Author's Note: first off, sorry for the wait! I had intended to finishing
up part two right after I finished my term paper for my film class, but
unfortunately our computers at work crashed causing me to spend every
waking hour at my store putting 1000's of cd's back into the system before
the Christmas rush. But everything is back to normal now and so here is
the long awaited part two.
Part Two
"Mommy you're not holding still," complained Lindsey who was still in her pajamas.
"You know Lindsey, I think my hair might be a little too short for this," Catherine said as her daughter attempted to twist her blonde hair into two braids just a Catherine had done for Lindsey earlier that morning. "Why don't you go get changed while I put the next batch of cookies in. Then you can ice the ones that are cooling."
"Alrighty," Lindsey said skipping towards her bedroom as Catherine made her way into the kitchen. Before she could get too far on the cookies, Catherine heard the doorbell ring. Before she could get too far on the cookies, Catherine heard the doorbell ring.
"Good morning sunshine," Catherine said swinging the door open.
"Merry Christmas Cath," Grissom said brushing her blonde curls behind her ear to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Looks like snow out here," Catherine said with a twinkle in her eyes.
"You're really shooting for this snow aren't you," Grissom chuckled realizing that this was probably the 80th time Catherine had mentioned snow in the last week.
"It just makes Christmas so much more magical," Catherine said letting her thoughts drift back to the simpler times of her youth in Montana.
"Somehow I have a feeling that this Christmas is going to magical either way," Grissom said softly.
"You think?" Catherine said trying not to get lost in the beauty of Grissom's eyes.
"Uncle Gil!" came an excited squeal from inside the house as Lindsey skidded towards the pair wearing a red sweater and black pants in an effort to match her mother's tight red sweater and black pants.
"Merry Christmas Lindsey," Grissom said kneeling to hug the little girl.
"I have to show you the Barbie Dream House that Santa brought me," Lindsey said tugging on Grissom's hand. "Oh and I made you a present and it's really neat."
As Lindsey pulled Grissom into the living room as Catherine stopped in the kitchen to finishing putting the cookies in the oven, the little girl continued to chatter away. "My grandma knit me this sweater, and I like it because now I can match Mommy's outfit. Except I tried to do Mommy's hair like mine and it didn't work very well."
Grissom couldn't help but laugh as he pictured the little girl trying to braid Catherine's very curly blonde hair.
"You know you could probably put your tarantula in one of these," Lindsey said as she began to rearrange the furniture in the Dream House for the umpteenth time that morning.
"I'm not sure how much he'd like that," Grissom replied as Catherine erupted into laughter from the kitchen.
Catherine came back into the room with a cup of hot chocolate for Lindsey and coffee for Grissom. After grabbing a cup of coffee for herself, she asked, "So am I making pancakes or French toast for breakfast?"
Grissom looked at Lindsey, "What do you think?"
The little girl considered for a moment then said, "French toast."
********************** "Mommy can I give Uncle Gil his present now?" Lindsey asked about an hour later when they were done with breakfast.
"Why don't you bring it into the living room," Catherine said clearing the plates off the table.
As Lindsey ran into her bedroom, obviously very excited, Grissom helped Catherine with the rest of the plates.
"She's been waiting to give you this for quite a while," Catherine said smiling. "She put a lot of work into it." As Catherine led him back into the living room, Grissom wondered the gift could possibly be.
Lindsey came into the room holding a medium-sized canvas. "Mommy told me that your mommy liked to paint," she began. "And I like to paint too. So I made you this for Christmas."
She turned the canvas around to reveal a painting of a butterfly with colorful wings. It was remarkably well-done for such a young girl.
Grissom reached over to give Lindsey a huge hug. "This is the most beautiful gift anyone could ever give me."
"You can hang it in your office with all of the other bugs," Lindsey said beaming.
"I have just the spot for it," Grissom replied. He pulled a box out of the bag he'd brought in with him and handed it to Lindsey.
As soon as she opened it, her eyes immediately lit up. "I love it!" she exclaimed.
She fingered the delicate silver chain that held a pendant of an artist's palette and brush. Lindsey threw her arms around Grissom's neck.
After Catherine had helped her daughter put on the necklace, Lindsey said, "Mommy are you going to give Uncle Gil his other present now?"
"Yup," Catherine said smiling at her daughter. She grabbed a brightly wrapped box from under the tree, and handed it to Grissom, "I doubt I can top Lindsey's, but Merry Christmas."
He chuckled as he opened the box to find an antique detective's kit he'd been admiring at a local antique shop.
"Catherine this is wonderful," he said kissing her on the cheek. Then he looked at Lindsey, "Want to help me get your Mommy's present?"
