Ok, so, I have been kindly informed that a bottle opener is not needed for a champagne bottle. You can tell I'm a party animal can't you! :) Sorry for the mistake - I may change it later, I may not. We'll see.
Previously:
"No! This is just something I would tell someone like Warrick or Sara-"
"Sara!" Catherine's interruption was booming and plunged the room into a screaming silence. Her face was inches away from Grissom's. There was fire burning in her eyes, its flames vividly thrashing at the moist film covering them.
It was Catherine who broke the silence that went on for just minutes but lasted for days.
Chapter 3 - Ticklish Feet and Bumblebee T-shirts
May 8th - 3:15am
Grissom's Motel Room
Her voice was soft but full of evident distress.
"You... you could tell *Sara* but you couldn't tell me?"
Grissom made sure he was careful about the next comment he made. He had been submerged into an ocean of guilt by Catherine's one tortured look.
"You would understand if you knew."
"So *tell* me, Grissom. There's no one else here to verbalise with, and I know that you need too." Catherine knew now that this wasn't just about her. Anxiety started leaking into her features.
"I didn't ask you to come, Catherine."
"You didn't stop me either."
Grissom found himself unable to make a response. He could see concern written all over her face whilst she could see despondency crowding his. Neither knew what to say next and each was anticipating the other's next remark. They stood, once again in silent worry.
Grissom made his way to the top end of his bed and sat heavily on it, then made the depression deepen as he swung his legs onto the bed and rested his head against the wall. Catherine could see his eyes closing, not through tiredness but through thought. She saw her suitcase near the door, walked to it and dragged it into Grissom's bathroom.
Grissom guessed Catherine's every movement as she made her way into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He thought of leaving her and arriving early to the place of the reunion; he thought of getting some food; he thought of her eyes blazing at him, and the guilt that surged through him then, returned. He thought of a lot of things until the lock on the bathroom door clicked open.
Catherine appeared in blue pyjamas with dripping wet hair. Grissom smiled at her although this went unnoticed by Catherine who was searching through her bag.
"I'm surprised you haven't taken off." She said seriously. However, when she looked at him, she couldn't hold her expression and started smiling back. "I can't take you seriously with *that*."
She chuckled as her eyes drifted to the black and yellow bee invading the majority of the front of Grissom's T-shirt. Her mind drifted the memory of his bare chest, never so close to her own, but feeling the furthest away it has ever been. She calmed herself and quickly went back to searching through her bag.
"Shit. Grissom you don't have a-" She stopped as a navy blue comb came whizzing towards her through the air.
"Thanks." She said suspiciously, catching the comb smoothly in one hand. "How did you... never mind."
Grissom sat watching Catherine comb her hair as she sat with her back to him on the end of the bed, whilst he thought about how he would phrase his next sentence.
"Just go ahead and say it, Gil."
Catherine turned and looked towards him, expectant of his upcoming words. She waited, watching his mind work furiously under the pressure she was giving him. He breathed in ready to start, but decided against it and closed his mouth. She was still watching him. Seconds later he breathed in again, this time with the ultimate intention of divulging his concealment to Catherine.
"I was in my final year of high school."
Catherine sighed with relief. She knew he was ready to tell her and she was about to find out why he previously couldn't.
Grissom wasn't looking at her, his eyes were tightly shut. It was better for him this way. This was not an easy thing for him to do. Admitting to a weakness with Catherine felt to him like he was not in her league. He cursed himself for his old fashioned view but he still thought that he was the one who should be supporting her, not the other way round. Grissom gritted his teeth and continued.
"I *was* invisible to everyone, until that last year. People began to notice me more, so my desire not to be noticed increased. I won't go into the particulars but my being noticed by a certain group at the school was not pleasant."
Grissom paused and opened his eyes to focus on Catherine. Her eyes became wide with the understanding of why Grissom could not tell her. He continued.
"I guess I was just self-conscious. You were so popular in high school and I was bullied by-"
"People like me." Catherine filled in for him. "Listen, Gil. I understand why you could tell Sara and Warrick because they would see where you were coming from, and I wouldn't, but you never have to keep anything like that from me. Ok so I was a bitch in high school... and a bully, but it gives me no status over anybody. If anything you should be proud, not ashamed. Look where it's got you. Look what you've accomplished."
The corners of her mouth lifted as she thought about how someone as intelligent at Grissom could be so naive.
"I tell you what. Let's make tomorrow a night to remember for your... rivals." Her smile turned into a cunning smirk, hiding the knowledge of a forming plan.
