Chapter Four
Catherine's heart skipped a beat, and her eyebrows flicked up a little. "What are you saying?" she just managed to ask, through the breathless feeling that had overcome her.
Grissom suddenly felt nervous. What was he saying? "I'm just saying, some men would have called to see how Lindsey was," he shrugged.
"You assume that he didn't call," she said, regaining control of her mind.
Grissom nodded. "If he did call, then I'm sorry. But, if he didn't, he doesn't deserve you."
"I know," Catherine said, sitting down at the table, leaning her head on one hand.
"You know?" Grissom asked.
Catherine nodded. "I finished it with Chris yesterday."
"Why didn't you say? Instead of letting me go on like that," he said, sitting down beside her.
"Your comments deserved retaliation. I couldn't retaliate by saying you were right, could I?"
"You could have," he smiled. "I've got used to being right."
Catherine's eyes turned to his as he smirked, and she couldn't help smiling. "I'm sorry... again."
"For what?" he said shrugging it off.
"For apologising, and then proceeding to do the same thing again. Everything's just hit me in the last couple of days... I was angry at myself, not at you. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"I know," Grissom grinned.
Catherine laughed. "And I know that resigning probably isn't the best move to make, but I don't know how else to show Lindsey that she is the most important thing in the world to me. I have been neglecting her – no matter what you say."
"Lindsey knows. You heard her earlier, when I asked if you were taking good care of her, she said 'Of course she is'... Take your time off, then we'll look at how we can prevent you from having to do so much overtime... If necessary I'll give it all to Sara," he smiled.
Catherine laughed again and looked at him, and this time the way she looked at him made him feel powerless. "Gil?... What you said before - "
"I've said a lot."
"'Occasionally there's one sleeping on your porch', what did you mean?"
"Like I said, I meant some men would have called," he said, the mysterious look in her eyes causing his heart rate to quicken.
"And some men would have called several times, and when they didn't get a response, turned up on the doorstep to make banana pancakes?"
Grissom's mouth twitched into his cute little smile, and his eyes sparkled as he said: "No, men like that don't exist."
Catherine giggled. "You're on top form with the comedy this morning, Mr Grissom."
"Am I not always?" Grissom pouted.
Catherine hit him playfully, as she continued to laugh. "Stop it!"
"Stop what?" Grissom asked, laughing at her laughter.
"Stop trying to be cute."
"I wasn't trying," he laughed, dodging her hand. "It comes naturally."
Deftly sneaking her other hand through to hit him, Catherine grinned victoriously. Then they both continued laughing until Catherine captured Grissom's eyes and an awkward silence fell over them. They were both still smiling as they calmed down from the laughing, but the tension was thick in the air and they could feel it.
Grissom was the first to find the ability to speak. "Cath," he said, barely above a whisper, but concern evident in his tone.
"I know," she said, reluctantly looking away.
"You've already got enough to deal with."
Catherine nodded. Then she took a deep breath and sat up straight, composing herself. "Thanks for coming today."
"Any time. You okay?"
"Yeah... I think I'm thinking more clearly now. I don't know how you did it, but you've helped me out of the well of self hatred I was falling into... I'll let you go get some sleep now," she said, standing up.
Grissom took his cue and stood with her. "Promise me you'll call if you feel yourself falling again?"
Catherine nodded, and held out her arms for a hug.
Grissom complied and stepped towards her, wrapping her in his arms. "Let me catch you," he whispered.
Ten minutes later, Grissom had said goodbye to Lindsey, and Catherine waved him off from the door. When he had gone she went into the lounge and sat down beside her daughter.
"You okay, baby?"
Lindsey nodded. "Are you?"
Catherine smiled. "Yeah."
"You were freaking me out," Lindsey said seriously.
Catherine laughed a little. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I freaked myself out too."
"And Grissom?"
Catherine was thoughtful for a moment. "Surprisingly, no. I don't think Grissom's freaked out by anything I do."
"That's 'cause he loves you," Lindsey giggled.
"Does not!" Catherine argued playfully.
"Does too!" Lindsey laughed.
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"So, what were you watching?" Catherine tried to change the subject.
"Freaky Friday," the little girl grinned. "Are you quitting your job?"
Catherine looked at her seriously. "If you want me to."
Lindsey shook her head. "You like it... Did you kiss Grissom?"
Catherine's eyes widened. "No, I did not!"
Lindsey sighed. "Why not? You love him too."
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
The familiar discussion continued until Catherine failed to speak and Lindsey shouted:
"See!... So why didn't you kiss him?!"
Catherine looked at her, wondering when she'd got so cheeky, and sighed, resigning herself to the fact that there was no point trying to lie.
"It's too soon... After my 'freaking out'."
"Mom!" Lindsey's tone was serious. "How long have you known him?"
Catherine frowned, wondering where this line of questioning was going. "About twenty years."
"Wow! That's longer than I thought! So that definitely proves it! There is no such thing as too soon for you two."
Catherine just stared at Lindsey in amazement.
"Mom?" Getting no response Lindsey waved her hand in front of Catherine's face. "Mom?" Still nothing. Lindsey sighed and put her film back on.
Quarter of an hour later, Catherine had recovered from her shock, and was enjoying Lindsey's DVD with her, when there was a familiar knock at the door. Despite wondering why he had come back, she couldn't help smiling.
Opening the door, for the first time in the last two days she greeted him with a smile.
"Hey. Did you forget something?" she asked brightly.
Grissom held out a bag to her. Frowning, she took it from him and looked inside, smiling when she saw its contents. "Thank you," she said.
"No problem." He turned and started walking down the path, but after a few steps he stopped and turned back. "Oh, do me a favour?"
Catherine nodded, waiting for him to tell her what it was.
"Put them in the door of the fridge, so you'll know where they are."
