Disclaimer - see chapter one
Chapter Four
"So, he's taking you to his cousin's wedding?" Warrick asked, trying to make sure he was understanding what she was saying.
Catherine nodded as she took a bite of her pancakes.
"And he was seriously flirting with you at the start of shift -"
"Well, you say he was," Catherine interrupted.
"Girl, are you blind, or in denial?" Warrick exclaimed.
"I'm not getting my hopes up, Warrick. You say he hasn't got a girlfriend, I think he has. Neither of us knows for sure - "
"But the evidence - "
"There's evidence for both arguments, so until it's proven one way or the other, I'm sticking with my theory," Catherine said determinedly, suddenly losing her appetite and pushing her plate away.
"But my theory makes more sense. Why would he be flirting with you, and taking you to the wedding if he's in love with some other woman?"
Catherine was silent. His theory did make more sense, she didn't know how to respond.
"You know I'm right," Warrick smirked.
"I know that I heard him on the phone," she said sadly.
"And I saw him in the break room. And so did you. I think you just want to believe he's got someone else so you don't have to tell him how you feel."
"Even if he didn't have someone else I wouldn't have to tell him," Catherine argued.
"No, but you'd want to. And you'd have no excuse not to."
Catherine remained silent, staring at Warrick, then she shifted a little in her seat, couldn't seem to find anything to do with her hands, and glared at him, playfully. "You think you're so clever don't you?"
Warrick smiled. "I know I am."
"I don't want to ruin our friendship. I can't risk losing him."
She looked so vulnerable. Warrick hadn't seen her this scared since she was attacked at a crime scene. He smiled, sympathetically, reached over the table, and took her hand.
"You won't."
She smiled her appreciation for his comfort, then took a deep breath. "So, what do I do now?"
"You go to the wedding."
*****
"Come on!" Grissom exclaimed, standing in Catherine's hallway, watching her run in and out of various rooms, throwing objects into the suitcase that lay open on the floor. "I told my mom we'd be at the hotel by seven, it's gonna take us over an hour to get there."
"Maybe if you'd have given me more than an hour's notice that we were leaving today, we might be ready," Catherine said, stopping to glare at him on her way from the living room to the kitchen.
"Lindsey knew," he replied to her back as she continued with her task.
"But you told Lindsey to keep everything she knew about this secret. So she didn't tell me!" she called from the kitchen.
"Ah!" Grissom said, mainly to himself.
"Yes, ah!" Catherine remarked, as she came out of the kitchen stuffing several packets of crisps into one of Lindsey's Barbie rucksacks. "That'll teach you to conspire against me."
Grissom smirked, "Unlikely."
Catherine looked up from trying to fasten the bag, to meet Grissom's stare. He shrugged, and she allowed herself to smile.
Looking deep into his eyes, she finally let herself admit that Warrick's observation may have been correct. He certainly seemed to be flirting with her. And she liked it. 'This weekend could be interesting.' She couldn't help smiling as a feeling of excitement rushed through her body at that thought.
"What are you smiling about?" Grissom enquired.
"Nothing." She smiled again. "I'll go get Lindsey."
Still unable to stop smiling, she turned away from him and walked up the stairs. Grissom didn't take his eyes off her.
*****
He swung the tahoe into the hotel car park and it had barely come to a stand still when the passenger-side door flew open and Catherine jumped out and, elegantly, ran into the hotel.
Inside the car, taking off her seat belt, Lindsey was shaking her head. "She should have gone before we came out."
After chuckling at the child's imitation of her mother, Grissom turned in his seat to look at her. "Are you ready, Linds?"
Lindsey nodded emphatically.
"Do you remember what I taught you?"
Her face lit up. "I sure do."
"Well, let's go."
They exited the tahoe, collected their bags from the trunk and headed for the hotel.
*****
Grissom watched in amusement as Lindsey stood in the doorway, mouth open, staring in awe at the size and décor of the hotel foyer.
"It's huge!" she exclaimed, stepping further inside and turning around slowly to take it all in.
"Wait 'til you see the rooms," Grissom said as he walked past her towards the desk.
Still gazing around her in amazement, she followed him, only realising he had stopped, when she walked into him. Looking down from the ceiling, the intricate painting of which she had been studying prior to the collision, she noticed the woman standing in front of Grissom. She recognised her from the photographs Grissom had shown her, and though she was confident that she remembered what he had taught her, she suddenly felt nervous about actually doing it. She slowly side-stepped so she was only half-visible, standing behind Grissom, hoping that she wouldn't be seen.
However, she saw the woman smile at her as she did this, and realised she had been caught. Taking a deep breath, she walked out of her hiding place and signed, 'Hello, Mrs Grissom, nice to meet you.'
His mother smiled with surprise and pride, glancing briefly to Grissom, who winked and smiled back. Then she signed 'Hello, Lindsey. How are you?' slowly so that she could interpret the signs.
Happiness radiated from Lindsey's face as she understood what had been said to her, and she confidently replied.
*****
Across the foyer, Catherine smiled proudly as she watched Lindsey talk to Grissom's mother.
She had once stood, unnoticed, in her daughter's bedroom doorway and watched her practicing signs in the mirror. She knew Grissom must have taught her them, but she hadn't realised they had been learned for a specific occasion.
Now, Grissom stood beside Lindsey, explaining any signs that she could not understand and watching her with the same look of parental pride that Catherine knew she must be displaying. At that moment her love for him felt stronger than ever, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to last much longer without seeing if her feelings were reciprocated.
