FINDING PEACE
By: The Madhatter
Chapter 6 (out of 6): Sunsets
First chapter has all the goodies on it.
A/N: This is it, the last chapter. *sniff* I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it!
The sky was a bright fiery orange, tinged with a dash of pink and yellow. The normally bright blue sky was now a faded light blue hue. The glowing ball of yellow was sinking behind the horizon, waiting for another day to come.
The wind picked up a little and blew the blond hair of Catherine Willows across her face. She seemed unaffected by the slight breeze as it whipped across her sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Her dark coat and cuffs of her pants swayed slightly. Her face was tilted downward, staring at the large slab of stone lying before her. It simply read: Edward Willows, and then his birth and death dates were inscribed on it.
The headstone was a simple plaque-nothing special about it. It almost described the person that lay six feet below it. Catherine didn't want anything overly expensive; after all, Eddie wasn't like that. Even to the death, Eddie was cheap, not that he cared anyway. She thought it was fitting.
"I thought I might find you here," a quiet voice said.
Catherine didn't bother to look up. "Hi, Gil."
"I talked to Sara. and I figured you'd be here. Is everything okay?"
"Define 'okay'."
"Catherine." He waited for her to look up at him. "Catherine," he called again. When she didn't look, he gently tapped her shoulder. "Please look at me."
She did as he asked and found herself staring at her reflection in his sunglasses. He took them off and stuffed them into his jacket pocket.
He stared at her, studying her face, trying to decipher the emotions running behind the strong mask she always wore. When he found none, he tried another tactic. "Where's Lindsey?"
"At a friend's house, spending the night." Came the mechanical reply.
"I thought that was against the rules," he said, trying to joke, but failing miserably. He sighed and looked down at the grave. "Eddie."
Catherine ignored his last statement and looked off to her right, staring at the vast area for graves. "You know, this will be the last time I'll visit this place for a while."
Grissom cocked his head to the side. "Oh?"
"Yeah." She turned around and took off her sunglasses, staring into those endless pools of blue. "This is it-the end."
"The end?"
"The end of this chapter in my life. Eddie's gone; it's time to end this. It's time to move on. I can't keep dwelling on Eddie's death for the rest of my life. I have to move on, for the sake of Lindsey and myself."
He nodded. "That must've been a long chapter."
"Not really."
He cocked an eyebrow.
"To tell the truth, it ended long ago. I just never had the courage to close it."
Grissom nodded slowly, looking up at the sky. "It's a beautiful sunset."
Catherine looked up at the sky. "It sure is. My sunset." she whispered.
Grissom looked down at the woman beside him. He admired her strength through all the trials in her life. Catherine Willows was an amazing person, and he was grateful to even know her on a personal level. Not many people had the privilege of knowing such a wonderful woman. Not only did she face everything that Eddie and her past relationships had done to her, but she also raised a child by herself, and she shouldered the burdens of the job and other's problems-his problems, sometimes. Catherine was one of a kind.
"You're a nice guy, Gil. I admire you did you know that? You're one of a kind."
He smiled, embarrassed. "You know, I was thinking the exact same thing about you."
"Really? That's a first."
"Catherine, you're one of the strongest people I've ever known. You're one of a kind, too."
She gave him her brightest smile, a smile he hadn't seen on her face for months. "Thanks. for being here with me, Gil. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't there."
He gave her his famous half-smile. "Same to you."
Catherine couldn't help the water forming in her eyes. Grissom was such a great friend. She was surprised that they were still close after 12 years of working together on the job. Catherine reached up and hugged her friend. She knew he was uncomfortable with human contact, but she didn't care. Grissom needed to know how appreciated he was. Surprisingly, he returned the gesture and hugged back.
"You're such a softie."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"I'm not finishing this."
"Right, Gil. You know it, don't deny it."
She saw the twinkle in his eye and the ever-present smirk that went along with it. "Just don't let it get around."
"And if it slipped."
He glared at her.
She laughed. "I haven't told anybody anything you didn't want them to know. But it is good blackmail."
"Catherine."
"Yes?" She smiled innocently.
Grissom broke out into a full smile. "I'll see you tonight."
"Yeah." she said, a smile forming on her lips, "tonight. Work. It's good to be back."
"I'm glad. I think Warrick's getting lonely. He's been working solo for a while."
"Is he the only one that missed me?"
"We all missed you, Catherine. Oh, and I'd, uh, watch out."
"For what?"
"Just. watch out." With that, he gave her one last smile, before heading off to his own car.
"Grissom!"
He spun around and told her one thing: "Break room."
Catherine watched him leave, a frown forming on her face. What the hell did the break room have to do with. "Oh no."
A smiled formed on her face again, a record for one day. She was scared of what state the break room would be in when she got in. She headed to her car in the opposite direction that Grissom went, without a glance back.
Never doubt, never look back.
