Previously:
She responded quickly in a deep voice, taking a step forward.
"This mouth can perform some weird and wonderful tasks when I want it to."
He saw the corners of her mouth lift and her eyes glance from his own, down his body, then back up to meet him, glistening in the sunlight.
A quiet stillness enveloped the two co-workers. 'Co-workers' - a word that was ringing through both of their minds at this precise moment. Neither noticed the silence that had surrounded them considering the thoughts in their own minds were screaming volumes into their ears. Their bodies were getting closer, though neither could tell who was moving. Both were waiting, still moving closer, but waiting... closer...
Chapter 8 - Out Of Vegas, The Rules Don't Apply
May 8th - 2:15pm
Outside Grissom's SUV Somewhere On A Dirt Road
Their lips brushed lightly, but just before this movement could form into a kiss, their mouths separated. Something was holding them both back. But something was also pushing them forwards. They brushed lips again; firmer this time and they lingered. Maybe it was Grissom, maybe it was Catherine, but somebody leant in and allowed the hesitant kiss to take place. It was a gentle and caring kiss. The thought went through Catherine's mind that if there had not been any barriers between them, this kiss would have been ravishing. But there were. She pulled their lips apart, leant her forehead against his as he closed his eyes, and, through her own closed eyes, Catherine said,
"Grissom?"
"Yeh?"
"We can't do this."
His response came after a short pause.
"I know."
Their positioning remained as it was for a while longer until Catherine stepped back from Grissom, then walked around him towards the driver's side of the car.
Grissom could not stand this. Grabbing her wrist as she past he said,
"We're not in Vegas, or on a job. The rules don't apply here. I can't be that close to you and then have you step away, Catherine."
She respected his honesty, but replied with logic.
"It'll be hard when we get back to Vegas."
He then hit her with a version of one of her own comments, causing her to reconsider what she had just remarked.
"Never doubt this moment, Catherine; but never look back at it."
She gazed at him with an almost neutral expression. There was just a tiny flicker of a smile stealing through her features that gave her away.
"Catherine?"
Grissom decided to break the comfortable silence and steer away from their threateningly serious conversation. He continued at her silence,
"These certain '*tasks*' your mouth performs," he paused, and glanced at her, "can it also perform the task of keeping quiet about the mysterious gift, if its mistress is given a chance to drive, by a certain extremely handsome and wonderful entomologist?"
Catherine's eyes locked with Grissom's, and putting on her most enticing voice, she responded, "Mistress? Now there's an idea."
He couldn't find the words to respond. She smiled at him and spun on her heel, reaching for the driver's door handle.
"You coming?" she asked him as she opened the door and entered the SUV, smiling inwardly about the fact that she had just stunned Grissom into a frozen posture.
3:15pm
Grissom was busy contemplating the inevitable gift he was going to buy Catherine while she was whizzing down the road merrily. He had absolutely no idea what to buy for her and he was in deep thought; so, deciding to fill the silence between them with some music, Catherine's fingers floated towards the radio buttons. Trying to find a station she liked, she pressed all the buttons she knew would change the channels. However, the SUV jolted and Catherine's finger slipped setting all of the stored stations to a buzzing sound that increased and decreased in pitch along with the speed of the SUV. Eyes wide and leaning forwards she guiltily looked up at Grissom and only half concentrated on the road ahead of her. Seeing his lack of attention on her activity she relaxed, flicked off the radio and sitting back, said,
"Actually...let's not listen to the radio."
4:30pm
"I booked us into this hotel for the night," Grissom said looking intently at the map in front of him and pointing to where the hotel was situated, resolute on not even getting lost once. "I think you should take the next right somewhere along this road."
"You *think*?"
The smooth tarred road made such a different to the previous dirt track they had just travelled along for the last forty miles or so. Catherine was becoming irritated with Grissom's navigating, though. Although he had chosen the right roads all the time, his decisions were made at the last possible moment, causing Catherine to almost crash at least twice.
"Um... you should... uh...-"
"*Grissom!*" Catherine yelled, making Grissom jump out of his wits and jerk his body and arms, causing the map to fly off his lap.
"Take the right, take the right." Grissom quickly responded, thinking how very scary Catherine can be sometimes.
Catherine swung the car round to the right. Along the road she saw the sign pointing right to the hotel car park and stopped the car once she entered it. Grissom was once again staring intently at his map, not even noticing the fact that the car had stopped.
"Right, we need to go along this road, turn right, then right again, then I think... wait... I think-"
"Grissom - We're in the car park." There was a pause as Grissom looked up, then to Catherine who was just turning off the engine.
"Oh."
"And you think you're observant?"
