Disclaimer - see chapter one
Chapter Two
Warrick had managed to hug her into a state in which she could think more clearly and was no longer laughing hysterically. She was now just giggling occasionally at the irony of the whole situation. Knowing that his friend needed his comfort right now, not an interrogation, he suppressed the thousands of questions he had about her declaration - most of them circling around how she had only just realised, when the rest of them had known it for years - and he tried to calm her down by looking for a less heart- breaking explanation for what she had heard.
"Maybe it was his Mom," he offered.
Catherine shook her head as she laughed slightly at herself.
"His sister?" he tried.
"Nope. Doesn't have one," she sighed.
"His aunt?"
She shook her head again.
"He has an aunt, it could have been her," Warrick continued, determined that he was going to be right and Catherine wouldn't have to go through this.
"It wasn't an aunt type of 'I love you'. He's met someone, Warrick, I'm just gonna have to deal with it," she said trying to inspire confidence within herself and stop the crushing feeling she had in her chest, and the violent butterflies beating round her stomach.
"Grissom?!" Warrick exclaimed, as if in disbelief.
"Don't sound so shocked! I'm in love with him, it stands to reason any normal woman, therefore, could be," she said as a mischievous look formed on her face.
Warrick returned the smile, happy that she still had her sense of humour. That was a good sign.
"That's not what I meant. I always thought he had a thing for you. I thought he would never find anyone else," he said innocently, with perhaps too much emphasis on 'never'.
Catherine looked at him, eyes wide, but sparkling, and an amused smile curling up her lips.
"Man! Nothing is coming out right tonight!" he exclaimed, realising he had made it sound like he had been waiting for Grissom to get over Catherine.
"It's okay," Catherine responded reassuringly, "I know what you meant."
For the next few minutes nobody spoke. Catherine couldn't think of anything except who the woman could be, and Warrick didn't know what he could say to make things better.
Sensing that Warrick was uncomfortable and felt that he should be saying, or doing, something, Catherine broke the silence.
"Did you really think he had a thing for me? Or were you just saying that to cheer me up?" she asked, with an almost childlike smile of hope.
"I really did. Ever since I started working with the two of you. In fact, at first, I thought there might be something going on."
"You never said anything."
"You'd known me a week, I didn't think you'd appreciate me asking questions about your personal life," Warrick laughed.
"You've never mentioned it since. Maybe if you'd told me he was interested, I would have had my epiphany sooner," she joked.
"I figured you knew. It's so obvious. I don't how you got to be CSI level three if you didn't even notice that. I'd have a theory, but you say nothing's ever happened between you," he smirked.
Catherine glared at him, playfully, and hit him across the arm.
"Seriously, Cath, how can you have only just realised?" Warrick asked, in a more serious tone, to match his words.
Catherine sighed, wearily. "I guess I haven't. I've always felt it. I just had no reason to give 'it' a name. I got comfy the way things were, and I forgot that things change. That phone call was a nasty reintroduction to reality. A nice slap across the face!" she growled sarcastically.
Warrick put his arm round her and pulled her closer to him.
"Listen, I honestly think you're over-reacting. The guy's been in love with you for years- "
"Exactly! And nothing happened, so he got fed up of waiting," Catherine interrupted.
"He's made no attempt to make anything happen, so I doubt he would take that attitude," Warrick said, calmly, "You're blowing this whole thing out of proportion."
"Am I?" she snapped, jumping off the bench, leaving Warrick stunned. "I finally admit to myself that I'm in love with him, and he's found someone else. I left it too long. Everything seems pretty proportional to me. I've lost him."
"Then go back there and tell him how you feel," Warrick stated.
Catherine's response was silence. That was exactly what she felt like doing, but she knew it wouldn't be fair.
"Yeah, right. 'Hey Grissom, I heard you on the phone to your girlfriend before, and I thought now would be a good time to tell you I love you. Drop that bitch and kiss me now!'"
"Well that might not be the best way to say it, but," he stood up and took hold of her, "I'm telling you, there is no girlfriend -"
"What if you're wrong?"
"Rarely happens," he smirked, "but declaring your love will certainly tell you one way or the other."
She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him, absorbing the comfort of his embrace.
"You're right," she nodded. "But I think I need a plan B. with which I'll replace that plan, because it's crap."
They both laughed and hugged each other tightly.
"Well, at least go and find out what he wanted to ask you," Warrick said, softly.
Catherine pulled back. "I'd completely forgotten about that. I wonder what it was."
"Don't wonder, ask," Warrick said with a gentle smile.
"What if it's something to do with her?" she cringed, emphasising 'her'.