El fin.
By: The Madhatter
Chapter 6 (out of 6): Sunsets
First chapter has all the goodies on it.
A/N: This is it, the last chapter. *sniff* I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it!
The sky was a bright fiery orange, tinged with a dash of pink and yellow. The normally bright blue sky was now a faded light blue hue. The glowing ball of yellow was sinking behind the horizon, waiting for another day to come.
The wind picked up a little and blew the blond hair of Catherine Willows across her face. She seemed unaffected by the slight breeze as it whipped across her sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Her dark coat and cuffs of her pants swayed slightly. Her face was tilted downward, staring at the large slab of stone lying before her. It simply read: Edward Willows, and then his birth and death dates were inscribed on it.
The headstone was a simple plaque-nothing special about it. It almost described the person that lay six feet below it. Catherine didn't want anything overly expensive; after all, Eddie wasn't like that. Even to the death, Eddie was cheap, not that he cared anyway. She thought it was fitting.
"I thought I might find you here," a quiet voice said.
Catherine didn't bother to look up. "Hi, Gil."
"I talked to Sara. and I figured you'd be here. Is everything okay?"
"Define 'okay'."
"Catherine." He waited for her to look up at him. "Catherine," he called again. When she didn't look, he gently tapped her shoulder. "Please look at me."
She did as he asked and found herself staring at her reflection in his sunglasses. He took them off and stuffed them into his jacket pocket.
He stared at her, studying her face, trying to decipher the emotions running behind the strong mask she always wore. When he found none, he tried another tactic. "Where's Lindsey?"
"At a friend's house, spending the night." Came the mechanical reply.
"I thought that was against the rules," he said, trying to joke, but failing miserably. He sighed and looked down at the grave. "Eddie."
Catherine ignored his last statement and looked off to her right, staring at the vast area for graves. "You know, this will be the last time I'll visit this place for a while."
Grissom cocked his head to the side. "Oh?"
"Yeah." She turned around and took off her sunglasses, staring into those endless pools of blue. "This is it-the end."
"The end?"
"The end of this chapter in my life. Eddie's gone; it's time to end this. It's time to move on. I can't keep dwelling on Eddie's death for the rest of my life. I have to move on, for the sake of Lindsey and myself."
He nodded. "That must've been a long chapter."
"Not really."
He cocked an eyebrow.
"To tell the truth, it ended long ago. I just never had the courage to close it."
Grissom nodded slowly, looking up at the sky. "It's a beautiful sunset."
Catherine looked up at the sky. "It sure is. My sunset." she whispered.
Grissom looked down at the woman beside him. He admired her strength through all the trials in her life. Catherine Willows was an amazing person, and he was grateful to even know her on a personal level. Not many people had the privilege of knowing such a wonderful woman. Not only did she face everything that Eddie and her past relationships had done to her, but she also raised a child by herself, and she shouldered the burdens of the job and other's problems-his problems, sometimes. Catherine was one of a kind.
"You're a nice guy, Gil. I admire you did you know that? You're one of a kind."
He smiled, embarrassed. "You know, I was thinking the exact same thing about you."
"Really? That's a first."
"Catherine, you're one of the strongest people I've ever known. You're one of a kind, too."
She gave him her brightest smile, a smile he hadn't seen on her face for months. "Thanks. for being here with me, Gil. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't there."
He gave her his famous half-smile. "Same to you."
Catherine couldn't help the water forming in her eyes. Grissom was such a great friend. She was surprised that they were still close after 12 years of working together on the job. Catherine reached up and hugged her friend. She knew he was uncomfortable with human contact, but she didn't care. Grissom needed to know how appreciated he was. Surprisingly, he returned the gesture and hugged back.
"You're such a softie."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"I'm not finishing this."
"Right, Gil. You know it, don't deny it."
She saw the twinkle in his eye and the ever-present smirk that went along with it. "Just don't let it get around."
"And if it slipped."
He glared at her.
She laughed. "I haven't told anybody anything you didn't want them to know. But it is good blackmail."
"Catherine."
"Yes?" She smiled innocently.
Grissom broke out into a full smile. "I'll see you tonight."
"Yeah." she said, a smile forming on her lips, "tonight. Work. It's good to be back."
"I'm glad. I think Warrick's getting lonely. He's been working solo for a while."
"Is he the only one that missed me?"
"We all missed you, Catherine. Oh, and I'd, uh, watch out."
"For what?"
"Just. watch out." With that, he gave her one last smile, before heading off to his own car.
"Grissom!"
He spun around and told her one thing: "Break room."
Catherine watched him leave, a frown forming on her face. What the hell did the break room have to do with. "Oh no."
A smiled formed on her face again, a record for one day. She was scared of what state the break room would be in when she got in. She headed to her car in the opposite direction that Grissom went, without a glance back.
Never doubt, never look back.
El fin.