Catherine's POV:
He spent hours reading from some dusty, leather bound book. I was surprised to see him take his glasses out of his pocket after reading the first few pages. I wondered what had him so captivated from the beginning. I want to read over his shoulder, but I don't want Lindsey to get any ideas in her head. I know that she adores Warrick, but I don't want her to get attached to him. My life has been nothing more than a revolving door for men; I learned long ago not to introduce them to my daughter. Most of them never knew that I had a daughter.
"Mom, I'm bored," Lindsey whined as I refocus and began to busy myself by cleaning the kitchen.
"Sweetie, it probably won't be much longer," I said as I scrubbed at what might have been a coffee stain from the early 90's.
"Linds, come here. You'll love this book," Warrick said. Lindsey rolled her eyes. Reading, math, writing, science, art, music, and every other class weren't exactly her forte.
"What's it about?" Lindsey asked in an effort of humoring Warrick. It almost made me laugh because she didn't even do that for me anymore.
"Murder, lying, money . . . kind of like those romance novels, but with bigger words," Warrick called out.
"Really? Does the guy get the girl?" Lindsey asked with a raise eyebrow as she left the kitchen intrigued with the possibility of something more entertaining than her homework.
"Does it matter?" Warrick replied.
"I guess not," Lindsey replied. I could hear the pages of the book flip. It was followed by Warrick's strangely melodic voice reading Lindsey a story about the Victorian South. It reminded me a lot of Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler, but Warrick was right about big words.
I listened to them read for hours before they retreated to the kitchen for lunch. Cooking wasn't exactly my greatest domestic skill, but they didn't seem to mind that I made grilled cheese sandwiches. They were too busy talking about how the fictional Eliza should have hit the fictional male character for pushing her . . . and cheating on her with her sister. I was surprised that Warrick could get lost in something that was no doubt as trashy as the Lifetime Network.
I fell asleep in the rocking chair as Lindsey and Warrick continued to explore the seedy world of the deep South. I hadn't slept well the night before. I gasped every time I thought I heard the floorboards creek. I nearly had a heart attack when I realized Lindsey wasn't in the bed next to me. I was surprised to see her sleeping on the ground next to Warrick. She clung to him the way she used to cling to Eddie after a nightmare.
I spent the rest of the night wondering how Sara was doing. My neck was sore, but I knew that was the product of me imagining that it was me that was attacked. It wasn't fair. I didn't want it to be me, but I wished that this asshole could have at least got the right target. If he had a beef with me, he should have come to me to settle the score.
In that sense, I was the exact opposite of Sara. I knew I could kill someone to protect the people I loved. I killed that maniac, Google, that threatened Grissom. I was able to shoot him without a second thought. There was no way in hell that I was going to let some psycho kill my best friend. Sara could never kill someone. It wasn't in her nature; maybe because she had been hurt so many times. It wasn't that she was weak. Sara was just a little more compassionate than me, Grissom, or Warrick. Sara and Nick were the 'feelers' of the lab. I gave up on that long ago.
"Cath, why don't you go to bed? I already carried Lindsey into the bedroom," Warrick said as he gently shook my shoulder causing me to jump what felt like a mile into the air.
"I slept all evening. I don't know if I'll be able to fall asleep again," I said as my mind jolted into wakefulness.
"Sorry, I woke you," Warrick said as he sat down on the sofa adjacent to the chair where I was sitting.
"How was the book?" I asked.
"Trashy, but it kept Linds happy," Warrick replied with a smile.
"Thanks for keeping her entertained. She's ready to go insane . . . she wants to go home and watch television," I said as I tried to force a smile.
"Brass has one of the brothers in custody. As soon as he tracks down the other one, we'll be headed home," Warrick replied. I stood up and sat on the couch next to him. I leaned into him just as Lindsey did while he read to her.
"This hasn't been all bad," I replied. Warrick began to run his fingers through my hair.
"It hasn't," Warrick softly replied. I could feel myself sink deeper into him. I was so relaxed that I could barely move.
"About yesterday," I said.
"I'm sorry," Warrick replied before I could even figure out what I was going to say.
"I'm not. I liked it," I replied. I could feel his heart begin to race. "I wouldn't mind doing that again some time."
"Cath, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. This isn't because I'm bored . . . it isn't because you are the only one here. Let's try to do this right," Warrick rambled.
"Oh, shut up," I said as I sat up and put a finger to his lips to silence him. I kissed him first this time. It was something less desperate than yesterday. He lowered me to the couch . . . my body pinned between him and the slightly stale smelling fabric. In that moment, part of me began to wish that maybe we might not go home too soon.