Disclaimer - see chapter one
Spoiler - very, very, very minor one for "Burden of Proof".
Chapter Nine
"Cath," he began, quickly, needing to calm her down, "She's not my wife. She was my fiancée."
Her hands dropped and she stared at him open-mouthed, a look of complete shock covering her face. "Your fiancée? Gil, I never knew you even had a fiancée!" she exclaimed, trying to remain as calm as she could, but she was finding it extremely difficult.
"It was twenty years ago - "
"You've never mentioned it." She spoke relatively peacefully, but her surprise at him having kept this secret from her was evident in her tone.
"I don't like talking about it."
"But in all the conversations we've had about failed relationships, you've never - "
"It took me years to get over it. I didn't want to relive it," he said, bluntly.
She could see in his eyes that he wasn't exaggerating. She had once commented to him that he had been burned bad, but she had never thought it had been anything this serious that had left him with those burns.
She nodded understandingly and took his hand in hers. "Okay. You don't have to tell me about it. But could you tell me what she was doing in your hotel room?"
"She just wanted to talk. To say 'hey'."
Catherine eyed him dubiously, "After twenty years? Just out of the blue? And she just happens to be at the same hotel as you? Holes, Gil. Fill them."
"She was here for a conference. She arrived a few days ago, saw something about the wedding of Elizabeth Grissom, and figured it wasn't a very common name. So she called to ask if I was gonna be here."
"You knew you were gonna see her? But you still didn't mention her? You're just making them deeper, Gil."
"Cath, can't we go back upstairs?"
"Lindsey's waiting for me. We'll do this here," she said authoritatively, her confusion and increasing hurt, overpowering the need she felt to comfort him.
"Okay. I told her I wouldn't have time to see her."
"And you thought that would stop her? She knows you're here. She knows why you're here. It wouldn't be difficult to track you down."
"I thought she would take the hint."
"Obviously - " Catherine started to respond but stopped, her expression conveying that something had just clicked. "Wait. When did she call?"
Grissom frowned, confused at this change of subject. "A few days ago. I don't know."
"The day you asked me to come with you?"
"Maybe. Yeah, I think so. If you're going somewhere with this you're way off - "
"Of course I am! Grissom, I heard you on the phone to her, it didn't sound like you were giving her the brush off."
"You weren't - "
"I'm going for breakfast" she said, shaking her head as she moved to pass him.
"Catherine, you weren't there," he said, still unsure of what had happened to spur this reaction.
"Is that why you brought us? A ready made family? Make it look like you haven't been pining after your lost love for the last twenty years!" she snapped, finding herself unable to walk away without making one last comment. Having done that, she turned and headed towards the restaurant.
Gil was about to follow her when he recognised the voice speaking to him from the top of the stairs.
"Gil, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to - "
"Like hell you didn't!" he exclaimed turning to the source of the voice, and glaring at her with an anger she had never seen in him before. "I saw you watching us last night - in the bar."
"You didn't acknowledge me."
"It's called ignoring you. Something I have the right to do. You've wrecked my life once, and now you're doing it again!" he shouted, knowing that he should be chasing after Catherine, but needing to vent the anger he had kept concealed for two decades.
She gasped, shocked by the outburst.
"What's wrong? Did you think I just recovered from being left at the alter in a couple of days? Or I had a cup of coffee and I was fine? I had planned to spend the rest of my life with you - "
"Gil, I - "
"Don't - "
"Please. I was scared. I never intended to hurt you. Is it true? What she said? About you pining after me?"
"Oh don't flatter yourself!"
"So, what did she mean? You two seem pretty close. Have you had a serious relationship since me, Gil?" she said, a smug grin settling on her face, as she walked downstairs, her smile widening with every second of silence.
"No, I haven't. But that's nothing to do with you," Grissom said, anticipating the moment when he would wipe that smirk of her face.
"Sure it isn't," she said, in an irritating sarcastic drawl.
Grissom stepped closer to her and smiled complacently, "For the first few years, maybe I was still getting over you. But then I met Catherine, and I never thought about you again. She is the reason I never wanted anyone else."
Julia's eyes showed that he had hurt her, but she knew she deserved it. "I don't think it's me you should be telling," she said gently, with a genuine smile.
Grissom nodded, and felt all the anger evaporate from his heart. "I'm sorry - "
Julia shook her head, "My own fault. I'm sorry."
She leaned down and hugged him. "Go, find her."
As it happened, he didn't have to go very far. Catherine had got to the breakfast table and realised she didn't have much of an appetite. Lindsey had asked where Gil was, and that was it. Tears welled in her eyes at the thought that she had lost him, and she ran out of the restaurant to get him back.
She found him where she had left him, but once again in the arms of the other woman. This time it was rage that built inside her, she let out a short laugh at the irony, and stormed back into the restaurant, intent on using the other exit to get to her room with out passing him.
"Why does she always walk in then?" Grissom exclaimed, tearing at his hair as he shot down the stairs after her.