"Yup," the little girl said. "Mommy, stay right here. We'll be back."
Catherine sat on the couch perplexed as Grissom and Lindsey went out to his Tahoe.
"What in the world." she said as they returned with a huge box.
"Open it Mommy," Lindsey said jumping up and down.
"So she knows what this is already?" Catherine said eyeing the box suspiciously.
"Just open it Catherine," Grissom said feeling rather impatient himself.
Catherine opened the giant box to reveal.another smaller wrapped box. "Okay then," she said going to work on the second box only to reveal a third smaller wrapped box.
"Cute Gil," she said sarcastically as she opened box number three. In it was a fourth smaller box. She opened that box prepared to find yet another box, but this time was greeted by packing peanuts.
At this point Lindsey was giggling uncontrollably as Catherine asked, "There's not something alive in there right?"
Grissom merely shrugged.
"Well here goes nothing Catherine said digging through the box. Finally she found a small green box with a bow on it. Recognizing the shape of the box, Catherine's eyes shot up to Grissom's, "Gil what-"
"Open it Catherine," Grissom said softly.
"Yeah open it Mommy," Lindsey said dying to see what was in the box.
Catherine opened the small box to reveal a beautiful sapphire ring. After staring at it for a moment, she realized that it was the ring that she had seen at a small jewelry store in the North Las Vegas shortly after they had met over ten years ago.
"Gil," she said softly. "This is beautiful.how did find it, I mean that was so long ago.I can't believe you remembered."
"You're babbling Cath," Grissom said softly.
"That is so pretty," Lindsey said admiring the ring. "Try it on Mommy."
"Uhm alright," Catherine replied barely able to keep her hands from shaking as she slipped the ring onto her finger. She stared at Grissom for a moment, and then gave him a dazzling smile. "It fits perfectly."
Sensing the adults needed a second alone, Lindsey said, "I'm going to go get the icing ready for the cookies."
Catherine nodded as her daughter left the room. She once again looked at the ring, and then looked at Grissom. Slowly, she got up from the couch to embrace him. As they stood in each other's arms Catherine happened to glance out the window.
"Gil look," she said softly.
Keeping one arm around Catherine, Grissom turned to follow her gaze out the window where snowflakes had begun fluttering to the ground.
**What exactly does the ring (which by the way is based on the ring I got last Christmas.same wrapping method too!!) mean for Grissom and Catherine?? What happens at Catherine's party that night?? And why the heck did Juliet name this story 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'? All this and more in part three so stay tuned!
Part Two
"Mommy you're not holding still," complained Lindsey who was still in her pajamas.
"You know Lindsey, I think my hair might be a little too short for this," Catherine said as her daughter attempted to twist her blonde hair into two braids just a Catherine had done for Lindsey earlier that morning. "Why don't you go get changed while I put the next batch of cookies in. Then you can ice the ones that are cooling."
"Alrighty," Lindsey said skipping towards her bedroom as Catherine made her way into the kitchen. Before she could get too far on the cookies, Catherine heard the doorbell ring. Before she could get too far on the cookies, Catherine heard the doorbell ring.
"Good morning sunshine," Catherine said swinging the door open.
"Merry Christmas Cath," Grissom said brushing her blonde curls behind her ear to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Looks like snow out here," Catherine said with a twinkle in her eyes.
"You're really shooting for this snow aren't you," Grissom chuckled realizing that this was probably the 80th time Catherine had mentioned snow in the last week.
"It just makes Christmas so much more magical," Catherine said letting her thoughts drift back to the simpler times of her youth in Montana.
"Somehow I have a feeling that this Christmas is going to magical either way," Grissom said softly.
"You think?" Catherine said trying not to get lost in the beauty of Grissom's eyes.
"Uncle Gil!" came an excited squeal from inside the house as Lindsey skidded towards the pair wearing a red sweater and black pants in an effort to match her mother's tight red sweater and black pants.
"Merry Christmas Lindsey," Grissom said kneeling to hug the little girl.
"I have to show you the Barbie Dream House that Santa brought me," Lindsey said tugging on Grissom's hand. "Oh and I made you a present and it's really neat."
As Lindsey pulled Grissom into the living room as Catherine stopped in the kitchen to finishing putting the cookies in the oven, the little girl continued to chatter away. "My grandma knit me this sweater, and I like it because now I can match Mommy's outfit. Except I tried to do Mommy's hair like mine and it didn't work very well."
Grissom couldn't help but laugh as he pictured the little girl trying to braid Catherine's very curly blonde hair.
"You know you could probably put your tarantula in one of these," Lindsey said as she began to rearrange the furniture in the Dream House for the umpteenth time that morning.
