Disclaimer: see chapter one
Chapter Eight
"What?" Catherine asked, having been unable to hear his last statement.
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "I'm just worried about this. I mean, how do we know we're not dealing with a serial killer?"
Catherine frowned. "Well, there's been nothing to indicate that we are."
"Similarly there's been nothing to indicate that we're not."
"Except for the lack of evidence to suggest that we are. And that's how we work, Gil. We follow the evidence, remember?. It'll be fine."
"You're still putting yourself at risk, I ju - "
"And I'm still going to do it, no matter what you say."
"I know."
Catherine smiled. "Well, you should by now."
For a second they shared a smile, then suddenly Catherine gasped as a realisation hit her.
"What?" Grissom asked, concerned.
"What am I gonna wear?"
Grissom laughed. "I'm sure you've got lots of clothes, you'll find something."
"I can't wear any of them! I think I need something new. Yeah, I deserve something new," she nodded to herself. "So, what you doing this afternoon?"
"Sleeping," Grissom stated, knowing where she was going with this.
"Not anymore. You owe me a shopping trip," she grinned.
"Can't I just pay for the jacket?"
"Not sufficient punishment," she said, shaking her head.
"Oh come on. It was an accident!"
"I don't think so. You purposely hit that brake."
"With good reason!" he said, lifting up the newspaper, as if that backed up his argument.
"That's nonsense!"
"You said he was 'hot' and now this says there's something going on!"
"Saying he's hot is hardly proof that we're having a love affair. I also said you were hot."
"And if anyone ever claimed you and I were having a 'love affair', they'd probably offer that as evidence!"
"And it would be as ridiculous then as it is now!" These were words borne of hurt, not rage. But Grissom didn't see that. She had said out loud what he knew she had been thinking. It was all he needed to know.
"Do you really think there is something going on between me and Marc?" she asked, more calmly, not wanting to get into an argument with him.
"I don't know. These stories normally start somewhere."
Catherine eyes widened as surprise fuelled her anger. "What?"
"Rumours normally start somewhere!" he said, emphasising each word.
"Repeat that!"
Grissom stayed silent.
"Repeat it, Gil! Just so I know that you definitely said it!"
He did see the hurt behind this and shook his head.
"Thank you," she said, softly. "You don't need to come shopping. I was just winding you up," she gave a small smile. "I'll see you later."
Grissom nodded.
She had taken three steps towards the door when he said:
"Cath!"
She turned round.
"I'm sorry."
She smiled, sadly. "So am I."
*****
As she approached reception on her way out of the building, Catherine heard a lot of voices and shouting. Rounding the corner, through the door she could see reporters filling the space. She rolled her eyes and walked through the door. As soon as they realised who it was they flocked around her. She kept walking. Throwing questions at her about her relationship with Marc Weston, they followed her to her car, where she finally turned to them.
"Follow me, and I'll have you arrested," she stated as she climbed into her car.
The reporters looked to each other trying to figure out if she could do that. Noting that she was a Crime Scene Investigator and probably knew the law better than they did, they decided keeping their distance was probably a good idea.
*****
"Mom!" Lindsey shouted as she came through the front door.
This startled Catherine where she had fallen asleep on the sofa, and she jumped up and ran towards the front door.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
"You're dating Marc Weston?"
Catherine rubbed her eyes with one hand, as she remembered that she had intended to tell Lindsey before she went to school, but she had been preoccupied reliving her argument with Grissom, and completely forgot.
"You could have told me!" Lindsey sounded surprised, but not angry.
"Honey, I was going to talk to you this morning."
"So it's true?"
"No!. I have to pretend to be dating Marc Weston, for work. Like undercover work."
"Well, it's not very secret. It's in all the papers!"
"I know. Honey, I'm sorry. My head was miles away this morning, I meant to tell you. Did you get any hassle at school?"
"No. All the kids thought it was cool. They didn't really give me chance to speak to tell them it wasn't true. So looks like your 'secret' is safe," she giggled.
Catherine smiled. "And what do you think?"
Lindsey grinned. "I think it would be well cool!"
Catherine laughed.
"But. Did you have an argument with Grissom about it?"
The shock silenced Catherine's laughter. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, your 'head was miles away this morning', and Grissom's outside."
"What?!"
"He didn't say that you'd had an argument, but his head seems to be miles away too, so I could tell."
Catherine smiled at her daughter's wisdom.
"Why didn't he knock?"
"He could see that you were asleep. He's just been sitting there. I said I'd wake you," Lindsey smiled. "He told me not to, but I didn't think he should sit out there all afternoon. The neighbours would talk."
When her mother just laughed, Lindsey continued. "Let him in!. Talk to him!"
"When did you grow up?" Catherine asked, hugging Lindsey to her as she spoke.
"I just had a birthday, remember?. Now let me go, and open that door," she giggled, then she turned and ran upstairs.
Catherine laughed to herself once more, then opened the front door, and there was Grissom, sitting on the step.
"Gil?"
He stood and turned round.
"What are you doing here?"
"I thought we were going shopping."