"Well then you go home, change into your tight black trousers, come back, and he'll soon forget about her," Warrick teased, a cheeky grin covering his face. Dodging her hand, he winked and kissed her lightly on her forehead. "Put on your brave face, Cath, and go. Shift starts soon."
He ushered her to the door, reluctantly allowing her to turn round before she left.
"Thanks, Warrick."
"Don't mention it. Now, go!"
With that he pushed her out of the locker room.
*****
Grissom was sitting on the edge of his seat, impatiently tapping a pen on his desk, and staring intensely at the doorway. As soon as he saw Catherine pass the window, he was on his feet and he flew towards the door, just managing to stop before he collided with her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, before she had even had chance to make a comment about him nearly killing her.
"I'm fine. You missed me," she said with a smile.
"I mean are you okay, after before? Did you eat something?"
The concern in his voice and his expression could have been taken as signs that what Warrick had been saying was true. She felt her heart melt at his sweetness, and longed to be able to share her feelings with him. Realising that she was going to have to learn to control these thoughts and reactions, she shook her head, and returned to reality.
"No?" Grissom said, still concerned but a little angry.
"What? Yes.. I had something to eat," she stuttered after an effort to remember what they were talking about.
"Good. You should eat regularly, you know -" he said, smiling with relief.
"Well, maybe if my boss didn't call me into work in the middle of dinner, I would!" she snapped, instantly regretting it. "Sorry."
"No, you're right. I shouldn't have called," Grissom said, looking at her apologetically.
"You needed to ask me something. It's fine," she smiled.
"But it's not even urgent. Well, I suppose it is.. But it's not work related. I should have waited 'til you got here. I'm sorry."
"Grissom, you're rambling. Can we go in your office, please? And then you can ask me, and I'll decide if it was worth coming in early for. And if not, you will be suitably punished."
Realising that may have sounded a little flirtatious, she reprimanded herself, smiled nervously and walked past him into the office. She was beginning to wish she had never discovered her true feelings, not just because of the unrequited problem, but she was now conscious of everything she was doing, and everything she was saying, to ensure it didn't show.
"And shift starts in ten minutes, so we're gonna have to skip the periods of silence, and would you ignore any phone calls?" 'Now who's rambling?' she thought, instructing herself to relax before he started to get suspicious.
Grissom perched on the edge of his desk in front of her. "Okay," he paused to collect the right words, then continued, "Now, feel free to say no."
TBC.
Chapter Two
Warrick had managed to hug her into a state in which she could think more clearly and was no longer laughing hysterically. She was now just giggling occasionally at the irony of the whole situation. Knowing that his friend needed his comfort right now, not an interrogation, he suppressed the thousands of questions he had about her declaration - most of them circling around how she had only just realised, when the rest of them had known it for years - and he tried to calm her down by looking for a less heart- breaking explanation for what she had heard.
"Maybe it was his Mom," he offered.
Catherine shook her head as she laughed slightly at herself.
"His sister?" he tried.
"Nope. Doesn't have one," she sighed.
"His aunt?"
She shook her head again.
"He has an aunt, it could have been her," Warrick continued, determined that he was going to be right and Catherine wouldn't have to go through this.
"It wasn't an aunt type of 'I love you'. He's met someone, Warrick, I'm just gonna have to deal with it," she said trying to inspire confidence within herself and stop the crushing feeling she had in her chest, and the violent butterflies beating round her stomach.
"Grissom?!" Warrick exclaimed, as if in disbelief.
"Don't sound so shocked! I'm in love with him, it stands to reason any normal woman, therefore, could be," she said as a mischievous look formed on her face.
Warrick returned the smile, happy that she still had her sense of humour. That was a good sign.
"That's not what I meant. I always thought he had a thing for you. I thought he would never find anyone else," he said innocently, with perhaps too much emphasis on 'never'.
Catherine looked at him, eyes wide, but sparkling, and an amused smile curling up her lips.
"Man! Nothing is coming out right tonight!" he exclaimed, realising he had made it sound like he had been waiting for Grissom to get over Catherine.
"It's okay," Catherine responded reassuringly, "I know what you meant."
For the next few minutes nobody spoke. Catherine couldn't think of anything except who the woman could be, and Warrick didn't know what he could say to make things better.
Sensing that Warrick was uncomfortable and felt that he should be saying, or doing, something, Catherine broke the silence.
"Did you really think he had a thing for me? Or were you just saying that to cheer me up?" she asked, with an almost childlike smile of hope.
"I really did. Ever since I started working with the two of you. In fact, at first, I thought there might be something going on."
"You never said anything."
"You'd known me a week, I didn't think you'd appreciate me asking questions about your personal life," Warrick laughed.