THE END
Catherine's heart skipped a beat, and her eyebrows flicked up a little. "What are you saying?" she just managed to ask, through the breathless feeling that had overcome her.
Grissom suddenly felt nervous. What was he saying? "I'm just saying, some men would have called to see how Lindsey was," he shrugged.
"You assume that he didn't call," she said, regaining control of her mind.
Grissom nodded. "If he did call, then I'm sorry. But, if he didn't, he doesn't deserve you."
"I know," Catherine said, sitting down at the table, leaning her head on one hand.
"You know?" Grissom asked.
Catherine nodded. "I finished it with Chris yesterday."
"Why didn't you say? Instead of letting me go on like that," he said, sitting down beside her.
"Your comments deserved retaliation. I couldn't retaliate by saying you were right, could I?"
"You could have," he smiled. "I've got used to being right."
Catherine's eyes turned to his as he smirked, and she couldn't help smiling. "I'm sorry... again."
"For what?" he said shrugging it off.
"For apologising, and then proceeding to do the same thing again. Everything's just hit me in the last couple of days... I was angry at myself, not at you. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"I know," Grissom grinned.
Catherine laughed. "And I know that resigning probably isn't the best move to make, but I don't know how else to show Lindsey that she is the most important thing in the world to me. I have been neglecting her – no matter what you say."
"Lindsey knows. You heard her earlier, when I asked if you were taking good care of her, she said 'Of course she is'... Take your time off, then we'll look at how we can prevent you from having to do so much overtime... If necessary I'll give it all to Sara," he smiled.
Catherine laughed again and looked at him, and this time the way she looked at him made him feel powerless. "Gil?... What you said before - "
"I've said a lot."
"'Occasionally there's one sleeping on your porch', what did you mean?"
"Like I said, I meant some men would have called," he said, the mysterious look in her eyes causing his heart rate to quicken.
"And some men would have called several times, and when they didn't get a response, turned up on the doorstep to make banana pancakes?"
Grissom's mouth twitched into his cute little smile, and his eyes sparkled as he said: "No, men like that don't exist."
Catherine giggled. "You're on top form with the comedy this morning, Mr Grissom."
"Am I not always?" Grissom pouted.
Catherine hit him playfully, as she continued to laugh. "Stop it!"
"Stop what?" Grissom asked, laughing at her laughter.
"Stop trying to be cute."
"I wasn't trying," he laughed, dodging her hand. "It comes naturally."
Deftly sneaking her other hand through to hit him, Catherine grinned victoriously. Then they both continued laughing until Catherine captured Grissom's eyes and an awkward silence fell over them. They were both still smiling as they calmed down from the laughing, but the tension was thick in the air and they could feel it.
Grissom was the first to find the ability to speak. "Cath," he said, barely above a whisper, but concern evident in his tone.
"I know," she said, reluctantly looking away.
"You've already got enough to deal with."
Catherine nodded. Then she took a deep breath and sat up straight, composing herself. "Thanks for coming today."
"Any time. You okay?"
"Yeah... I think I'm thinking more clearly now. I don't know how you did it, but you've helped me out of the well of self hatred I was falling into... I'll let you go get some sleep now," she said, standing up.
Grissom took his cue and stood with her. "Promise me you'll call if you feel yourself falling again?"
Catherine nodded, and held out her arms for a hug.
Grissom complied and stepped towards her, wrapping her in his arms. "Let me catch you," he whispered.
Ten minutes later, Grissom had said goodbye to Lindsey, and Catherine waved him off from the door. When he had gone she went into the lounge and sat down beside her daughter.
"You okay, baby?"
Lindsey nodded. "Are you?"
Catherine smiled. "Yeah."
"You were freaking me out," Lindsey said seriously.
Catherine laughed a little. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I freaked myself out too."
"And Grissom?"
Catherine was thoughtful for a moment. "Surprisingly, no. I don't think Grissom's freaked out by anything I do."
"That's 'cause he loves you," Lindsey giggled.
"Does not!" Catherine argued playfully.
"Does too!" Lindsey laughed.
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"So, what were you watching?" Catherine tried to change the subject.
"Freaky Friday," the little girl grinned. "Are you quitting your job?"
Catherine looked at her seriously. "If you want me to."
Lindsey shook her head. "You like it... Did you kiss Grissom?"
Catherine's eyes widened. "No, I did not!"
Lindsey sighed. "Why not? You love him too."
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
The familiar discussion continued until Catherine failed to speak and Lindsey shouted:
"See!... So why didn't you kiss him?!"
Catherine looked at her, wondering when she'd got so cheeky, and sighed, resigning herself to the fact that there was no point trying to lie.
"It's too soon... After my 'freaking out'."
"Mom!" Lindsey's tone was serious. "How long have you known him?"
Catherine frowned, wondering where this line of questioning was going. "About twenty years."
"Wow! That's longer than I thought! So that definitely proves it! There is no such thing as too soon for you two."
Catherine just stared at Lindsey in amazement.
"Mom?" Getting no response Lindsey waved her hand in front of Catherine's face. "Mom?" Still nothing. Lindsey sighed and put her film back on.
Quarter of an hour later, Catherine had recovered from her shock, and was enjoying Lindsey's DVD with her, when there was a familiar knock at the door. Despite wondering why he had come back, she couldn't help smiling.
Opening the door, for the first time in the last two days she greeted him with a smile.
"Hey. Did you forget something?" she asked brightly.
Grissom held out a bag to her. Frowning, she took it from him and looked inside, smiling when she saw its contents. "Thank you," she said.
"No problem." He turned and started walking down the path, but after a few steps he stopped and turned back. "Oh, do me a favour?"
Catherine nodded, waiting for him to tell her what it was.
"Put them in the door of the fridge, so you'll know where they are."
THE END