TBC.
Chapter Eight
"What?" Catherine asked, having been unable to hear his last statement.
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "I'm just worried about this. I mean, how do we know we're not dealing with a serial killer?"
Catherine frowned. "Well, there's been nothing to indicate that we are."
"Similarly there's been nothing to indicate that we're not."
"Except for the lack of evidence to suggest that we are. And that's how we work, Gil. We follow the evidence, remember?. It'll be fine."
"You're still putting yourself at risk, I ju - "
"And I'm still going to do it, no matter what you say."
"I know."
Catherine smiled. "Well, you should by now."
For a second they shared a smile, then suddenly Catherine gasped as a realisation hit her.
"What?" Grissom asked, concerned.
"What am I gonna wear?"
Grissom laughed. "I'm sure you've got lots of clothes, you'll find something."
"I can't wear any of them! I think I need something new. Yeah, I deserve something new," she nodded to herself. "So, what you doing this afternoon?"
"Sleeping," Grissom stated, knowing where she was going with this.
"Not anymore. You owe me a shopping trip," she grinned.
"Can't I just pay for the jacket?"
"Not sufficient punishment," she said, shaking her head.
"Oh come on. It was an accident!"
"I don't think so. You purposely hit that brake."
"With good reason!" he said, lifting up the newspaper, as if that backed up his argument.
"That's nonsense!"
"You said he was 'hot' and now this says there's something going on!"
"Saying he's hot is hardly proof that we're having a love affair. I also said you were hot."
"And if anyone ever claimed you and I were having a 'love affair', they'd probably offer that as evidence!"
"And it would be as ridiculous then as it is now!" These were words borne of hurt, not rage. But Grissom didn't see that. She had said out loud what he knew she had been thinking. It was all he needed to know.
"Do you really think there is something going on between me and Marc?" she asked, more calmly, not wanting to get into an argument with him.
"I don't know. These stories normally start somewhere."
Catherine eyes widened as surprise fuelled her anger. "What?"
"Rumours normally start somewhere!" he said, emphasising each word.
"Repeat that!"
Grissom stayed silent.
"Repeat it, Gil! Just so I know that you definitely said it!"
He did see the hurt behind this and shook his head.
"Thank you," she said, softly. "You don't need to come shopping. I was just winding you up," she gave a small smile. "I'll see you later."
Grissom nodded.
She had taken three steps towards the door when he said:
"Cath!"
She turned round.
"I'm sorry."
She smiled, sadly. "So am I."
*****
As she approached reception on her way out of the building, Catherine heard a lot of voices and shouting. Rounding the corner, through the door she could see reporters filling the space. She rolled her eyes and walked through the door. As soon as they realised who it was they flocked around her. She kept walking. Throwing questions at her about her relationship with Marc Weston, they followed her to her car, where she finally turned to them.
"Follow me, and I'll have you arrested," she stated as she climbed into her car.
The reporters looked to each other trying to figure out if she could do that. Noting that she was a Crime Scene Investigator and probably knew the law better than they did, they decided keeping their distance was probably a good idea.
*****
"Mom!" Lindsey shouted as she came through the front door.
This startled Catherine where she had fallen asleep on the sofa, and she jumped up and ran towards the front door.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
"You're dating Marc Weston?"
Catherine rubbed her eyes with one hand, as she remembered that she had intended to tell Lindsey before she went to school, but she had been preoccupied reliving her argument with Grissom, and completely forgot.
"You could have told me!" Lindsey sounded surprised, but not angry.
"Honey, I was going to talk to you this morning."
"So it's true?"
"No!. I have to pretend to be dating Marc Weston, for work. Like undercover work."
"Well, it's not very secret. It's in all the papers!"
"I know. Honey, I'm sorry. My head was miles away this morning, I meant to tell you. Did you get any hassle at school?"
"No. All the kids thought it was cool. They didn't really give me chance to speak to tell them it wasn't true. So looks like your 'secret' is safe," she giggled.
Catherine smiled. "And what do you think?"
Lindsey grinned. "I think it would be well cool!"
Catherine laughed.
"But. Did you have an argument with Grissom about it?"
The shock silenced Catherine's laughter. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, your 'head was miles away this morning', and Grissom's outside."
"What?!"
"He didn't say that you'd had an argument, but his head seems to be miles away too, so I could tell."
Catherine smiled at her daughter's wisdom.
"Why didn't he knock?"
"He could see that you were asleep. He's just been sitting there. I said I'd wake you," Lindsey smiled. "He told me not to, but I didn't think he should sit out there all afternoon. The neighbours would talk."
When her mother just laughed, Lindsey continued. "Let him in!. Talk to him!"
"When did you grow up?" Catherine asked, hugging Lindsey to her as she spoke.
"I just had a birthday, remember?. Now let me go, and open that door," she giggled, then she turned and ran upstairs.
Catherine laughed to herself once more, then opened the front door, and there was Grissom, sitting on the step.
"Gil?"
He stood and turned round.
"What are you doing here?"
"I thought we were going shopping."
TBC.