Disclaimer: see chapter one
Chapter 14
It was two o'clock in the afternoon on the day of the premiere, and things still weren't settled in the Weston household. Ryanne was sitting on the sofa wearing the pout and puppy dog eyes that so frequently got her her own way, whilst Marc stood in front of her refusing to give in.
"It's for your own safety, Ry," he argued. "I'm not gonna put you in danger."
"But you'll put yourself in danger!"
"I'm not going to let him stop me from living my life - "
"But my life doesn't matter?!" she shouted, rising to her feet.
"Yes, your life matters! That's why I want you to stay here... I don't want anything to happen to you."
"But what if something happens to you?" she asked more calmly. "... Do you think I want to live with that?"
"Nothing's going to happen."
"Then I can go," she smiled victoriously.
Marc shook his head and smiled. "How do you do that?"
"Years of practice."
"Please stay here. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you."
Ryanne stayed silent for a moment and looked into his eyes so full of concern and fear. "Okay," she finally agreed. "But you're taking me to see this movie when it's out."
"I'll even buy you popcorn," Marc smiled appreciatively, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug. "Thank you."
"Hey, you know I'd do anything for you."
"Reluctantly," he added.
"You know me so well... So what time's Catherine coming over?" she asked, collapsing back onto the sofa and grinning knowingly.
"About five-thirty... What's with the look?"
"What look?"
"That look!... The story about me and Catherine was fiction... I've known her less than a week."
"I didn't say a thing."
"But you looked... like that!"
"Well, she's attractive, she seems nice - "
"And she's taken... Didn't you read yesterday's paper?"
"Honey, you know I don't believe what I read in the paper," she smiled. "But, you're probably right. There is a hell of a lot of chemistry between those two."
"Oh, there's more than chemistry," he said, sitting beside her. "I'd say they're soul mates."
Ryanne gave a short laugh. "You're such a hopeless romantic."
"Hopeless?!" he protested.
*****
"Gil, I have to go," Catherine said, reluctantly trying to pull herself out of his arms, which were tightly around her waist, refusing to let her leave his townhouse.
"I don't want you to go," he responded, kissing her neck softly.
"And I don't want to go... But I have to be at Marc's in about two hours, and I - "
He pressed his lips hard against hers, silencing her reasoning. She immediately relaxed into the kiss, her mouth opening to allow him access, her arms embracing him as his did her. It was only when his hand reached the hem of her shirt, and began to slowly move upwards, that reality dawned on her, and she realised if she didn't leave now, she never would.
"Gil," she said, breathlessly. "I really have to go."
"Really?" he pouted, his hand continuing its path up her shirt.
"Oh, don't look at me like that!" she reprimanded.
"Like what?" he asked innocently.
"It's emotional blackmail you know!"
"I just really don't want you to leave," he said as his hand cupped her breast and he ran his thumb slowly across her nipple.
She trembled at his touch, and for a second was unable to speak, so he took advantage of the silence and continued.
"And I can tell you don't want to go... So stay."
"I have to go to work."
"No, you have to go on a date... A potentially incredibly dangerous date," he said seriously.
She pulled away from him, the hints of anger in her face being enough to persuade him to let go. "Is that was this is all about?... It's not that you want me to stay, it's that you don't want me going to this premiere?... I thought we'd talked about this. I decide where I go, and what I do!"
"We have talked about it... But that was before."
"Before what? Before we slept together?... What, so now you think that gives you some sort of control over me?"
"You know that isn't what I think!... But, yes, before we slept together. Before we made love. Before I acted on feelings I have kept suppressed for nineteen years!... I've only just got you Catherine, I don't want to lose you!"
The anger swiftly vanished from her face and voice. "You're not going to lose me," she said softly, wrapping her arms round him. "I've only just got what I've been after for nineteen years, do you think I'm gonna leave now?... I love you, Gil Grissom, and I ain't going nowhere!"
"But - "
"But nothing... There'll be police everywhere. No-one's getting in that building without a ticket. And no-one's getting anywhere near Marc Weston."
"But - "
"Nor, are they going to get a good line of fire, if they plan to shoot him," she added quickly, pre-empting his comment.
Grissom smiled at how well she knew him. "I love you."
"Good." She kissed him passionately once more, then stepped away. "Now I have to go make myself look beautiful."
"You always look beautiful."
"You have to say that," she winked at him. "You should get some rest before work... I'll see you later."
She brushed her lips against his one last time before leaving. This time as he watched her walk away he prayed that she was right, and that everything was going to be okay.
