Chapter Eleven
The dim room was small and cramped; the table that sat in the middle was covered with official government documents. Lilly sat, her head in her hands, reading one paper after the other. Catherine walked in with two mugs of coffee in her hands.
"You need to take a break Lilly." The older woman said kindly as she took the papers from the tired girl.
"No, I got to figure this out." Lilly replied stubbornly.
"Are you sure you're not Grissom's daughter?" Catherine asked with a chuckle, "because I swear you two are just alike."
"Whatever." Lilly said taking a sip of coffee. She rubbed her head tiredly, a frown scrunching her brow.
"You okay?" Catherine asked.
"I'm fine, I just have a small headache." Lilly pushed away from the table and stood to stretch.
The two women had been following their lead, searching for a connection between the 'donors' of the fingerprints found at all the arson scenes, for over three hours. So far they had found nothing, and the stress was getting to Lilly.
"Just take a five minute break." Catherine said, almost pleading with the young woman, "You don't want to wear yourself out, do you?"
"No. I just can't let go of this feeling that we're missing something." Lilly closed her eyes and sighed as she took another sip of coffee.
"Don't worry, we'll figure this out." Catherine placed her arm around Lilly's shoulders comfortingly. Lilly smiled wearily, her young face showing her fatigue clearly.
~*~*~
Two months passed, and the string of arsons had ended, for the time being. The case had been closed since there was nothing but dead end leads. Lilly had worked on various other cases, but the mystery of the single prints still haunted her. She knew that there was some clue there, some connection that they had overlooked. Often times she would wake up at night feeling as if she knew the answer, but as soon as she woke up the answers would evade her.
~*~*~
"It's almost Valentine's Day." Greg looked up from his work. Warrick stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest as he stared the lab tech down.
"And?" Greg asked returning to his analysis.
"Are you gonna make your move?" Warrick asked walking in and closing the door behind him.
"What are you talking about?" Greg asked.
"Lilly man, are you gonna tell her who you are?"
"Let me think for a minute...no."
"What? Why not?" Warrick asked shocked
"Because I'm happy with the way things are." Greg responded.
"How? The girl doesn't even hardly like you!" The CSI exclaimed
"Ah, but she likes her secret admirer."
"Which she doesn't even think is you! Come on Greg, make your move, leave her a note saying to meet you on Valentine's Day."
"Warrick, I appreciate your help and all, but I'm not gonna do it."
"Why not?" Greg didn't respond. He pretended to be enthralled with what he was doing, "Well?" He could sense Warrick's irritation.
"I didn't go through all the trouble of working up this plan for you to back out now." Warrick snapped, "Lilly is CRAZY about her secret admirer, you gotta strike while the iron is hot."
"I can't." Greg said quietly.
"WHY NOT?" Warrick said harshly.
"Because I'm scared," Greg cried, "I am IN LOVE with Lilly and that scares me. Right now she could so easily crush my heart, and I don't want to take that chance."
"I thought you just had a crush on her," Warrick said, "I had no idea you felt that strongly about her. But that just gives you a bigger reason to tell her who you are."
"How do you get that idea?"
"Greg, you can't go the rest of your life not knowing what Lilly would have said if you didn't confront her and tell her how you feel."
"Don't you think I know that! It's just...it's just not that easy." Greg shook his head and let it fall into his hands. He sighed loudly, the sound echoing in the silent room.
"If I tell her and she turns me down, I don't know if I can go on." Greg said after a long pause.
"You have to take that risk Greg," Warrick said kindly, "What if she likes you back? You'll never know if you don't do this."
"I have to think about it." Greg said looking up at Warrick.
"That's good enough for me." Warrick said with a smile.
~*~*~
Lilly opened her locker wearily. It had been a LONG day and she was ready to go home and snuggle into her bed. A red envelope with white lettering fell at her feet. She picked it up with a small smile. She pulled out a folded piece of paper. When she unfolded it, a handful of rose petals fell to the floor.
"My dear flower," the letter said, "for a long time now I have kept my identity secret, but not any longer. I would like to invite you to join me for dinner at seven o'clock at Italiono on February fourteenth. I will reserve a room just for us. Simply tell the hostess that you are looking for the Secret party. I hope with all my heart that you will come my sweet flower. Till then, I remain your secret admirer."
Lilly grinned happily. She clutched the note to her chest and breathed in the scent of roses.
"Don't tell me you got ANOTHER one." Catherine said walking into the room.
"I did." Lilly said happily, "He wants me to meet him at Italiono on Valentine's Day! I'm FINALLY gonna know who my secret admirer is!"
"You're KIDDING!" Cried Catherine. Lilly shook her head, a silly grin on her face.
"Oh my gosh! You're serious." Catherine and Lilly hugged.
"I can't wait for next Saturday." Lilly said breaking away.
"You promise to call me as SOON as you get home."
"Of course. There's no way I wouldn't tell you who my mystery man is."
"Good."
"I can't believe I'm finally gonna meet him!"
~*~*~
Sorry it was so short, but please review and tell me what you think. (Crosses fingers.)
What will Lilly say when she sees that Greg is her mystery man? And is Lilly right in thinking that they overlooked something with those fingerprints? If so, what do they mean? Stay tuned to LILLY OF THE VALLEY to find out.