4:20am
Catherine was sitting cross-legged at the end of Grissom's bed looking towards his form with a huge grin on her face, as he was leaning against the wall, legs stretched out towards her.
"So come on, Gris. Who gave it to you?"
"I can't tell you that, Cath. She'll be embarrassed."
"Who wouldn't be? I can imagine anyone who gave you that would be embarrassed." She cracked him another huge grin. "I mean, she should be. Look at it!"
Catherine shot another glance to Grissom's T-shirt that had once again played a part in their conversation that night.
"I happen to like this T-shirt, Catherine. It's very comfortable to sleep in."
"Uh huh."
"Anyway I'm sure you've worn worse. Actually, I know you've worn worse. I've *seen* you wear worse."
"Oh, it's going to be like that is it? Ok then, I may have worn worse; but it was a job *and*... I looked really sexy!" As she spoke the latter part of her exclamation, her voice lowered and Grissom found it intriguingly seductive.
"I wasn't referring to your dancing outfits, Cath."
"Neither was I. I used to work in a fast food restaurant when I was really young, well I did for about a week anyway, and we had to wear those crazy hats with the fluffy animals on top - *far* worse that what you're wearing." She chuckled but stopped as she recalled something. "What were you referring to then?" She asked him with an indignant air.
Grissom shifted uncomfortably under her stare and cleared his throat.
"Never mind. So, what are we going to do about your key?" He spoke quickly, changing the subject.
Catherine started absentmindedly playing with the pulled fibres at the bottom of Grissom's frayed trousers.
"We could go back to the desk clerk and see if he's got one for my room."
Her voice abruptly lowered and she spoke slowly, "Unless you need me to keep you company, that is."
The corners of her mouth lifted and her eyes flashed when she saw the look on Grissom's face. She sighed, "Oh well," and leaning forwards, she whispered, "it was worth a try."
She was grinning at him, her hands still playing across the bottom of his trousers, occasionally brushing the top of his foot with her fingers. She felt his foot jerk out from under her hand and looked at him, eyebrows up.
"Are you ticklish, Gris?"
"Certainly not!"
She smiled mischievously and grabbed his foot, hard, with both of her hands to keep him from moving.
"You are, aren't you?"
"You know, Catherine, all I have to do is flick my foot once and you'll go flying off the end of the bed."
"I'll take my chances." She responded and started to tickle the bottom his foot with her fingertips.
Grissom made a short, sharp movement with his foot, sending Catherine sailing off the end of the bed and colliding with the floor. From Grissom's point of view at the other end of the bed, all he could see were Catherine's arms and legs shoot up in the air as she fell with a thump. He started laughing, predicting her next movement to be standing up before him at the bottom of the bed. He saw nothing.
"Catherine?" He said through giggles, the alcohol still raging in his system.
He moved to peer over the bed where she fell, however, all his eyes came in contact with was the deep brown carpet.
All of a sudden Grissom felt the force of a fast moving Catherine crash into the side of him, and both he *and* Catherine flew off the bed and rolled onto the floor at the side of it in a heap. Catherine was above him, laughter causing her whole face to glow. Grissom could feel the weight of Catherine above him ignite his whole body, sending shockwaves wherever their figures connected. Their legs were tangled together and their hips met each other's, but her hands that were either side of Grissom's head were supporting the weight of Catherine's torso.
Catherine stared straight into Grissom's eyes and ceased her laughter. He looked right back at her, silently begging her to lower herself to him, to allow him to feel her lips against his. Surprised at his sudden desire for the woman above him, he was pulled out of his thoughts feeling Catherine lift herself from him. Almost in a sitting position, she stopped when she felt Grissom's hand connect with her cheek, his thumb gently caressing it and then, moving slowly down, it brushed her lips. A playful smile appeared on his face.
"Maybe I am just a tiny bit ticklish. Now are you going to get off me or am I going to have to use force?"
"Force? Are you a mind reader?"
Catherine could not believe what just escaped her lips.
"Are you flirting with me *again*, Catherine?"
This time Catherine's response to that question was not so immediate. She thought about Grissom's question for a few seconds. He was flirting with her too; it was like he was inviting her to have a little playful fun.
A smile began to play across her face whilst she once again lowered her body to rest upon his. Her hands were once more at either side of him, but this time she bent her arms influencing their bodies to gradually come together and causing their faces to grow closer so there was only a few inches of warm breath separating their lips.
