Catherine was starting to think he wasn't going to open up. He began
tracing patterns on her bare knee. She placed a few soft kisses on the top
of his head and waited a little longer.
"I was in love once." He began. His mind slipped off to a time when the relentless trials of life hadn't intruded on youthful idealism. "She was beautiful in her own way, intelligent and witty. Her name was Elizabeth; everyone called her Liz. She was a detective for the LAPD. We met at an autopsy. I had just become coroner. I was attracted but it wasn't appropriate. Time went by and we started to see each other away from work. She loved butterflies; most of my collection came from that time. Eventually, we ended up in bed. We kept it quiet. Mainly because she was twelve years older than me."
He finished his scotch and placed the empty tumbler on the coffee table beside Catherine's untouched screwdriver. He wrapped an arm around her and nestled against her. She placed more soft kisses in his hair. He began the pattern trace again, this time on her thigh. It was something between a figure eight and triangles; perhaps it was his rendition of butterflies.
"One night I got a call to pick up bodies at a convenience store robbery gone wrong. One of the bodies was Liz. She had stopped to pick up cigarettes and a nervous kid holding up the store shot her when he saw the gun under her blazer. He shot the store clerk and fled. He didn't even take the money."
I'm so sorry, Gil." Catherine murmured.
"She was slumped over, kind of propped up against the counter. Her forehead was in a pool of blood on the floor. He shot her in the neck." He stopped speaking for a time, reliving the long ago horror, then restarted. "It was like seeing it all over again. Then I realized how much the victim looked like Sara."
"Is Sara like her?" Catherine asked.
"Not really, but occasionally she wears the same scent." He replied.
"Sara wears perfume?" Catherine was surprised. She seldom wore perfume and she knew Grissom didn't wear cologne. It tended to interfere with the job. Sometimes scents were vital clues at crime scenes.
"I'm not sure it's perfume, maybe lotion or body wash. It was more noticeable when she first started here before she quit smoking. It might have been perfume then." Grissom pondered. "I never really gave it much thought. In fact, it took me a while to recognize the scent. Sometimes I think she has a mannerism or two like Liz but maybe I'm projecting."
Catherine knew he was close to falling asleep. When he said no more for a few minutes, she decided it was time to get him in bed before he passed out and she couldn't move him. Once he was finally down, he was gonna be out for awhile.
"Hey, let's get you in bed." She stood up, took his hand and led him upstairs. When he hadn't started to undress after she turned the covers of her bed down; she pulled his shirt out of his trousers and started unbuttoning it. He let her unbutton it all the way before brushing her off and telling her he could undress himself.
"Okay, you want some Motrin? You've gotta have a killer headache." She inquired. He nodded. While she was getting the pills and some water, he finished undressing and got in bed. After he swallowed the pills and sipped some water, he just stared at her. He looked so pitiful. She ruffled his hair.
"I could rub your neck and shoulders." She offered.
"How about staying with me 'til I go to sleep?" He countered.
"I can do that." She cuddled close to him.
He was quiet for awhile then he said. "You know, I think I've spent the past twenty years falling for women who were either unattainable or I knew I didn't really want because it was safe. I dated just enough so people wouldn't think I was weird."
Catherine propped herself up and looked into his heavy-lidded eyes. "I've always thought that about you. Tell me, Mister, Do you think you're safe now?" She tapped a playful finger against his chin.
Umm, Maybe I don't want to be safe anymore." He replied. With that he rolled over and snuggled his face into her neck. Her eyes widened when he started to lick, then nibble and finally suck her neck. She wasn't quite sure what to do or how to take this but after a minute or so he solved the whole situation by finally crashing into deep sleep.
"I was in love once." He began. His mind slipped off to a time when the relentless trials of life hadn't intruded on youthful idealism. "She was beautiful in her own way, intelligent and witty. Her name was Elizabeth; everyone called her Liz. She was a detective for the LAPD. We met at an autopsy. I had just become coroner. I was attracted but it wasn't appropriate. Time went by and we started to see each other away from work. She loved butterflies; most of my collection came from that time. Eventually, we ended up in bed. We kept it quiet. Mainly because she was twelve years older than me."
He finished his scotch and placed the empty tumbler on the coffee table beside Catherine's untouched screwdriver. He wrapped an arm around her and nestled against her. She placed more soft kisses in his hair. He began the pattern trace again, this time on her thigh. It was something between a figure eight and triangles; perhaps it was his rendition of butterflies.
"One night I got a call to pick up bodies at a convenience store robbery gone wrong. One of the bodies was Liz. She had stopped to pick up cigarettes and a nervous kid holding up the store shot her when he saw the gun under her blazer. He shot the store clerk and fled. He didn't even take the money."
I'm so sorry, Gil." Catherine murmured.
"She was slumped over, kind of propped up against the counter. Her forehead was in a pool of blood on the floor. He shot her in the neck." He stopped speaking for a time, reliving the long ago horror, then restarted. "It was like seeing it all over again. Then I realized how much the victim looked like Sara."
"Is Sara like her?" Catherine asked.
"Not really, but occasionally she wears the same scent." He replied.
"Sara wears perfume?" Catherine was surprised. She seldom wore perfume and she knew Grissom didn't wear cologne. It tended to interfere with the job. Sometimes scents were vital clues at crime scenes.
"I'm not sure it's perfume, maybe lotion or body wash. It was more noticeable when she first started here before she quit smoking. It might have been perfume then." Grissom pondered. "I never really gave it much thought. In fact, it took me a while to recognize the scent. Sometimes I think she has a mannerism or two like Liz but maybe I'm projecting."
Catherine knew he was close to falling asleep. When he said no more for a few minutes, she decided it was time to get him in bed before he passed out and she couldn't move him. Once he was finally down, he was gonna be out for awhile.
"Hey, let's get you in bed." She stood up, took his hand and led him upstairs. When he hadn't started to undress after she turned the covers of her bed down; she pulled his shirt out of his trousers and started unbuttoning it. He let her unbutton it all the way before brushing her off and telling her he could undress himself.
"Okay, you want some Motrin? You've gotta have a killer headache." She inquired. He nodded. While she was getting the pills and some water, he finished undressing and got in bed. After he swallowed the pills and sipped some water, he just stared at her. He looked so pitiful. She ruffled his hair.
"I could rub your neck and shoulders." She offered.
"How about staying with me 'til I go to sleep?" He countered.
"I can do that." She cuddled close to him.
He was quiet for awhile then he said. "You know, I think I've spent the past twenty years falling for women who were either unattainable or I knew I didn't really want because it was safe. I dated just enough so people wouldn't think I was weird."
Catherine propped herself up and looked into his heavy-lidded eyes. "I've always thought that about you. Tell me, Mister, Do you think you're safe now?" She tapped a playful finger against his chin.
Umm, Maybe I don't want to be safe anymore." He replied. With that he rolled over and snuggled his face into her neck. Her eyes widened when he started to lick, then nibble and finally suck her neck. She wasn't quite sure what to do or how to take this but after a minute or so he solved the whole situation by finally crashing into deep sleep.