DISCLAIMER : I don't own CSI nor it's characters. Everything belongs to the brains behind this wonderful show. Props go out to them. :D

AUTHOR'S NOTE : I promise, the end is almost near. :D Bear with me. :D

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CHAPTER XVII

"Had a fight with the missus?" Brass quipped.

"I'm not in the mood Jim." Grissom warned as he got close to the detective.

"Hey, you just looked like you two were having a lover's spat there." came back his friend's reply. Jim Brass had his hands raised in mock defense.

"We were not having a 'lover's spat' as you so delicately put it..." Grissom tried to explain but was cut short.

"Was it work related?"

"No, it was not," His response got a slow nod and a strange look from Brass that seemed to beg the question, "What?"

"Well, if it wasn't work related, the look that Sara came away with is definitely that of a 'lover's spat'." Jim replied, eyeing his friend.

"How do I get myself into these kinds of situations?" Grissom expressed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You do, because you're letting a perfectly beautiful brunette walk free when you know you want her." Brass said confidently, hoping to snap Grissom out of his proverbial ass.

Not bothering to see what reaction his words would get, he turned around and walked towards the crime scene the CSIs were here to work on.

Feeling like everyone was out for blood, Grissom shook his head again. He bent down to pick up his kit and followed Brass' lead.

He knew that he had absolutely failed to capture at least a warmer air between him and Sara with that whole car conversation. He wished he knew what else to do.

Asking her out was certainly out of the question. Her earlier refusal produced nothing more than the realization that he had hurt her terribly with his behavior.

He also admitted to himself that where Sara was concerned, words always failed him. He needed something else to prove just how much he cared. He couldn't shake the fear that was slowly creeping up to him.

"What if she's over me?" Grissom thought about the words to the song she sang tonight. "Didn't it sing of moving on?"

Scared that he was losing her, Grissom surrendered to the fact that he needed someone else's help with this.

x x x x x x x x x x x

"So," Warrick and Catherine were in the break room waiting for their results from Ballistics. "What you doing tomorrow? Heard it was your day off."

"Yeah. I actually don't know. Lindsey's spending the night with my mom. I guess I'm all alone." Catherine hoped that she didn't sound like a complete teenager with a crush.

"Well, I was thinking since my day off too, would you ..." Warrick was nervous about asking Catherine out, but he had to try. "Would you like to catch a movie? With me?"

Catherine's heart soared. They've been dancing about the subject for a week now and they're finally moving forward. Now, if the same could be the same about Grissom and Sara, Catherine thought.

Despite her excitement, Catherine spoke in a very calm voice. "I'd love to, though I hope it isn't noir."

"What wrong with noir?" Warrick asked, a smile spreading on his face at her acceptance.

"Nothing, it's just not my thing though. I went to see one with Grissom that time after that movie theater case..." Catherine explained, "I didn't like it much but thought to go along, as it turns out the man wasn't even a fan of noir!"

"Ha, that's Grissom for you." Warrick laughed. At that moment, he saw Grissom round the corner and head straight towards them. "Hey Cath, speak of the devil." he said, directing Cahterine's gaze to the Grissom's approaching figure.

They waited patiently for him to reach the room before they gave their respectve greetings.

"Cath, can I talk to you in my office for a bit?" Grissom said, going straight to the point.

"Sure," Catherine acquiesced, "I'll be there in a minute."

Grissom retreated to his office quietly without so much as a word to Warrick.

Catherine sighed and stood from her seat. "Page me when we get something off those samples from the scene, k?"

Warrick merely nodded at this. Catherine gave him a smile and added, "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow."

"So am I..." Warrick replied, smiling up at her.

It took all of Catherine's will to stop herself from pouncing on the guy and kissing him. Instead, she slowly turned around and bee lined towards Grissom's office.

She found her supervisor seated with a strange look on his face.

"What's up?" Catherine said, casually lowering herself on the seat in front of his desk.

"I need you help on something..." Grissom didn't see the need to beat around the bush anymore.

"Okaaay..." Catherine drawled. "Glad that you're cutting to the chase here. I just hope I'm not doing another political cover-up on your unpolitical ass here."

"Much as it makes me happy to know you're always there to catch my 'unpolitical ass', this doesn't involve any politics," Grissom had to laugh at Catherine.

"So, who does it involve then?" Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"Sara."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no.." Catherine shook her head and her hands at Grissom. "I am not going to be party to this. If you need to tell Sara something bad or for some strange reason you need to lecture her about work, AGAIN, I refuse to you there..."

"What the hell?" Grissom thought to himself wildly. "What the hell is she going on about?"

"Cath," he tried to interrupt Catherine's outburst, but to no use. Catherine simply continued on.

"Haven't you punished her enough? Exactly for what reason ... it escapes me, I mean god! You hardly ever talk to her anymore. She's walking around like she has rocks for shoulders. She never has breakfast with us anymore too, though I'm not sure she's eating all together!" Catherine couldn't stop herself. "Gil! You need to snap out of this. For god's sake, tell her how you really feel. Stop hiding behind your work because frankly, we'd rather see you guys together and see you apart!"

Catherine looked at Grissom, her eyes sending him angry shots at his continued silence.

"Well? Aren't you at least going to say something?" Catherine asked angrily.

"Are you about done?" Grissom asked in turn. Getting a nod from Catherine, Grissom signed and spoke again. "I need your help letting Sara know that I care for her."

"Oh," Catherine said, words failing her. She gave Grissom a wide smile, glad that he finally admitted things couldn't go as they were. "About time you did. Why don't you just simply tell her?"

"I tried, God help me, I really tried." Grissom groaned, leaning on his desk to cradle his head with his hands. "It's just that every time I try to tell her how I feel I end up looking like a blabbering idiot and say the wrong things. Plus, at this point, I don't think that simply telling her will suffice."

They remained silent for a while, each thinking up a way to fix the situation. At length, Catherine thought more and more that she had the perfect solution.

"Gil, did you know that Sara could sing?" Catherine confided. She figured now that Grissom wanted to patch things up with Sara this wouldn't hurt her one bit.

"yes, I do. I went to see her the last time." Grissom innocently replied. This gathered a somewhat shocked "Oh!" from Catherine. "It was kinda what made me realize that I can't lose her. I don't want to lose her."

"Well, I have the prefect plan..." Catherine smiled devilishly and leaned closer to Grissom's desk. "And we need reinforcement."

"Reinforcement?"

"Yes, we need the perfect song and the help of three other men."