* * * * *
TBC - Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm having fun writing it. Please review - they fire me up! :)
Previously:
"No! This is just something I would tell someone like Warrick or Sara-"
"Sara!" Catherine's interruption was booming and plunged the room into a screaming silence. Her face was inches away from Grissom's. There was fire burning in her eyes, its flames vividly thrashing at the moist film covering them.
It was Catherine who broke the silence that went on for just minutes but lasted for days.
Chapter 3 - Ticklish Feet and Bumblebee T-shirts
May 8th - 3:15am
Grissom's Motel Room
Her voice was soft but full of evident distress.
"You... you could tell *Sara* but you couldn't tell me?"
Grissom made sure he was careful about the next comment he made. He had been submerged into an ocean of guilt by Catherine's one tortured look.
"You would understand if you knew."
"So *tell* me, Grissom. There's no one else here to verbalise with, and I know that you need too." Catherine knew now that this wasn't just about her. Anxiety started leaking into her features.
"I didn't ask you to come, Catherine."
"You didn't stop me either."
Grissom found himself unable to make a response. He could see concern written all over her face whilst she could see despondency crowding his. Neither knew what to say next and each was anticipating the other's next remark. They stood, once again in silent worry.
Grissom made his way to the top end of his bed and sat heavily on it, then made the depression deepen as he swung his legs onto the bed and rested his head against the wall. Catherine could see his eyes closing, not through tiredness but through thought. She saw her suitcase near the door, walked to it and dragged it into Grissom's bathroom.
Grissom guessed Catherine's every movement as she made her way into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He thought of leaving her and arriving early to the place of the reunion; he thought of getting some food; he thought of her eyes blazing at him, and the guilt that surged through him then, returned. He thought of a lot of things until the lock on the bathroom door clicked open.
Catherine appeared in blue pyjamas with dripping wet hair. Grissom smiled at her although this went unnoticed by Catherine who was searching through her bag.
"I'm surprised you haven't taken off." She said seriously. However, when she looked at him, she couldn't hold her expression and started smiling back. "I can't take you seriously with *that*."
She chuckled as her eyes drifted to the black and yellow bee invading the majority of the front of Grissom's T-shirt. Her mind drifted the memory of his bare chest, never so close to her own, but feeling the furthest away it has ever been. She calmed herself and quickly went back to searching through her bag.
"Shit. Grissom you don't have a-" She stopped as a navy blue comb came whizzing towards her through the air.
"Thanks." She said suspiciously, catching the comb smoothly in one hand. "How did you... never mind."
Grissom sat watching Catherine comb her hair as she sat with her back to him on the end of the bed, whilst he thought about how he would phrase his next sentence.
"Just go ahead and say it, Gil."
Catherine turned and looked towards him, expectant of his upcoming words. She waited, watching his mind work furiously under the pressure she was giving him. He breathed in ready to start, but decided against it and closed his mouth. She was still watching him. Seconds later he breathed in again, this time with the ultimate intention of divulging his concealment to Catherine.
"I was in my final year of high school."
Catherine sighed with relief. She knew he was ready to tell her and she was about to find out why he previously couldn't.
Grissom wasn't looking at her, his eyes were tightly shut. It was better for him this way. This was not an easy thing for him to do. Admitting to a weakness with Catherine felt to him like he was not in her league. He cursed himself for his old fashioned view but he still thought that he was the one who should be supporting her, not the other way round. Grissom gritted his teeth and continued.
"I *was* invisible to everyone, until that last year. People began to notice me more, so my desire not to be noticed increased. I won't go into the particulars but my being noticed by a certain group at the school was not pleasant."
Grissom paused and opened his eyes to focus on Catherine. Her eyes became wide with the understanding of why Grissom could not tell her. He continued.
"I guess I was just self-conscious. You were so popular in high school and I was bullied by-"
"People like me." Catherine filled in for him. "Listen, Gil. I understand why you could tell Sara and Warrick because they would see where you were coming from, and I wouldn't, but you never have to keep anything like that from me. Ok so I was a bitch in high school... and a bully, but it gives me no status over anybody. If anything you should be proud, not ashamed. Look where it's got you. Look what you've accomplished."
The corners of her mouth lifted as she thought about how someone as intelligent at Grissom could be so naive.
"I tell you what. Let's make tomorrow a night to remember for your... rivals." Her smile turned into a cunning smirk, hiding the knowledge of a forming plan.