"You've never mentioned it since. Maybe if you'd told me he was interested, I would have had my epiphany sooner," she joked.
"I figured you knew. It's so obvious. I don't how you got to be CSI level three if you didn't even notice that. I'd have a theory, but you say nothing's ever happened between you," he smirked.
Catherine glared at him, playfully, and hit him across the arm.
"Seriously, Cath, how can you have only just realised?" Warrick asked, in a more serious tone, to match his words.
Catherine sighed, wearily. "I guess I haven't. I've always felt it. I just had no reason to give 'it' a name. I got comfy the way things were, and I forgot that things change. That phone call was a nasty reintroduction to reality. A nice slap across the face!" she growled sarcastically.
Warrick put his arm round her and pulled her closer to him.
"Listen, I honestly think you're over-reacting. The guy's been in love with you for years- "
"Exactly! And nothing happened, so he got fed up of waiting," Catherine interrupted.
"He's made no attempt to make anything happen, so I doubt he would take that attitude," Warrick said, calmly, "You're blowing this whole thing out of proportion."
"Am I?" she snapped, jumping off the bench, leaving Warrick stunned. "I finally admit to myself that I'm in love with him, and he's found someone else. I left it too long. Everything seems pretty proportional to me. I've lost him."
"Then go back there and tell him how you feel," Warrick stated.
Catherine's response was silence. That was exactly what she felt like doing, but she knew it wouldn't be fair.
"Yeah, right. 'Hey Grissom, I heard you on the phone to your girlfriend before, and I thought now would be a good time to tell you I love you. Drop that bitch and kiss me now!'"
"Well that might not be the best way to say it, but," he stood up and took hold of her, "I'm telling you, there is no girlfriend -"
"What if you're wrong?"
"Rarely happens," he smirked, "but declaring your love will certainly tell you one way or the other."
She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him, absorbing the comfort of his embrace.
"You're right," she nodded. "But I think I need a plan B. with which I'll replace that plan, because it's crap."
They both laughed and hugged each other tightly.
"Well, at least go and find out what he wanted to ask you," Warrick said, softly.
Catherine pulled back. "I'd completely forgotten about that. I wonder what it was."
"Don't wonder, ask," Warrick said with a gentle smile.
"What if it's something to do with her?" she cringed, emphasising 'her'.
"Well then you go home, change into your tight black trousers, come back, and he'll soon forget about her," Warrick teased, a cheeky grin covering his face. Dodging her hand, he winked and kissed her lightly on her forehead. "Put on your brave face, Cath, and go. Shift starts soon."
He ushered her to the door, reluctantly allowing her to turn round before she left.
"Thanks, Warrick."
"Don't mention it. Now, go!"
With that he pushed her out of the locker room.
*****
Grissom was sitting on the edge of his seat, impatiently tapping a pen on his desk, and staring intensely at the doorway. As soon as he saw Catherine pass the window, he was on his feet and he flew towards the door, just managing to stop before he collided with her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, before she had even had chance to make a comment about him nearly killing her.
"I'm fine. You missed me," she said with a smile.
"I mean are you okay, after before? Did you eat something?"
The concern in his voice and his expression could have been taken as signs that what Warrick had been saying was true. She felt her heart melt at his sweetness, and longed to be able to share her feelings with him. Realising that she was going to have to learn to control these thoughts and reactions, she shook her head, and returned to reality.
"No?" Grissom said, still concerned but a little angry.
"What? Yes.. I had something to eat," she stuttered after an effort to remember what they were talking about.
"Good. You should eat regularly, you know -" he said, smiling with relief.
"Well, maybe if my boss didn't call me into work in the middle of dinner, I would!" she snapped, instantly regretting it. "Sorry."
"No, you're right. I shouldn't have called," Grissom said, looking at her apologetically.
"You needed to ask me something. It's fine," she smiled.
"But it's not even urgent. Well, I suppose it is.. But it's not work related. I should have waited 'til you got here. I'm sorry."
"Grissom, you're rambling. Can we go in your office, please? And then you can ask me, and I'll decide if it was worth coming in early for. And if not, you will be suitably punished."
Realising that may have sounded a little flirtatious, she reprimanded herself, smiled nervously and walked past him into the office. She was beginning to wish she had never discovered her true feelings, not just because of the unrequited problem, but she was now conscious of everything she was doing, and everything she was saying, to ensure it didn't show.
"And shift starts in ten minutes, so we're gonna have to skip the periods of silence, and would you ignore any phone calls?" 'Now who's rambling?' she thought, instructing herself to relax before he started to get suspicious.
Grissom perched on the edge of his desk in front of her. "Okay," he paused to collect the right words, then continued, "Now, feel free to say no."
TBC.