Disclaimer: see chapter one
Chapter 13
Catherine hummed happily to herself as she walked towards the break room at the start of the night's shift. She finally had what she had always wanted. Gil Grissom. And an agreement that in the future they would talk to each other instead of trying - and failing - to read the other's mind.
As she approached the room she noticed Grissom coming from the opposite direction, with the same destination. Both of their smiles widened when they saw each other, and they were about to speak when Nick caught up to them and beat them to it.
"Good evening," he said cheerfully, passing them and walking into the break room.
They returned his greeting, then looked back to each other, and smiled even wider than before.
"Hey!" Catherine grinned uncontrollably.
"Hey!" Grissom replied, watching her walk into the room, then following her.
Nick had joined Warrick and Sara at the table, and the three were chattering and whispering.
"You gonna share the secret?" Catherine asked when they all fell silent as she and Grissom walked through the door. She sat down beside Warrick and stared at them expectantly.
"There's no secret," Sara began.
Nick continued. "We were just - "
"Discussing this morning's paper?" Catherine finished for them.
Guilty looks swept the three junior CSIs' faces.
Catherine smiled. "I'd expected at least one of you to call. How did you survive a whole twelve hours of wondering?"
"Oh, we didn't believe it for a second," Nick offered quickly.
Catherine feigned a look of insult, making Nick more nervous than he already was.
"Oh, not that it couldn't be true," he tried to save himself, "... But... Just... Well, just cos it's in the paper, doesn't mean it is true, right?... We shouldn't believe what we read in the papers?"
"I'm glad you're aware of that," Catherine smiled.
"When you're all finished gossiping, we do have crime scenes awaiting us," Grissom interrupted pleasantly, still smiling.
The others turned to face him, and his eyes met Catherine's. She smiled seductively, and as his cheeks flushed slightly he cleared his throat and looked away from her. She smiled proudly to herself.
"Warrick and Nick, car accident on the I-15. Sara, you have a robbery at the Bellagio."
"The Bellagio was robbed?" Nick interrupted. "How did the news miss that?"
"The robbery was in a hotel room, not the casino," Grissom explained.
"First a body in the fountain, now a robbery, wonder what their third piece of bad luck'll be," Warrick commented.
"Cath, I want you to work with Sara. We need to make it look like you're not working the Weston case. This should be a small enough case for you to still be involved, yet appear uninvolved."
Catherine nodded. "Okay."
"Come see me at the end of shift, I'll update you on any developments in our case."
"I'll be there," Catherine smiled. Their eyes locked for a moment, then they remembered there were other people present, and tore themselves away. "Sara, are you ready?"
"I'll meet you at the car. Just gotta grab something from my locker."
Catherine nodded and followed Grissom out of the room.
The other three watched them leave then turned to each other open mouthed.
"It's true!" Sara exclaimed.
"Did you see the way they were looking at each other? There is definitely something going on there," Nick added.
"How could they openly lie to us?"
Warrick replied to Sara's question. "They didn't actually lie to us."
"Trust you to defend them!" she responded.
"I'm not. I agree with you that it looks like there's something going on. I'm just saying, they never actually told us there wasn't... And it's none of our business really."
"Spoilsport!" Sara pouted.
"Hey, if you want to continue imagining what's going on, by all means do - "
"Ew!" Nick and Sara exclaimed simultaneously.
"Man, don't even go there, " Nick continued. "I believe the I-15 is waiting for us." He walked out of the room, vigorously shaking his head to try to erase the images Warrick had conjured up.
*****
"Hey!" Catherine said, peeping her head round Grissom's office door, ten minutes after the end of shift.
"Hey!" he replied, with a smile.
"Do you realise that apart from talking about my Bellagio case, `hey' is about the only thing we've said to each other all night?" she commented, walking in and sitting on the edge of his desk.
"I hadn't thought about it, but now you mention it... I think you're right."
"I am... You haven't thought about me?"
"I didn't say that."
She smiled gratefully. "So, did you find anything under the lead?"
Grissom frowned, confused.
"The case," she clarified.
"Oh. No... He did get another email. `Enjoy your final moment of bliss and contentment'. Another internet café. This one with a temporarily out of service video security system."
"Lucky."
"Not for us."
"You hungry?"
"What did you have in mind?" he smirked.
"Breakfast... Your place... I don't have to rush home, Lindsey's at her friends."