TBC.
Spoiler - very, very, very minor one for "Burden of Proof".
Chapter Nine
"Cath," he began, quickly, needing to calm her down, "She's not my wife. She was my fiancée."
Her hands dropped and she stared at him open-mouthed, a look of complete shock covering her face. "Your fiancée? Gil, I never knew you even had a fiancée!" she exclaimed, trying to remain as calm as she could, but she was finding it extremely difficult.
"It was twenty years ago - "
"You've never mentioned it." She spoke relatively peacefully, but her surprise at him having kept this secret from her was evident in her tone.
"I don't like talking about it."
"But in all the conversations we've had about failed relationships, you've never - "
"It took me years to get over it. I didn't want to relive it," he said, bluntly.
She could see in his eyes that he wasn't exaggerating. She had once commented to him that he had been burned bad, but she had never thought it had been anything this serious that had left him with those burns.
She nodded understandingly and took his hand in hers. "Okay. You don't have to tell me about it. But could you tell me what she was doing in your hotel room?"
"She just wanted to talk. To say 'hey'."
Catherine eyed him dubiously, "After twenty years? Just out of the blue? And she just happens to be at the same hotel as you? Holes, Gil. Fill them."
"She was here for a conference. She arrived a few days ago, saw something about the wedding of Elizabeth Grissom, and figured it wasn't a very common name. So she called to ask if I was gonna be here."
"You knew you were gonna see her? But you still didn't mention her? You're just making them deeper, Gil."
"Cath, can't we go back upstairs?"
"Lindsey's waiting for me. We'll do this here," she said authoritatively, her confusion and increasing hurt, overpowering the need she felt to comfort him.
"Okay. I told her I wouldn't have time to see her."
"And you thought that would stop her? She knows you're here. She knows why you're here. It wouldn't be difficult to track you down."
"I thought she would take the hint."
"Obviously - " Catherine started to respond but stopped, her expression conveying that something had just clicked. "Wait. When did she call?"
Grissom frowned, confused at this change of subject. "A few days ago. I don't know."
"The day you asked me to come with you?"
"Maybe. Yeah, I think so. If you're going somewhere with this you're way off - "
"Of course I am! Grissom, I heard you on the phone to her, it didn't sound like you were giving her the brush off."
"You weren't - "
"I'm going for breakfast" she said, shaking her head as she moved to pass him.
"Catherine, you weren't there," he said, still unsure of what had happened to spur this reaction.
"Is that why you brought us? A ready made family? Make it look like you haven't been pining after your lost love for the last twenty years!" she snapped, finding herself unable to walk away without making one last comment. Having done that, she turned and headed towards the restaurant.
Gil was about to follow her when he recognised the voice speaking to him from the top of the stairs.
"Gil, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to - "
"Like hell you didn't!" he exclaimed turning to the source of the voice, and glaring at her with an anger she had never seen in him before. "I saw you watching us last night - in the bar."
"You didn't acknowledge me."
"It's called ignoring you. Something I have the right to do. You've wrecked my life once, and now you're doing it again!" he shouted, knowing that he should be chasing after Catherine, but needing to vent the anger he had kept concealed for two decades.
She gasped, shocked by the outburst.
"What's wrong? Did you think I just recovered from being left at the alter in a couple of days? Or I had a cup of coffee and I was fine? I had planned to spend the rest of my life with you - "
"Gil, I - "
"Don't - "
"Please. I was scared. I never intended to hurt you. Is it true? What she said? About you pining after me?"
"Oh don't flatter yourself!"
"So, what did she mean? You two seem pretty close. Have you had a serious relationship since me, Gil?" she said, a smug grin settling on her face, as she walked downstairs, her smile widening with every second of silence.
"No, I haven't. But that's nothing to do with you," Grissom said, anticipating the moment when he would wipe that smirk of her face.
"Sure it isn't," she said, in an irritating sarcastic drawl.
Grissom stepped closer to her and smiled complacently, "For the first few years, maybe I was still getting over you. But then I met Catherine, and I never thought about you again. She is the reason I never wanted anyone else."
Julia's eyes showed that he had hurt her, but she knew she deserved it. "I don't think it's me you should be telling," she said gently, with a genuine smile.
Grissom nodded, and felt all the anger evaporate from his heart. "I'm sorry - "
Julia shook her head, "My own fault. I'm sorry."
She leaned down and hugged him. "Go, find her."
As it happened, he didn't have to go very far. Catherine had got to the breakfast table and realised she didn't have much of an appetite. Lindsey had asked where Gil was, and that was it. Tears welled in her eyes at the thought that she had lost him, and she ran out of the restaurant to get him back.
She found him where she had left him, but once again in the arms of the other woman. This time it was rage that built inside her, she let out a short laugh at the irony, and stormed back into the restaurant, intent on using the other exit to get to her room with out passing him.
"Why does she always walk in then?" Grissom exclaimed, tearing at his hair as he shot down the stairs after her.
TBC.