."
"Catherine," Grissom began, knowing that now was the time to tell her the secret he'd been keeping for so long. The secret he hated keeping from her.
"Yeah?" she replied sipping her iced tea.
But before he could finish, the waitress came back with their food.
"That was fast," Catherine commented.
"Yeah it was," Grissom replied with a hint of sadness in his voice.
***************************************
After dinner, the pair had decided to take a stroll in a nearby park.
"So what were you going to tell me?" Catherine asked as they sat down on a bench.
"When?" Grissom said, part of him wanting so badly to tell her, the other part wishing she would forget about it.
"Well you were about to tell me something right before the waitress brought our food out," Catherine said. "And it had to be somewhat serious because you had that look."
"What look?" Grissom asked.
"It's hard to describe really...the same look you used to get when Eddie.." She trailed off, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Gil, please, you can tell me."
"I..I don't even know where to begin," Grissom said softly. But Catherine's comforting expression gave him the courage to go on, "I know I've told you about my mother, and I'm sure I may have mentioned once or twice that she's deaf."
Catherine's eyes immediately widened.
"Oh my god Gil," Catherine whispered. "This whole time, I was hoping that wasn't the reason why you'd been acting so strange..but after the Haviland case, I found myself wondering more and more."
"I've wanted to tell you for so long Catherine, really I have," Grissom said, immediately feeling guilty for keeping something so serious from her.
"I believe you," Catherine offering him a gentle smile. "And I don't want you to think you ever have to go through things like this alone Gil."
"I realize that now," Grissom replied hugging her. "I couldn't have ever asked for a better friend.
Catherine sighed softly and snuggled closely into Grissom's embrace.
"Cath," Grissom asked softly, savoring the feeling of her in his arms.
"Hmmm?"
"If you could go anywhere in the world, do anything, where would you go and what would you do?" he asked, absentmindedly running his fingers through her blonde hair.
"I would stay right here with you," Catherine said without a hint of hesitation.
"Same here," Grissom replied, tipping his chin down to kiss her forehead.