"On a school night?"
"They have to be in early for a trip. Bethany's mom offered to take her to school in case I got stuck at work."
"That's very kind of her."
"Yes it is... So?"
"So?"
"You wanna stay here all morning discussing Beth's mom, or do you want to join me at your place?"
"Oh... That's a tough choice," he said, standing up.
She hopped off the desk. "I'll see soon," she smiled.
"Wait!" he instructed her, walking towards her.
Her puzzled look fell when he placed his hand gently on her cheek, and tilted her head towards his. He brushed his lips softly against hers, but pulled back when she didn't respond as expected.
"What's wrong?"
"We're at work," she said, quietly.
"The blinds are shut. No one can see."
A smile crept onto her face. "You had this planned."
He gave a small shrug. "I don't want to keep my lips off you... Shall we try again?"
"Please do."
She could almost feel his lips on hers when the phone rang.
"You're not here," she said, pressing her body to his and capturing his lips before he could argue.
And he didn't want to argue. His hands held her tight against him, whilst hers stroked the back of his neck as their mouths frantically explored and tasted each other. Never once letting air between them, she manoeuvred them to the door, and lowered one hand to lock it. When she couldn't find the lock, she moved her head slightly, and he took advantage, immediately moving his lips along her jaw line to her neck. She let out a short sigh as he lightly trailed kisses up and down her sensitive skin, and felt him smile against her, when she moaned as he sucked gently on her ear.
"What are you laughing at?" she joked, breathlessly.
He paused from his attention to her ear to reply. "You seem to be enjoying this."
"Yeah?" She brushed herself against his groin. "Well, so do you."
A frustrated sigh escaped him, and he backed her against the door, crushing his lips onto hers. "We need to get out of here," he mumbled between kisses.
"I was thinking more that we need to get out of these clothes."
"You really want to do this here?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "...But, no!" she pouted.
Grissom laughed, and pulled away from her. "Go... I'll follow you as soon as I've... calmed down." He kissed her one last time, and opened the door.
"Don't you dare answer that phone if it rings!" she insisted as she checked her clothes and walked through the doorway.
"Wouldn't dream of it!" he smiled.
TBC...
Chapter 13
Catherine hummed happily to herself as she walked towards the break room at the start of the night's shift. She finally had what she had always wanted. Gil Grissom. And an agreement that in the future they would talk to each other instead of trying - and failing - to read the other's mind.
As she approached the room she noticed Grissom coming from the opposite direction, with the same destination. Both of their smiles widened when they saw each other, and they were about to speak when Nick caught up to them and beat them to it.
"Good evening," he said cheerfully, passing them and walking into the break room.
They returned his greeting, then looked back to each other, and smiled even wider than before.
"Hey!" Catherine grinned uncontrollably.
"Hey!" Grissom replied, watching her walk into the room, then following her.
Nick had joined Warrick and Sara at the table, and the three were chattering and whispering.
"You gonna share the secret?" Catherine asked when they all fell silent as she and Grissom walked through the door. She sat down beside Warrick and stared at them expectantly.
"There's no secret," Sara began.
Nick continued. "We were just - "
"Discussing this morning's paper?" Catherine finished for them.
Guilty looks swept the three junior CSIs' faces.
Catherine smiled. "I'd expected at least one of you to call. How did you survive a whole twelve hours of wondering?"
"Oh, we didn't believe it for a second," Nick offered quickly.
Catherine feigned a look of insult, making Nick more nervous than he already was.
"Oh, not that it couldn't be true," he tried to save himself, "... But... Just... Well, just cos it's in the paper, doesn't mean it is true, right?... We shouldn't believe what we read in the papers?"
"I'm glad you're aware of that," Catherine smiled.
"When you're all finished gossiping, we do have crime scenes awaiting us," Grissom interrupted pleasantly, still smiling.
The others turned to face him, and his eyes met Catherine's. She smiled seductively, and as his cheeks flushed slightly he cleared his throat and looked away from her. She smiled proudly to herself.
"Warrick and Nick, car accident on the I-15. Sara, you have a robbery at the Bellagio."
"The Bellagio was robbed?" Nick interrupted. "How did the news miss that?"
"The robbery was in a hotel room, not the casino," Grissom explained.
"First a body in the fountain, now a robbery, wonder what their third piece of bad luck'll be," Warrick commented.
