Title :Why he won't go out

This is just like my alternate ending...you know how it is.

Spoilers: Weeping Willows

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Chapter 4

Catherine walked into the lab the first day back from her two day suspension in hopes the events that had her taking the last two days off had been forgotten by the others in the lab. But she was wrong. As she walked to her office eyes followed her as if some type of obscene word had been written across her forhead.

Taking a deep breath and holding it in she continued down the path toward her office. Once inside she flopped down at her desk and let her breath out.

Before she could even start to think about catching up on the things she had missed a knock came at her closed door.

When she saw that Ecklie was knocking she hesitated before unlocking and letting him in.

"Ecklie." she greeted him as she stepped aside allowing him acccess

Ecklie nodded and smiled " Catherine." he replied

Taking a seat in the same place he had two days before he dropped a file on the desk. Not waiting until Catherine sat down he cleared his throat and let his left foot rest on his right kneww.

"Catheirne" he began as she headed back to her seat. " I don't want to waste your time, you have missed alot and there are a few things you need to catch up on so I'll get right to the point." he paused and cleared his throat once more " Atwater adn I, as well as some of my superiors have reveiwed and discussed your situation in depth and I.."

"My situaiton? What situation?" Catherine cut him off

Ecklie sighed " I'm getting to it."

Catherine shook her head and let a a small sigh herself, she didn't have time for this, nor did she want to mkae time for it or to deal with it. After the other day's incident she had had about as much as she could handle and she was on the brink of a break down.

"We have discussd you and we feel that an individual in your situation isn't fit to run her own shift, not fit to be a supervisor." he paused seeing her fist clench " Catherine, I just feel that it takes a sort of professionalism, a sort of expertise and ..well.. you don't display this, nor do you demonstrate. I mean seriously did you think that..-"

Catherine cut him off again. " So what was the suspension for, just buying time, what is this a game to you?"

Ecklie didn't respond instead he pulled a paper from the file and handed it to her. " My report as to what we discussed, it will be put on your permanent record, I just need you to sign it."

Catherine ripped the paper from his grasp and quickly scanned through the paragraphs.

"I'm not signing this!" she protested, "you input false information and I won't admit to something I didn't do, you can put it in my file, but I refuse to sign my name to it."

Ecklie rolled his eyes " Catherine, enough with this act, you got yourself into this, did you think the consequences were going to be minor?"

Catherine threw the paper at him " We had this disussion!"

"Catherine as your superior you don't have a chioce, sign it or you can go home."

Catherine nodded " Fine, I couldn't care any less, I have had it up to here with this place, and the people in it, especially you" she screamed

"Calm your self and your tone, you know who your talking to?" Ecklie smirked

Catherine scoffed " Save it for someone who cares, you don't have to send me home, or demand I sign it, I don't care, the only thing you need to put in my file is the a paper saying I quit and you can take this swing shift supervisor job and shove it, I didn't want it anyway."

With that Catherine grabbed her things and stormed out. Halfway down the hall Gil was emerging from the breakroom. He saw her tears were streaming down her face, but there was the look of rage in her eyes.

Catherine stopped just before she slammed into him.

Gil sighed " Cath?" he asked trying to mask the sound of concern in his voice.

Catherine sighed " Don't " she whispered pushed passed

Gil stopped her when reached for her arm at this point in time he was still upset with her but it hurt him even more to see tears in her eyes. " Cath we need to.."

"Don't you touch me!" she snapped " I 'll tell you what I told him, I'm done, I don't care anymore, I can't do this anymore, I can't be here and pretend I'm happy when I'm not, my kid has no idea what it's like to spend time with her mother anymore because she never sees me, I'm here all the time, and I have nothing else, so I try to get something else and then you get mad, I don't know what to do, I'm sick if trying to please people and I'm sick of being alone, but apparently I can't find a solution for both, so I do what I have to do, for me and for my daughter."

"Can't we go somewhere and talk?" was his reply

Catherine scoffed " Damn it...you..what? did you not hear me? This it, I won't be a disappointment to you, I won't hide things from your or keep things from you because it won't matter. What I do now is my own business, it has nothing to do with you and to be honest it never really did, so you can hate me , or be mad and disappointed or whatever is is that you feel, if you feel at all, because you and me , what ever friendship was there, what ever we had left," she paused " Is gone, were done."

Before he could try and respond she was out of the lab and out of his life.

Gil turned to go back to his office when Ecklie came up behind him. " It's a shame" he commented as Gil turned to avoid him " She was a good csi"

Gil glared at him " Was.." he repeated

Ecklie shurgged " She quit, I don't why, but she did,"

Gil watched as Ecklie sauntered out of sight before continue to his office and shutting himself away from the world.

When Gil woke up from is sleep he realized he was still in the darkness of his office and still confused. Looking at his watch he noticed the time was nearing the start of his shift and he knew the other members of his team would be waiting for him.

He grabbed some folders and headed toward the breakroom, surprisingly he was the first person to arrive and he sat down at the table and waited.

Sara, and Greg were heading into the room when he got the call.

Gil answered his cell phone. " Lindsey?"

On the other line he could hear Lindsey crying. "Uncle Gil please don't hang up on me, I need you to help."

"Sweetie what's wrong?"

"Mom, she's ..she's not here, she hasn't come home, she called and said she was coming, but, Grandma and I have been waiting for hours,Uncle Gil, I'm worried. I know your mad at her right now, but..she's,.. she hasn't been sleeping and she's been crying and afraid, I think it's because of that man...Adam, what if he hurt her?"

Gil sighed " I'm sure she's fine, tell your Grandma I'll be there soon okay."

Lindsey sniffled through her response. " Okay, please hurry."

TBC