"I'm not sure how much he'd like that," Grissom replied as Catherine erupted into laughter from the kitchen.
Catherine came back into the room with a cup of hot chocolate for Lindsey and coffee for Grissom. After grabbing a cup of coffee for herself, she asked, "So am I making pancakes or French toast for breakfast?"
Grissom looked at Lindsey, "What do you think?"
The little girl considered for a moment then said, "French toast."
********************** "Mommy can I give Uncle Gil his present now?" Lindsey asked about an hour later when they were done with breakfast.
"Why don't you bring it into the living room," Catherine said clearing the plates off the table.
As Lindsey ran into her bedroom, obviously very excited, Grissom helped Catherine with the rest of the plates.
"She's been waiting to give you this for quite a while," Catherine said smiling. "She put a lot of work into it." As Catherine led him back into the living room, Grissom wondered the gift could possibly be.
Lindsey came into the room holding a medium-sized canvas. "Mommy told me that your mommy liked to paint," she began. "And I like to paint too. So I made you this for Christmas."
She turned the canvas around to reveal a painting of a butterfly with colorful wings. It was remarkably well-done for such a young girl.
Grissom reached over to give Lindsey a huge hug. "This is the most beautiful gift anyone could ever give me."
"You can hang it in your office with all of the other bugs," Lindsey said beaming.
"I have just the spot for it," Grissom replied. He pulled a box out of the bag he'd brought in with him and handed it to Lindsey.
As soon as she opened it, her eyes immediately lit up. "I love it!" she exclaimed.
She fingered the delicate silver chain that held a pendant of an artist's palette and brush. Lindsey threw her arms around Grissom's neck.
After Catherine had helped her daughter put on the necklace, Lindsey said, "Mommy are you going to give Uncle Gil his other present now?"
"Yup," Catherine said smiling at her daughter. She grabbed a brightly wrapped box from under the tree, and handed it to Grissom, "I doubt I can top Lindsey's, but Merry Christmas."
He chuckled as he opened the box to find an antique detective's kit he'd been admiring at a local antique shop.
"Catherine this is wonderful," he said kissing her on the cheek. Then he looked at Lindsey, "Want to help me get your Mommy's present?"
"Yup," the little girl said. "Mommy, stay right here. We'll be back."
Catherine sat on the couch perplexed as Grissom and Lindsey went out to his Tahoe.
"What in the world." she said as they returned with a huge box.
"Open it Mommy," Lindsey said jumping up and down.
"So she knows what this is already?" Catherine said eyeing the box suspiciously.
"Just open it Catherine," Grissom said feeling rather impatient himself.
Catherine opened the giant box to reveal.another smaller wrapped box. "Okay then," she said going to work on the second box only to reveal a third smaller wrapped box.
"Cute Gil," she said sarcastically as she opened box number three. In it was a fourth smaller box. She opened that box prepared to find yet another box, but this time was greeted by packing peanuts.
At this point Lindsey was giggling uncontrollably as Catherine asked, "There's not something alive in there right?"
Grissom merely shrugged.
"Well here goes nothing Catherine said digging through the box. Finally she found a small green box with a bow on it. Recognizing the shape of the box, Catherine's eyes shot up to Grissom's, "Gil what-"
"Open it Catherine," Grissom said softly.
"Yeah open it Mommy," Lindsey said dying to see what was in the box.
Catherine opened the small box to reveal a beautiful sapphire ring. After staring at it for a moment, she realized that it was the ring that she had seen at a small jewelry store in the North Las Vegas shortly after they had met over ten years ago.
"Gil," she said softly. "This is beautiful.how did find it, I mean that was so long ago.I can't believe you remembered."
"You're babbling Cath," Grissom said softly.
"That is so pretty," Lindsey said admiring the ring. "Try it on Mommy."
"Uhm alright," Catherine replied barely able to keep her hands from shaking as she slipped the ring onto her finger. She stared at Grissom for a moment, and then gave him a dazzling smile. "It fits perfectly."
Sensing the adults needed a second alone, Lindsey said, "I'm going to go get the icing ready for the cookies."
Catherine nodded as her daughter left the room. She once again looked at the ring, and then looked at Grissom. Slowly, she got up from the couch to embrace him. As they stood in each other's arms Catherine happened to glance out the window.
"Gil look," she said softly.
Keeping one arm around Catherine, Grissom turned to follow her gaze out the window where snowflakes had begun fluttering to the ground.
**What exactly does the ring (which by the way is based on the ring I got last Christmas.same wrapping method too!!) mean for Grissom and Catherine?? What happens at Catherine's party that night?? And why the heck did Juliet name this story 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'? All this and more in part three so stay tuned!