The dim room was small and cramped; the table that sat in the middle was covered with official government documents. Lilly sat, her head in her hands, reading one paper after the other. Catherine walked in with two mugs of coffee in her hands.
"You need to take a break Lilly." The older woman said kindly as she took the papers from the tired girl.
"No, I got to figure this out." Lilly replied stubbornly.
"Are you sure you're not Grissom's daughter?" Catherine asked with a chuckle, "because I swear you two are just alike."
"Whatever." Lilly said taking a sip of coffee. She rubbed her head tiredly, a frown scrunching her brow.
"You okay?" Catherine asked.
"I'm fine, I just have a small headache." Lilly pushed away from the table and stood to stretch.
The two women had been following their lead, searching for a connection between the 'donors' of the fingerprints found at all the arson scenes, for over three hours. So far they had found nothing, and the stress was getting to Lilly.
"Just take a five minute break." Catherine said, almost pleading with the young woman, "You don't want to wear yourself out, do you?"
"No. I just can't let go of this feeling that we're missing something." Lilly closed her eyes and sighed as she took another sip of coffee.
"Don't worry, we'll figure this out." Catherine placed her arm around Lilly's shoulders comfortingly. Lilly smiled wearily, her young face showing her fatigue clearly.
~*~*~
Two months passed, and the string of arsons had ended, for the time being. The case had been closed since there was nothing but dead end leads. Lilly had worked on various other cases, but the mystery of the single prints still haunted her. She knew that there was some clue there, some connection that they had overlooked. Often times she would wake up at night feeling as if she knew the answer, but as soon as she woke up the answers would evade her.
~*~*~
"It's almost Valentine's Day." Greg looked up from his work. Warrick stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest as he stared the lab tech down.
"And?" Greg asked returning to his analysis.
"Are you gonna make your move?" Warrick asked walking in and closing the door behind him.
"What are you talking about?" Greg asked.
"Lilly man, are you gonna tell her who you are?"
"Let me think for a minute...no."
"What? Why not?" Warrick asked shocked
"Because I'm happy with the way things are." Greg responded.
"How? The girl doesn't even hardly like you!" The CSI exclaimed
"Ah, but she likes her secret admirer."
"Which she doesn't even think is you! Come on Greg, make your move, leave her a note saying to meet you on Valentine's Day."
"Warrick, I appreciate your help and all, but I'm not gonna do it."
"Why not?" Greg didn't respond. He pretended to be enthralled with what he was doing, "Well?" He could sense Warrick's irritation.
"I didn't go through all the trouble of working up this plan for you to back out now." Warrick snapped, "Lilly is CRAZY about her secret admirer, you gotta strike while the iron is hot."
"I can't." Greg said quietly.
"WHY NOT?" Warrick said harshly.
"Because I'm scared," Greg cried, "I am IN LOVE with Lilly and that scares me. Right now she could so easily crush my heart, and I don't want to take that chance."
"I thought you just had a crush on her," Warrick said, "I had no idea you felt that strongly about her. But that just gives you a bigger reason to tell her who you are."
"How do you get that idea?"
"Greg, you can't go the rest of your life not knowing what Lilly would have said if you didn't confront her and tell her how you feel."
"Don't you think I know that! It's just...it's just not that easy." Greg shook his head and let it fall into his hands. He sighed loudly, the sound echoing in the silent room.
"If I tell her and she turns me down, I don't know if I can go on." Greg said after a long pause.
"You have to take that risk Greg," Warrick said kindly, "What if she likes you back? You'll never know if you don't do this."
"I have to think about it." Greg said looking up at Warrick.
"That's good enough for me." Warrick said with a smile.
~*~*~
Lilly opened her locker wearily. It had been a LONG day and she was ready to go home and snuggle into her bed. A red envelope with white lettering fell at her feet. She picked it up with a small smile. She pulled out a folded piece of paper. When she unfolded it, a handful of rose petals fell to the floor.
"My dear flower," the letter said, "for a long time now I have kept my identity secret, but not any longer. I would like to invite you to join me for dinner at seven o'clock at Italiono on February fourteenth. I will reserve a room just for us. Simply tell the hostess that you are looking for the Secret party. I hope with all my heart that you will come my sweet flower. Till then, I remain your secret admirer."
Lilly grinned happily. She clutched the note to her chest and breathed in the scent of roses.
"Don't tell me you got ANOTHER one." Catherine said walking into the room.
"I did." Lilly said happily, "He wants me to meet him at Italiono on Valentine's Day! I'm FINALLY gonna know who my secret admirer is!"
"You're KIDDING!" Cried Catherine. Lilly shook her head, a silly grin on her face.
"Oh my gosh! You're serious." Catherine and Lilly hugged.
"I can't wait for next Saturday." Lilly said breaking away.
"You promise to call me as SOON as you get home."
"Of course. There's no way I wouldn't tell you who my mystery man is."
"Good."
"I can't believe I'm finally gonna meet him!"
~*~*~
Sorry it was so short, but please review and tell me what you think. (Crosses fingers.)
What will Lilly say when she sees that Greg is her mystery man? And is Lilly right in thinking that they overlooked something with those fingerprints? If so, what do they mean? Stay tuned to LILLY OF THE VALLEY to find out.