Catherine got out of the car and walked towards the boot, contemplating Grissom's sanity and ability to map read. Meanwhile, Grissom's eyes followed her out, then turned to the glove compartment. Opening it subtly so Catherine wouldn't notice, he pulled out the object he did not want her to see. Warrick had taken the photo three years ago when Lindsey was about six. He stared at the laughing faces of the small child and her mother, then glanced to his own laughing form. All three figures were on Catherine's living room floor in a huddled bundle. Grissom smiled at the memories of Catherine and himself having just tickled Lindsey into hysterics, Warrick's shout, then the click of the camera.
"Grissom?" He heard Catherine by the boot outside the SUV.
"Coming."
An idea sparked in Grissom's head as he cautiously put the photo back and shut the glove compartment. Exiting the vehicle he went to the boot to help Catherine with their bags.
4:50pm
Grissom and Catherine entered the double doors of the extremely posh hotel. Catherine stared open mouthed at Grissom. He looked back and said,
"I thought I'd spoil myself for once."
As Catherine lingered in the lobby, Grissom, resting his bags on the floor by her, went to the desk clerk to get the key. Catherine placed her bags with his and looked around the stunning marble foyer. Her eyes fixed on the marvellous trail of paintings displayed on one of the walls leading up the stairs.
She dragged the bags with her and stopped in front of one to admire it. With her thoughts involved in the stunning and mesmerising sky painted in this particular picture, she was not aware of the figure that stepped up behind her.
Grissom leaned into Catherine, his face near her ear and his breath and lips almost caressing the skin on her neck.
"Catherine?"
She spun around so fast, almost falling over the bags in the process, her arms flying out and she felt her heart race from him scaring her out of her wits.
"Woah! What! Grissom."
He held on to her to stop her from toppling over the bags, and she grabbed hold of his arms.
"You made me jump."
"Yeh. I saw that."
She let Grissom pull her up and she composed herself. Both declining the offer of help with their bags, he then led her up the stairs to their room, with a tiny smile on his face, still thinking about her arms flying up in the air. Grissom stopped near the top of the wide staircase, just in front of Catherine. He turned to her, his smile starting to widen on his face and she looked up at him, anticipating his inevitable comment.
"Oh, Cath? You know we're sharing a room, right?"
* * * * *
Thank you all so much for your reviews. I know I say it every time - and this time is no different. Thank you. Please R+R for this chapter too :D You know how much I appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll try and get Part 9 up ASAP - Cath
She responded quickly in a deep voice, taking a step forward.
"This mouth can perform some weird and wonderful tasks when I want it to."
He saw the corners of her mouth lift and her eyes glance from his own, down his body, then back up to meet him, glistening in the sunlight.
A quiet stillness enveloped the two co-workers. 'Co-workers' - a word that was ringing through both of their minds at this precise moment. Neither noticed the silence that had surrounded them considering the thoughts in their own minds were screaming volumes into their ears. Their bodies were getting closer, though neither could tell who was moving. Both were waiting, still moving closer, but waiting... closer...
Chapter 8 - Out Of Vegas, The Rules Don't Apply
May 8th - 2:15pm
Outside Grissom's SUV Somewhere On A Dirt Road
Their lips brushed lightly, but just before this movement could form into a kiss, their mouths separated. Something was holding them both back. But something was also pushing them forwards. They brushed lips again; firmer this time and they lingered. Maybe it was Grissom, maybe it was Catherine, but somebody leant in and allowed the hesitant kiss to take place. It was a gentle and caring kiss. The thought went through Catherine's mind that if there had not been any barriers between them, this kiss would have been ravishing. But there were. She pulled their lips apart, leant her forehead against his as he closed his eyes, and, through her own closed eyes, Catherine said,
"Grissom?"
"Yeh?"
"We can't do this."
His response came after a short pause.
"I know."
Their positioning remained as it was for a while longer until Catherine stepped back from Grissom, then walked around him towards the driver's side of the car.
Grissom could not stand this. Grabbing her wrist as she past he said,
"We're not in Vegas, or on a job. The rules don't apply here. I can't be that close to you and then have you step away, Catherine."
She respected his honesty, but replied with logic.
"It'll be hard when we get back to Vegas."
He then hit her with a version of one of her own comments, causing her to reconsider what she had just remarked.
"Never doubt this moment, Catherine; but never look back at it."
She gazed at him with an almost neutral expression. There was just a tiny flicker of a smile stealing through her features that gave her away.
"Catherine?"
Grissom decided to break the comfortable silence and steer away from their threateningly serious conversation. He continued at her silence,
"These certain '*tasks*' your mouth performs," he paused, and glanced at her, "can it also perform the task of keeping quiet about the mysterious gift, if its mistress is given a chance to drive, by a certain extremely handsome and wonderful entomologist?"