TBC..
Chapter Four
"So, he's taking you to his cousin's wedding?" Warrick asked, trying to make sure he was understanding what she was saying.
Catherine nodded as she took a bite of her pancakes.
"And he was seriously flirting with you at the start of shift -"
"Well, you say he was," Catherine interrupted.
"Girl, are you blind, or in denial?" Warrick exclaimed.
"I'm not getting my hopes up, Warrick. You say he hasn't got a girlfriend, I think he has. Neither of us knows for sure - "
"But the evidence - "
"There's evidence for both arguments, so until it's proven one way or the other, I'm sticking with my theory," Catherine said determinedly, suddenly losing her appetite and pushing her plate away.
"But my theory makes more sense. Why would he be flirting with you, and taking you to the wedding if he's in love with some other woman?"
Catherine was silent. His theory did make more sense, she didn't know how to respond.
"You know I'm right," Warrick smirked.
"I know that I heard him on the phone," she said sadly.
"And I saw him in the break room. And so did you. I think you just want to believe he's got someone else so you don't have to tell him how you feel."
"Even if he didn't have someone else I wouldn't have to tell him," Catherine argued.
"No, but you'd want to. And you'd have no excuse not to."
Catherine remained silent, staring at Warrick, then she shifted a little in her seat, couldn't seem to find anything to do with her hands, and glared at him, playfully. "You think you're so clever don't you?"
Warrick smiled. "I know I am."
"I don't want to ruin our friendship. I can't risk losing him."
She looked so vulnerable. Warrick hadn't seen her this scared since she was attacked at a crime scene. He smiled, sympathetically, reached over the table, and took her hand.
"You won't."
She smiled her appreciation for his comfort, then took a deep breath. "So, what do I do now?"
"You go to the wedding."
*****
"Come on!" Grissom exclaimed, standing in Catherine's hallway, watching her run in and out of various rooms, throwing objects into the suitcase that lay open on the floor. "I told my mom we'd be at the hotel by seven, it's gonna take us over an hour to get there."
"Maybe if you'd have given me more than an hour's notice that we were leaving today, we might be ready," Catherine said, stopping to glare at him on her way from the living room to the kitchen.
"Lindsey knew," he replied to her back as she continued with her task.
"But you told Lindsey to keep everything she knew about this secret. So she didn't tell me!" she called from the kitchen.
"Ah!" Grissom said, mainly to himself.
"Yes, ah!" Catherine remarked, as she came out of the kitchen stuffing several packets of crisps into one of Lindsey's Barbie rucksacks. "That'll teach you to conspire against me."
Grissom smirked, "Unlikely."
Catherine looked up from trying to fasten the bag, to meet Grissom's stare. He shrugged, and she allowed herself to smile.
Looking deep into his eyes, she finally let herself admit that Warrick's observation may have been correct. He certainly seemed to be flirting with her. And she liked it. 'This weekend could be interesting.' She couldn't help smiling as a feeling of excitement rushed through her body at that thought.
"What are you smiling about?" Grissom enquired.
"Nothing." She smiled again. "I'll go get Lindsey."
Still unable to stop smiling, she turned away from him and walked up the stairs. Grissom didn't take his eyes off her.
*****
He swung the tahoe into the hotel car park and it had barely come to a stand still when the passenger-side door flew open and Catherine jumped out and, elegantly, ran into the hotel.
Inside the car, taking off her seat belt, Lindsey was shaking her head. "She should have gone before we came out."
After chuckling at the child's imitation of her mother, Grissom turned in his seat to look at her. "Are you ready, Linds?"
Lindsey nodded emphatically.
"Do you remember what I taught you?"
Her face lit up. "I sure do."
"Well, let's go."
They exited the tahoe, collected their bags from the trunk and headed for the hotel.
*****
Grissom watched in amusement as Lindsey stood in the doorway, mouth open, staring in awe at the size and décor of the hotel foyer.
"It's huge!" she exclaimed, stepping further inside and turning around slowly to take it all in.
"Wait 'til you see the rooms," Grissom said as he walked past her towards the desk.
Still gazing around her in amazement, she followed him, only realising he had stopped, when she walked into him. Looking down from the ceiling, the intricate painting of which she had been studying prior to the collision, she noticed the woman standing in front of Grissom. She recognised her from the photographs Grissom had shown her, and though she was confident that she remembered what he had taught her, she suddenly felt nervous about actually doing it. She slowly side-stepped so she was only half-visible, standing behind Grissom, hoping that she wouldn't be seen.
However, she saw the woman smile at her as she did this, and realised she had been caught. Taking a deep breath, she walked out of her hiding place and signed, 'Hello, Mrs Grissom, nice to meet you.'
His mother smiled with surprise and pride, glancing briefly to Grissom, who winked and smiled back. Then she signed 'Hello, Lindsey. How are you?' slowly so that she could interpret the signs.
Happiness radiated from Lindsey's face as she understood what had been said to her, and she confidently replied.
*****
Across the foyer, Catherine smiled proudly as she watched Lindsey talk to Grissom's mother.
She had once stood, unnoticed, in her daughter's bedroom doorway and watched her practicing signs in the mirror. She knew Grissom must have taught her them, but she hadn't realised they had been learned for a specific occasion.
Now, Grissom stood beside Lindsey, explaining any signs that she could not understand and watching her with the same look of parental pride that Catherine knew she must be displaying. At that moment her love for him felt stronger than ever, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to last much longer without seeing if her feelings were reciprocated.
TBC..