Disclaimer - see chapter one
Chapter Eight
Catherine and Lindsey were just about to leave their room to go down to the restaurant for breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Catherine rolled her eyes, happily, assuming it would be Gil, and enjoying that he couldn't bear to be away from her for very long.
"Mrs Grissom, good morning" she signed, with a look of surprise, after opening the door.
"Good morning, Catherine. Were you expecting someone else?" Mrs Grissom responded, with a knowing smile.
Catherine blushed slightly, and stepped back to allow Mrs Grissom into the room.
Seeing her new friend, Lindsey ran up to Mrs Grissom and immediately began a conversation with her. Catherine couldn't see what was being said, but she still watched, amazed and proud at how quickly Lindsey had learned more sign language
After a few seconds of standing, gazing at her daughter, with the largest smile she could possibly have plastered across her face, Catherine saw Lindsey's eyes light up, and she turned to her mother.
"Mom, can I walk down to breakfast with Mrs Grissom? She has some more stories to tell me. about Grissom, when he was little," she beamed, excitedly.
"Well, we can all go down together," Catherine suggested, signing it for Mrs Grissom as well as speaking to Lindsey.
Standing behind Lindsey, Mrs Grissom shook her head, and then smiled at the shocked expression on Catherine's face. "My instructions are to just take Lindsey," she explained with a smile.
Realising what she meant, Catherine allowed Lindsey to go, and assured both that she would see them in a few minutes downstairs.
She closed the door behind them and couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. She waited, patiently, leaning against the wall by the door.
When a few minutes had passed, her smile turned to a frown and she began to wonder what was going on. She had assumed that Gil had got his mother to take Lindsey so they could have some time alone together, and had expected him to show up practically as soon as they had left. She stood up from the wall and went to open the door, but just as her hand touched the handle she stopped. "Give him chance," she told herself, and settled on the sofa to wait for him.
******
Another thirteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds passed and she was beginning to worry. This time not managing to convince herself that she was over-reacting due to excitement, she left her room and made her way to Grissom's, just down the hall.
She knocked, lightly, on the door and waited.
When she didn't receive a response, she tried the door and, on finding that it was unlocked, a feeling of panic swept over her and she swung the door open. Being unprepared for what she saw, she felt like her heart had stopped when her eyes conveyed the sight before them. She tried to speak but couldn't find any words so she left as quickly as she had entered and ran towards the stairs.
Gil ran out of his room after her, knowing how she must have interpreted what she had just walked in on.
"Catherine!"
She didn't look back, but, in her response she tried to sound unaffected, "I'm going for breakfast."
"Catherine, it's not what it looked like!" he called as he continued to pursue her down the stairs.
"How clichéd is that, Grissom?" she snorted, her voice beginning to give in to the feelings of anger and hurt that were building inside of her.
"Catherine just stop running and we'll talk!"
"If it's not what it looked like, then we don't need to talk. Everything's fine. I'll see you later," she shouted back, trying, unsuccessfully, to sound like she meant what she was saying.
"You're upset! Just stop!" he yelled, fear starting to control his actions and tone of voice.
"Why would I be upset? It's not like there was anything going on with us," she replied, still running.
"Wasn't there?"
"Well, you obviously didn't give a damn about it if there was!" she screamed, losing herself to the pain that was clouding her mind and crushing her heart.
"Cath, you're not listening to me - "
"Because I can't take anymore lies, Gil! Rick, Eddie, I never thought you would do this - "
Grissom's heart broke as he heard her compare him to Eddie, it displayed how much pain she was in, and he knew he could fix it if she would just listen. She had completely misinterpreted what she had seen, and it wasn't like her to over-react to this extent - that made it worse. This reaction confirmed that she felt the same way about him as he did about her, and the feeling that he would lose her when they were so close to what he had spent fifteen years dreaming about threatened to break him, but he couldn't let it. He mustered all the energy he had within him and increased his running speed, managing to catch up with Catherine. Grabbing her arm he turned her round to face him. She stumbled, almost losing her footing on the step. His arms shot round her preventing her from falling.
Grissom felt the intensity of the glare she gave him burn his skin.
"Not a good move to pull on a staircase, Gil!" she snapped, pulling her arm away from him.
"Let me explain - "
"Explain what? I'm a CSI, trained to see things!" she growled.
"You've misinterpreted this evidence." Unfortunately for him, his mind wandered to consider how beautiful she looks when she's angry, and thus, a small smile accompanied his statement.
This fuelled her anger and she tried to run again. Suddenly her path was blocked as he trapped her between him and the wall.