4:20am
Catherine was sitting cross-legged at the end of Grissom's bed looking towards his form with a huge grin on her face, as he was leaning against the wall, legs stretched out towards her.
"So come on, Gris. Who gave it to you?"
"I can't tell you that, Cath. She'll be embarrassed."
"Who wouldn't be? I can imagine anyone who gave you that would be embarrassed." She cracked him another huge grin. "I mean, she should be. Look at it!"
Catherine shot another glance to Grissom's T-shirt that had once again played a part in their conversation that night.
"I happen to like this T-shirt, Catherine. It's very comfortable to sleep in."
"Uh huh."
"Anyway I'm sure you've worn worse. Actually, I know you've worn worse. I've *seen* you wear worse."
"Oh, it's going to be like that is it? Ok then, I may have worn worse; but it was a job *and*... I looked really sexy!" As she spoke the latter part of her exclamation, her voice lowered and Grissom found it intriguingly seductive.
"I wasn't referring to your dancing outfits, Cath."
"Neither was I. I used to work in a fast food restaurant when I was really young, well I did for about a week anyway, and we had to wear those crazy hats with the fluffy animals on top - *far* worse that what you're wearing." She chuckled but stopped as she recalled something. "What were you referring to then?" She asked him with an indignant air.
Grissom shifted uncomfortably under her stare and cleared his throat.
"Never mind. So, what are we going to do about your key?" He spoke quickly, changing the subject.
Catherine started absentmindedly playing with the pulled fibres at the bottom of Grissom's frayed trousers.
"We could go back to the desk clerk and see if he's got one for my room."
Her voice abruptly lowered and she spoke slowly, "Unless you need me to keep you company, that is."
The corners of her mouth lifted and her eyes flashed when she saw the look on Grissom's face. She sighed, "Oh well," and leaning forwards, she whispered, "it was worth a try."
She was grinning at him, her hands still playing across the bottom of his trousers, occasionally brushing the top of his foot with her fingers. She felt his foot jerk out from under her hand and looked at him, eyebrows up.
"Are you ticklish, Gris?"
"Certainly not!"
She smiled mischievously and grabbed his foot, hard, with both of her hands to keep him from moving.
"You are, aren't you?"
"You know, Catherine, all I have to do is flick my foot once and you'll go flying off the end of the bed."
"I'll take my chances." She responded and started to tickle the bottom his foot with her fingertips.
Grissom made a short, sharp movement with his foot, sending Catherine sailing off the end of the bed and colliding with the floor. From Grissom's point of view at the other end of the bed, all he could see were Catherine's arms and legs shoot up in the air as she fell with a thump. He started laughing, predicting her next movement to be standing up before him at the bottom of the bed. He saw nothing.
"Catherine?" He said through giggles, the alcohol still raging in his system.
He moved to peer over the bed where she fell, however, all his eyes came in contact with was the deep brown carpet.
All of a sudden Grissom felt the force of a fast moving Catherine crash into the side of him, and both he *and* Catherine flew off the bed and rolled onto the floor at the side of it in a heap. Catherine was above him, laughter causing her whole face to glow. Grissom could feel the weight of Catherine above him ignite his whole body, sending shockwaves wherever their figures connected. Their legs were tangled together and their hips met each other's, but her hands that were either side of Grissom's head were supporting the weight of Catherine's torso.
Catherine stared straight into Grissom's eyes and ceased her laughter. He looked right back at her, silently begging her to lower herself to him, to allow him to feel her lips against his. Surprised at his sudden desire for the woman above him, he was pulled out of his thoughts feeling Catherine lift herself from him. Almost in a sitting position, she stopped when she felt Grissom's hand connect with her cheek, his thumb gently caressing it and then, moving slowly down, it brushed her lips. A playful smile appeared on his face.
"Maybe I am just a tiny bit ticklish. Now are you going to get off me or am I going to have to use force?"
"Force? Are you a mind reader?"
Catherine could not believe what just escaped her lips.
"Are you flirting with me *again*, Catherine?"
This time Catherine's response to that question was not so immediate. She thought about Grissom's question for a few seconds. He was flirting with her too; it was like he was inviting her to have a little playful fun.
A smile began to play across her face whilst she once again lowered her body to rest upon his. Her hands were once more at either side of him, but this time she bent her arms influencing their bodies to gradually come together and causing their faces to grow closer so there was only a few inches of warm breath separating their lips.
* * * * *
TBC - Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm having fun writing it. Please review - they fire me up! :)