Catherine's eyes locked with Grissom's, and putting on her most enticing voice, she responded, "Mistress? Now there's an idea."
He couldn't find the words to respond. She smiled at him and spun on her heel, reaching for the driver's door handle.
"You coming?" she asked him as she opened the door and entered the SUV, smiling inwardly about the fact that she had just stunned Grissom into a frozen posture.
3:15pm
Grissom was busy contemplating the inevitable gift he was going to buy Catherine while she was whizzing down the road merrily. He had absolutely no idea what to buy for her and he was in deep thought; so, deciding to fill the silence between them with some music, Catherine's fingers floated towards the radio buttons. Trying to find a station she liked, she pressed all the buttons she knew would change the channels. However, the SUV jolted and Catherine's finger slipped setting all of the stored stations to a buzzing sound that increased and decreased in pitch along with the speed of the SUV. Eyes wide and leaning forwards she guiltily looked up at Grissom and only half concentrated on the road ahead of her. Seeing his lack of attention on her activity she relaxed, flicked off the radio and sitting back, said,
"Actually...let's not listen to the radio."
4:30pm
"I booked us into this hotel for the night," Grissom said looking intently at the map in front of him and pointing to where the hotel was situated, resolute on not even getting lost once. "I think you should take the next right somewhere along this road."
"You *think*?"
The smooth tarred road made such a different to the previous dirt track they had just travelled along for the last forty miles or so. Catherine was becoming irritated with Grissom's navigating, though. Although he had chosen the right roads all the time, his decisions were made at the last possible moment, causing Catherine to almost crash at least twice.
"Um... you should... uh...-"
"*Grissom!*" Catherine yelled, making Grissom jump out of his wits and jerk his body and arms, causing the map to fly off his lap.
"Take the right, take the right." Grissom quickly responded, thinking how very scary Catherine can be sometimes.
Catherine swung the car round to the right. Along the road she saw the sign pointing right to the hotel car park and stopped the car once she entered it. Grissom was once again staring intently at his map, not even noticing the fact that the car had stopped.
"Right, we need to go along this road, turn right, then right again, then I think... wait... I think-"
"Grissom - We're in the car park." There was a pause as Grissom looked up, then to Catherine who was just turning off the engine.
"Oh."
"And you think you're observant?"
Catherine got out of the car and walked towards the boot, contemplating Grissom's sanity and ability to map read. Meanwhile, Grissom's eyes followed her out, then turned to the glove compartment. Opening it subtly so Catherine wouldn't notice, he pulled out the object he did not want her to see. Warrick had taken the photo three years ago when Lindsey was about six. He stared at the laughing faces of the small child and her mother, then glanced to his own laughing form. All three figures were on Catherine's living room floor in a huddled bundle. Grissom smiled at the memories of Catherine and himself having just tickled Lindsey into hysterics, Warrick's shout, then the click of the camera.
"Grissom?" He heard Catherine by the boot outside the SUV.
"Coming."
An idea sparked in Grissom's head as he cautiously put the photo back and shut the glove compartment. Exiting the vehicle he went to the boot to help Catherine with their bags.
4:50pm
Grissom and Catherine entered the double doors of the extremely posh hotel. Catherine stared open mouthed at Grissom. He looked back and said,
"I thought I'd spoil myself for once."
As Catherine lingered in the lobby, Grissom, resting his bags on the floor by her, went to the desk clerk to get the key. Catherine placed her bags with his and looked around the stunning marble foyer. Her eyes fixed on the marvellous trail of paintings displayed on one of the walls leading up the stairs.
She dragged the bags with her and stopped in front of one to admire it. With her thoughts involved in the stunning and mesmerising sky painted in this particular picture, she was not aware of the figure that stepped up behind her.
Grissom leaned into Catherine, his face near her ear and his breath and lips almost caressing the skin on her neck.
"Catherine?"
She spun around so fast, almost falling over the bags in the process, her arms flying out and she felt her heart race from him scaring her out of her wits.
"Woah! What! Grissom."
He held on to her to stop her from toppling over the bags, and she grabbed hold of his arms.
"You made me jump."
"Yeh. I saw that."
She let Grissom pull her up and she composed herself. Both declining the offer of help with their bags, he then led her up the stairs to their room, with a tiny smile on his face, still thinking about her arms flying up in the air. Grissom stopped near the top of the wide staircase, just in front of Catherine. He turned to her, his smile starting to widen on his face and she looked up at him, anticipating his inevitable comment.
"Oh, Cath? You know we're sharing a room, right?"
* * * * *
Thank you all so much for your reviews. I know I say it every time - and this time is no different. Thank you. Please R+R for this chapter too :D You know how much I appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll try and get Part 9 up ASAP - Cath