"Move!" she demanded.
"You've got the wrong idea - " he said softly.
"You know, that's what Eddie said," she laughed bitterly.
"Cath, I'm not Eddie. And I'm not Rick. You know I won't hurt you," he said, sincerely.
Her tough expression softened a little. "Do I?"
Grissom smiled comfortingly, "You know you don't need me to answer that."
"I know I believed that they wouldn't hurt me," she said, sadly. The vulnerability in her tone and sadness in her eyes hit Grissom as if someone had thumped him in the chest. He had never seen her look so afraid. This was Catherine. She always concealed her fear. Even around him, she would put on a front. He never saw all the pain.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could. At first she resisted the embrace, determined that she was going to remain angry at him, but it didn't work. As she felt the warm security of his body surround her, she curled up against him, reprimanding herself for jumping to conclusions and for pushing away the one man that had ever made her feel complete.
"I'm sorry," she said, burying her head in his chest. "I tend to over- react when it comes to you," she laughed.
Grissom smiled. "It's okay. It's rather flattering, actually. terrifying and heart-stopping, but flattering."
Catherine backed her head away from him and smiled up at him, locking her eyes with his so she could lose herself in those blue swirls that had always been so enticing, yet unreachable. "I love you."
Grissom returned her smile, "Don't you want to hear an explanation before you commit to that?"
"No. I love you. And, according to Warrick, I always have," she grinned, her gaze supporting the feeling she spoke of.
"Warrick?" Grissom queried.
"Long story. You first."
"Me first?" he asked, unsure of what she was talking about.
"I can tell you want to explain."
Grissom smiled, nervously. "You promise you'll remember that I love you, and you won't freak out?"
She narrowed her eyes, suspiciously, "I might push you downstairs," she joked.
"Maybe we shouldn't discuss this here," Grissom suggested, partly joking, but also partly serious. He knew what he was about to tell her, and he had an idea of how she would react. She might have been joking about pushing him, but he had a feeling she would want to follow through on her threat after hearing what he had to say.
"Gil, unless she's some long lost wife of yours who's gonna prevent us - " her speech slowed and eventually stopped mid-sentence as she saw the smile fall from Grissom's face on hearing her words. "Oh my God!" Her hands flew to her face and covered her mouth as her breathing became erratic, and her eyes widened.
TBC.
Chapter Eight
Catherine and Lindsey were just about to leave their room to go down to the restaurant for breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Catherine rolled her eyes, happily, assuming it would be Gil, and enjoying that he couldn't bear to be away from her for very long.
"Mrs Grissom, good morning" she signed, with a look of surprise, after opening the door.
"Good morning, Catherine. Were you expecting someone else?" Mrs Grissom responded, with a knowing smile.
Catherine blushed slightly, and stepped back to allow Mrs Grissom into the room.
Seeing her new friend, Lindsey ran up to Mrs Grissom and immediately began a conversation with her. Catherine couldn't see what was being said, but she still watched, amazed and proud at how quickly Lindsey had learned more sign language
After a few seconds of standing, gazing at her daughter, with the largest smile she could possibly have plastered across her face, Catherine saw Lindsey's eyes light up, and she turned to her mother.
"Mom, can I walk down to breakfast with Mrs Grissom? She has some more stories to tell me. about Grissom, when he was little," she beamed, excitedly.
"Well, we can all go down together," Catherine suggested, signing it for Mrs Grissom as well as speaking to Lindsey.
Standing behind Lindsey, Mrs Grissom shook her head, and then smiled at the shocked expression on Catherine's face. "My instructions are to just take Lindsey," she explained with a smile.
Realising what she meant, Catherine allowed Lindsey to go, and assured both that she would see them in a few minutes downstairs.
She closed the door behind them and couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. She waited, patiently, leaning against the wall by the door.
When a few minutes had passed, her smile turned to a frown and she began to wonder what was going on. She had assumed that Gil had got his mother to take Lindsey so they could have some time alone together, and had expected him to show up practically as soon as they had left. She stood up from the wall and went to open the door, but just as her hand touched the handle she stopped. "Give him chance," she told herself, and settled on the sofa to wait for him.
******
Another thirteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds passed and she was beginning to worry. This time not managing to convince herself that she was over-reacting due to excitement, she left her room and made her way to Grissom's, just down the hall.
She knocked, lightly, on the door and waited.
When she didn't receive a response, she tried the door and, on finding that it was unlocked, a feeling of panic swept over her and she swung the door open. Being unprepared for what she saw, she felt like her heart had stopped when her eyes conveyed the sight before them. She tried to speak but couldn't find any words so she left as quickly as she had entered and ran towards the stairs.