TBC...
Chapter 14
It was two o'clock in the afternoon on the day of the premiere, and things still weren't settled in the Weston household. Ryanne was sitting on the sofa wearing the pout and puppy dog eyes that so frequently got her her own way, whilst Marc stood in front of her refusing to give in.
"It's for your own safety, Ry," he argued. "I'm not gonna put you in danger."
"But you'll put yourself in danger!"
"I'm not going to let him stop me from living my life - "
"But my life doesn't matter?!" she shouted, rising to her feet.
"Yes, your life matters! That's why I want you to stay here... I don't want anything to happen to you."
"But what if something happens to you?" she asked more calmly. "... Do you think I want to live with that?"
"Nothing's going to happen."
"Then I can go," she smiled victoriously.
Marc shook his head and smiled. "How do you do that?"
"Years of practice."
"Please stay here. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you."
Ryanne stayed silent for a moment and looked into his eyes so full of concern and fear. "Okay," she finally agreed. "But you're taking me to see this movie when it's out."
"I'll even buy you popcorn," Marc smiled appreciatively, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug. "Thank you."
"Hey, you know I'd do anything for you."
"Reluctantly," he added.
"You know me so well... So what time's Catherine coming over?" she asked, collapsing back onto the sofa and grinning knowingly.
"About five-thirty... What's with the look?"
"What look?"
"That look!... The story about me and Catherine was fiction... I've known her less than a week."
"I didn't say a thing."
"But you looked... like that!"
"Well, she's attractive, she seems nice - "
"And she's taken... Didn't you read yesterday's paper?"
"Honey, you know I don't believe what I read in the paper," she smiled. "But, you're probably right. There is a hell of a lot of chemistry between those two."
"Oh, there's more than chemistry," he said, sitting beside her. "I'd say they're soul mates."
Ryanne gave a short laugh. "You're such a hopeless romantic."
"Hopeless?!" he protested.
*****
"Gil, I have to go," Catherine said, reluctantly trying to pull herself out of his arms, which were tightly around her waist, refusing to let her leave his townhouse.
"I don't want you to go," he responded, kissing her neck softly.
"And I don't want to go... But I have to be at Marc's in about two hours, and I - "
He pressed his lips hard against hers, silencing her reasoning. She immediately relaxed into the kiss, her mouth opening to allow him access, her arms embracing him as his did her. It was only when his hand reached the hem of her shirt, and began to slowly move upwards, that reality dawned on her, and she realised if she didn't leave now, she never would.
"Gil," she said, breathlessly. "I really have to go."
"Really?" he pouted, his hand continuing its path up her shirt.
"Oh, don't look at me like that!" she reprimanded.
"Like what?" he asked innocently.
"It's emotional blackmail you know!"
"I just really don't want you to leave," he said as his hand cupped her breast and he ran his thumb slowly across her nipple.
She trembled at his touch, and for a second was unable to speak, so he took advantage of the silence and continued.
"And I can tell you don't want to go... So stay."
"I have to go to work."
"No, you have to go on a date... A potentially incredibly dangerous date," he said seriously.
She pulled away from him, the hints of anger in her face being enough to persuade him to let go. "Is that was this is all about?... It's not that you want me to stay, it's that you don't want me going to this premiere?... I thought we'd talked about this. I decide where I go, and what I do!"
"We have talked about it... But that was before."
"Before what? Before we slept together?... What, so now you think that gives you some sort of control over me?"
"You know that isn't what I think!... But, yes, before we slept together. Before we made love. Before I acted on feelings I have kept suppressed for nineteen years!... I've only just got you Catherine, I don't want to lose you!"
The anger swiftly vanished from her face and voice. "You're not going to lose me," she said softly, wrapping her arms round him. "I've only just got what I've been after for nineteen years, do you think I'm gonna leave now?... I love you, Gil Grissom, and I ain't going nowhere!"
"But - "
"But nothing... There'll be police everywhere. No-one's getting in that building without a ticket. And no-one's getting anywhere near Marc Weston."
"But - "
"Nor, are they going to get a good line of fire, if they plan to shoot him," she added quickly, pre-empting his comment.
Grissom smiled at how well she knew him. "I love you."
"Good." She kissed him passionately once more, then stepped away. "Now I have to go make myself look beautiful."
"You always look beautiful."
"You have to say that," she winked at him. "You should get some rest before work... I'll see you later."
She brushed her lips against his one last time before leaving. This time as he watched her walk away he prayed that she was right, and that everything was going to be okay.
TBC...