Disclaimer - see chapter one

Chapter Four - What a Christmas Day

"Mummy!" Lindsey screamed as she ran into her mother's bedroom and leapt onto her bed. "Wake up! It's Christmas!" She bounced on the bed until Catherine opened her eyes, at which point she ran into the doorway. "Come on! Presents!" And she was gone. Knowing that trying to get more sleep was pointless, Catherine forced herself to wake and followed Lindsey to the Christmas tree. There was already paper thrown around the room.

"Look what Nick got me," she said, waving a Princess Barbie in front of her mum's face.

"I bet he enjoyed shopping for that," Catherine said to herself, imagining Nick standing in a toy store, surrounded by pink boxes.

"And Sara got me a carriage for her to go to the ball in."

"Ah." Now it was clear. Nick got Sara to buy the present. Still, the image of Sara surrounded by pink boxes was just as amusing. "They're very nice, aren't they," she said, sitting on the sofa before her remaining energy ran out.

"Now, I'm going to open my present from Uncle Grissom," she explained, pulling a box onto her knee. "You open yours too!"

"Okay. Please could you pass it to me?"

Lindsey checked all the labels but she could not find one for her mum from Grissom.

"There is one for 'Greg, from Grissom', but none for you. Greg doesn't live here," she observed.

"It must be a mistake. I'll take it to Grissom later," Catherine said, secretly pleased that she had a reason to go and see him. So secret that she was even trying to keep it from herself.

"Can I come?"

"No honey, you're going to your dad's later. I'll go while you're there."

"Can't we go before that? I want to see Grissom." She saw the hope in her little face. And, whilst she hated to cause her pain, she needed to see Grissom alone. She needed it to be possible for him to talk if he wanted to.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, we have guests coming earlier, and then I need to talk to Gil on my own. Okay? I have some important things to talk to him about."

"Okay. But will I see him tomorrow?"

"I'll ask him if he'll come round before work. Is that alright?"

Lindsey said that it was and seemed content with that plan. And the present opening continued.

~That evening~

It was a quiet evening at the lab. Apparently the criminal element were taking this holiday off. Whilst he did have paperwork to complete it was not distracting enough, and the present sitting on his desk wasn't helping. He had it angled so he could see the label. It was there constantly in the corner of his eye. A reminder of her. A reminder of last night. And a reminder that she hadn't called.

He had intended to deliver the present on his way to work. He had made it as far as Catherine's street and then stopped. She hadn't called. She must have discovered that she had Greg's present by that time. Yet she hadn't called. It wasn't fair for him to just show up. Perhaps she needed time. He would let her have it.

The phone rang. He froze. It continued to ring.

"Do you not answer your phone anymore?"

The familiar voice came from the doorway. He didn't look up.

"Gil?" Realising that perhaps he couldn't hear it she entered the office, leaned across him and answered it for him. She leaned across him intentionally to notify him of her presence. He didn't react. He could hear everything. And she knew it.

"Grissom's office.. No, I'm just visiting. Can't stay away.. He's a little pre-occupied at the moment, apparently.. I will do. Merry Christmas." She put the phone down and turned to Grissom.

"Brass. Just calling to confirm that there aren't any cases yet. So, are you trying to pretend you're not here?"

He wanted to respond. He felt like he did. But he hadn't.

"It won't work with me. I'm standing right in front of you."

"Cath? What are you doing here?" he said, faking surprise.

"Trying to contact the other side."

"What?"

"Well, it felt like it. Where the hell were you?.. Brass called to say there still aren't any cases."

"Thanks." She could have at least warned him. He wasn't prepared to see her. Whilst he'd hoped she would call, he was also glad she hadn't. He wanted to know they were okay, but he didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to know how she was going to respond. In case it wasn't what he wanted. Or, perhaps, in case it was.

"So, I didn't know you like Greg that much," she said to break the silence.

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders.

"Can I swap it for that one?" her eyes indicated the package on his desk, with an accompanying look of curiosity and excitement, similar to that which Lindsey had displayed the night before.

"By all means."

She was acting as if nothing had happened. She was waiting for him to introduce the subject. This was what she always did. She didn't make him talk. She didn't say anything. Yet he knew she'd be there if he wanted to share.

Catherine picked up her present and replaced it with Greg's. Then she placed herself on a chair opposite him. She didn't open it. She sat in silence, looking around the office. Grissom looked at her, wondering what she was doing. Her roaming eyes caught his gaze, her eyes were wide and beamed hope.

"You can open it," he said, smiling slightly. She was trying to establish a light mood for their conversation. They were okay. Everything was as it should be.

"Wow!"

Her exclamation startled him from his occupation watching her, admiring her.

"Gil, it's beautiful. Did you choose it yourself?" she smiled that cheeky smile, " thank you."

"It'll go quite well with that necklace," he said as he noticed the twinkling chain around her neck.

"Oh, forgot I had it on. Yes it will. That's quite spooky."

Grissom looked to his paperwork again as he spoke, in an attempt to make it appear that he was just making conversation, not trying to get information.

"A present?" he said, jotting something down on his paper.

She knew what he was doing. It caused her to smile.

"Yes." He wasn't going to get the information he wanted without being more direct.

"Oh. Well somebody has the same taste in jewellery as I do. Lindsey?" He still didn't look up.

"No." So he didn't see her smiling. She enjoyed teasing him.

"Your sister?" He still pretended to be working.

"No." He would never guess, but she let him continue.

With his next question he looked up. And he looked serious, and concerned.

"Eddie?"

She understood his concern, and so she too was serious, to put his mind at rest. "No. Do you think I'd be wearing it if it was?"

"Just thought he could have been trying to get you back."

"And you just thought I might let him succeed?" she seemed shocked and somewhat disappointed.

Ordinarily he would be silent now, she would realise he didn't want this topic to continue and she would choose a new one. He couldn't do that now. She was upset that he - who knew her better than anyone else - could think she would allow Eddie back into her life after everything she went through. Just how stupid did he think she was?

She was waiting for a response. This was about her. Not him. He couldn't get away with saying nothing this time.

She waited.

He didn't know what to say.

She waited.

He wasn't good at putting things right.

She was tired of waiting. She stood up. "Well, if you think I'm that stupid and easy, what the hell does everyone else think?. And what did you expect in return for this?" She threw the bracelet at his desk and walked towards the door.

"Cath!"

She stopped in the doorway, but she didn't wait to hear why he'd stopped her. She turned slowly, and spoke sadly. "Just a stupid, glorified hooker. An image I knew some people would not let me live down, but I didn't think you would be one of them." With that she did leave, and his calls to stop her went ignored.

TBC.