Gil ran out of his room after her, knowing how she must have interpreted what she had just walked in on.
"Catherine!"
She didn't look back, but, in her response she tried to sound unaffected, "I'm going for breakfast."
"Catherine, it's not what it looked like!" he called as he continued to pursue her down the stairs.
"How clichéd is that, Grissom?" she snorted, her voice beginning to give in to the feelings of anger and hurt that were building inside of her.
"Catherine just stop running and we'll talk!"
"If it's not what it looked like, then we don't need to talk. Everything's fine. I'll see you later," she shouted back, trying, unsuccessfully, to sound like she meant what she was saying.
"You're upset! Just stop!" he yelled, fear starting to control his actions and tone of voice.
"Why would I be upset? It's not like there was anything going on with us," she replied, still running.
"Wasn't there?"
"Well, you obviously didn't give a damn about it if there was!" she screamed, losing herself to the pain that was clouding her mind and crushing her heart.
"Cath, you're not listening to me - "
"Because I can't take anymore lies, Gil! Rick, Eddie, I never thought you would do this - "
Grissom's heart broke as he heard her compare him to Eddie, it displayed how much pain she was in, and he knew he could fix it if she would just listen. She had completely misinterpreted what she had seen, and it wasn't like her to over-react to this extent - that made it worse. This reaction confirmed that she felt the same way about him as he did about her, and the feeling that he would lose her when they were so close to what he had spent fifteen years dreaming about threatened to break him, but he couldn't let it. He mustered all the energy he had within him and increased his running speed, managing to catch up with Catherine. Grabbing her arm he turned her round to face him. She stumbled, almost losing her footing on the step. His arms shot round her preventing her from falling.
Grissom felt the intensity of the glare she gave him burn his skin.
"Not a good move to pull on a staircase, Gil!" she snapped, pulling her arm away from him.
"Let me explain - "
"Explain what? I'm a CSI, trained to see things!" she growled.
"You've misinterpreted this evidence." Unfortunately for him, his mind wandered to consider how beautiful she looks when she's angry, and thus, a small smile accompanied his statement.
This fuelled her anger and she tried to run again. Suddenly her path was blocked as he trapped her between him and the wall.
"Move!" she demanded.
"You've got the wrong idea - " he said softly.
"You know, that's what Eddie said," she laughed bitterly.
"Cath, I'm not Eddie. And I'm not Rick. You know I won't hurt you," he said, sincerely.
Her tough expression softened a little. "Do I?"
Grissom smiled comfortingly, "You know you don't need me to answer that."
"I know I believed that they wouldn't hurt me," she said, sadly. The vulnerability in her tone and sadness in her eyes hit Grissom as if someone had thumped him in the chest. He had never seen her look so afraid. This was Catherine. She always concealed her fear. Even around him, she would put on a front. He never saw all the pain.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could. At first she resisted the embrace, determined that she was going to remain angry at him, but it didn't work. As she felt the warm security of his body surround her, she curled up against him, reprimanding herself for jumping to conclusions and for pushing away the one man that had ever made her feel complete.
"I'm sorry," she said, burying her head in his chest. "I tend to over- react when it comes to you," she laughed.
Grissom smiled. "It's okay. It's rather flattering, actually. terrifying and heart-stopping, but flattering."
Catherine backed her head away from him and smiled up at him, locking her eyes with his so she could lose herself in those blue swirls that had always been so enticing, yet unreachable. "I love you."
Grissom returned her smile, "Don't you want to hear an explanation before you commit to that?"
"No. I love you. And, according to Warrick, I always have," she grinned, her gaze supporting the feeling she spoke of.
"Warrick?" Grissom queried.
"Long story. You first."
"Me first?" he asked, unsure of what she was talking about.
"I can tell you want to explain."
Grissom smiled, nervously. "You promise you'll remember that I love you, and you won't freak out?"
She narrowed her eyes, suspiciously, "I might push you downstairs," she joked.
"Maybe we shouldn't discuss this here," Grissom suggested, partly joking, but also partly serious. He knew what he was about to tell her, and he had an idea of how she would react. She might have been joking about pushing him, but he had a feeling she would want to follow through on her threat after hearing what he had to say.
"Gil, unless she's some long lost wife of yours who's gonna prevent us - " her speech slowed and eventually stopped mid-sentence as she saw the smile fall from Grissom's face on hearing her words. "Oh my God!" Her hands flew to her face and covered her mouth as her breathing became erratic, and her eyes widened.
TBC.