"Cath, I want you to work with Sara. We need to make it look like you're not working the Weston case. This should be a small enough case for you to still be involved, yet appear uninvolved."
Catherine nodded. "Okay."
"Come see me at the end of shift, I'll update you on any developments in our case."
"I'll be there," Catherine smiled. Their eyes locked for a moment, then they remembered there were other people present, and tore themselves away. "Sara, are you ready?"
"I'll meet you at the car. Just gotta grab something from my locker."
Catherine nodded and followed Grissom out of the room.
The other three watched them leave then turned to each other open mouthed.
"It's true!" Sara exclaimed.
"Did you see the way they were looking at each other? There is definitely something going on there," Nick added.
"How could they openly lie to us?"
Warrick replied to Sara's question. "They didn't actually lie to us."
"Trust you to defend them!" she responded.
"I'm not. I agree with you that it looks like there's something going on. I'm just saying, they never actually told us there wasn't... And it's none of our business really."
"Spoilsport!" Sara pouted.
"Hey, if you want to continue imagining what's going on, by all means do - "
"Ew!" Nick and Sara exclaimed simultaneously.
"Man, don't even go there, " Nick continued. "I believe the I-15 is waiting for us." He walked out of the room, vigorously shaking his head to try to erase the images Warrick had conjured up.
*****
"Hey!" Catherine said, peeping her head round Grissom's office door, ten minutes after the end of shift.
"Hey!" he replied, with a smile.
"Do you realise that apart from talking about my Bellagio case, `hey' is about the only thing we've said to each other all night?" she commented, walking in and sitting on the edge of his desk.
"I hadn't thought about it, but now you mention it... I think you're right."
"I am... You haven't thought about me?"
"I didn't say that."
She smiled gratefully. "So, did you find anything under the lead?"
Grissom frowned, confused.
"The case," she clarified.
"Oh. No... He did get another email. `Enjoy your final moment of bliss and contentment'. Another internet café. This one with a temporarily out of service video security system."
"Lucky."
"Not for us."
"You hungry?"
"What did you have in mind?" he smirked.
"Breakfast... Your place... I don't have to rush home, Lindsey's at her friends."
"On a school night?"
"They have to be in early for a trip. Bethany's mom offered to take her to school in case I got stuck at work."
"That's very kind of her."
"Yes it is... So?"
"So?"
"You wanna stay here all morning discussing Beth's mom, or do you want to join me at your place?"
"Oh... That's a tough choice," he said, standing up.
She hopped off the desk. "I'll see soon," she smiled.
"Wait!" he instructed her, walking towards her.
Her puzzled look fell when he placed his hand gently on her cheek, and tilted her head towards his. He brushed his lips softly against hers, but pulled back when she didn't respond as expected.
"What's wrong?"
"We're at work," she said, quietly.
"The blinds are shut. No one can see."
A smile crept onto her face. "You had this planned."
He gave a small shrug. "I don't want to keep my lips off you... Shall we try again?"
"Please do."
She could almost feel his lips on hers when the phone rang.
"You're not here," she said, pressing her body to his and capturing his lips before he could argue.
And he didn't want to argue. His hands held her tight against him, whilst hers stroked the back of his neck as their mouths frantically explored and tasted each other. Never once letting air between them, she manoeuvred them to the door, and lowered one hand to lock it. When she couldn't find the lock, she moved her head slightly, and he took advantage, immediately moving his lips along her jaw line to her neck. She let out a short sigh as he lightly trailed kisses up and down her sensitive skin, and felt him smile against her, when she moaned as he sucked gently on her ear.
"What are you laughing at?" she joked, breathlessly.
He paused from his attention to her ear to reply. "You seem to be enjoying this."
"Yeah?" She brushed herself against his groin. "Well, so do you."
A frustrated sigh escaped him, and he backed her against the door, crushing his lips onto hers. "We need to get out of here," he mumbled between kisses.
"I was thinking more that we need to get out of these clothes."
"You really want to do this here?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "...But, no!" she pouted.
Grissom laughed, and pulled away from her. "Go... I'll follow you as soon as I've... calmed down." He kissed her one last time, and opened the door.
"Don't you dare answer that phone if it rings!" she insisted as she checked her clothes and walked through the doorway.
"Wouldn't dream of it!" he smiled.
TBC...