Title: Our past, Our present, Our future.

Disclaimer: I don't own, you don't own em yada yada yada yada ya.
(No seriously I don't anything..)

Summary: A flashback in time.. to when Gil and Catherine first met,
and the events that led them to where they are today.

It's be done before..but I'm doing it again! (heheh)

SPOILERS: NOt really one at all but a small reference to the episode , 'Felonius Monk'

And I tried really hard with the spelling, but my actual spell check kept malfunctioning...

chapter 3


"That was a pretty upsetting and emotional day" he sighed " For the both of us!"

Catherine nodded " Yeah, I was so mad at Eddie for not having any faith in me and .." she paused " I'm sure was glad that you offered to give me that ride, I was so cold."

" And angry" he added "You didn't say a word the whole way to your house and I felt so bad about the way I treated you I didn't know if talking to you was a good idea or not."

Catherine nodded remembering the day as she turned another page.

"Oh wow!" she exclaimed " Stephanie" she pointed " At Semiformal. God I wish I would have been there for her that night."

Gil nodded " You tried, she was scared and upset."

"And confused" Catherine spat " I wish I would have seen it coming but I was so busy trying to get good grades I forgot about my best friend."

"She was hurting and confused and she got a lot of bad advice from you know who." he paused seeing how much it hurt her to talk about it knowing that Stephanie was killed several years later after the two of them reunited while becoming exotic dancers.

" On the flip side we learned a lot about each other that night, like my mom's hearing problems, my dad leaving and your hatred for you mom's boyfriends."

Catherine smirked at the thought of it. " Yeah, we did.."


FLASHBACK

"How can you read that stuff about bugs and maggots?" Gil looked up from his text book when he heard her voice.

Catherine smiled and sat across from him, dropping her book bag to the floor.

"Hi?" Gil muttered staring at her awkwardly.

"What?" Catherine asked him

"What are you doing here?"

Catherine raised an eyebrow " Same thing your doing here. It is a public Library."

Gil looked around " yes I know, I guess what I meant was shouldn't you be at semi-formal, getting another crown or something?"

Catherine scrunched up her nose. " You don't get a crown at semi formal and besides I need to pass my math test on thursday and I am not going to do that if I spend my free night in the school gym, sitting with people who don't even really like me." she paused " Why aren't you at the dance?"

Gil looked back up " The girl I asked turned me down."

Catherine froze, how bad that must have felt. " I'm sorry" she smiled " But it was for the best, guess she knew you'd have more fun with me anyway." she teased.

Gil couldn't help but smile. " I guess..so what are you working on?"

Catherine sighed dropping her pencil " Calculus..and I hate it! I just don't get it!"

Gil put down his book and walked around the table "And what do you get?"

"Everything!"

"Well I have seen you other work and your getting all the other stuff so I don't see why you are having so much trouble. Let me take a look." he took the book

Catherine sighed "Maybe it's because, I'm a big dummy!"

Gil chuckled " You're not dumb and You couldn't be dumb if you wanted to. now if you want to hear something dumb try failing the first grade."

Catherine flipped her notebook closed and leaned in " You failed the first grade? "

Gil nodded

" But your a genius!" she commented

Gil put down her text book " Maybe so, but no matter how much you can read or no matter what classical music you listen,if you can't finger paint in the first grade you're not moving ahead."

Catherine's mouth dropped open " Let me see if I got this, You failed grade one because you couldn't finger paint!" she waited for his nod " Your lying..your a big fat liar!" she laughed.

Gil shook his head " I'm serious, the teacher told my mom it was because I tried to hard" he paused and his laughter subsided " And I think that's what your doing . Your trying to hard. Your brilliant Catherine. Look at the first question. Just look at it, take your time and let it come to you."

Gil handed her back the book and she read the question over and over to herself and within minutes she was working on her own. Halfway through she stopped and looked up at him.

"Wow, how did you do that?"

Gil smiled " I didn't do anything. You did it all. I just believe in you."

Catherine smiled back and lifted her bag to retrieve another book. "OH no!" she blurted as she rummaged through her bag. " NO!"

Gil put away his book " What's wrong."

"My other notebook, I thought it was here but I must have left it behind, crap! Now I have to walk back to the friggin school." She grabbed her coat. " I'll see you tomorrow Gil, I have to go!"

Gil stood up " I can drive you, my mom didn't need the car tonight, just give me a minute to check these out."

"Are you sure?" she replied " I mean I can.."

Gil cut her off " You're not walking alone at night, besides I have to go by the school to get home anyway."

Catherine smiled at him once more. " Okay..thanks"


They arrived at the school ten minutes later and Catherine darted from the passenger side seat, and Gil followed quickly behind.

"You didn't have to come in Gil.." she turned as she reached her locker.

Gil nodded " I know, but I wanted to see what I was missing, she whispered peering in to the gym window.

"Hey !" A voice came billowing down the hall. Catherine closed her locker after getting her books.

"Hey Steph" she ran up to her friend, Gil followed slowly behind. " What are you doing out here?" she reached her friend " Step?" she asked looking at her dilated pupils " What's wrong?"

Stephanie sighed, she seemed spaced out and non responsive like she was in a trance.

"Steph?" Catherine whispered and reached out to touch her shoulder.

"What?" Steph snapped.

Catherine was a little worried " Steph what's wrong with you? you're acting weird and your" Catherine paused when a trickle of blood fell from her nose " Your nose is bleeding."

Gil ran toward them and offered her a tissue.

"Get lost freak!" A voice came from behind.

"Eddie!" Catherine turned to him " What's wrong with Steph. What did she take, what is she on?"

Eddie shrugged " Why do you care, you haven't been for her. You haven't been a friend at all!" he screamed

Catherine shook her head and turned back to Stephanie.

"What did he give you steph?"

"It's cocaine" Gil spoke up

Catherine glared at Eddie "is that what it is ? Did you give it to her?""

"I didn't give her shit!" Eddie snapped " She said you haven't been around,that you were to busy for her and..."

Catherine ignored him " Steph, what are you doing?"

Stephanie jerked away " I feel alive, Eddie has been there for me, he was there when you should have been, so don't pretend to care now, it would be a waste of time, were not friends anymore so just screw off!"

Eddie wrapped his arm around her and led her outside.

Catherine stood in the hallway trying to grasp what had just happened.

"Let me take you home" Gil came up behind and placed a hand on her shoulder.

A slipped down her cheek, but much to his surprise she didn't protest.

The car ride like the night they had fought was quite until Gil reached her house.

"I'm sorry about your friend."

Catherine nodded and reached for the door handle. She stopped when she noticed a car in the driveway.

"Do you have to be now?"

Gil shrugged " My mom's probably asleep so, it really doesn't matter why?"

Catherine put her seatbelt back on. " I don't want to go home, my mom has a guest and I.."

"You don't have to explain " he replied "You can
come back to my place, My mom won't even know."

Gil walked into his dark and flipped on the light, "You thirsty" he turned to Catherine? Hungry"

Catherine shrugged " Not really. A little tired."

Gil nodded and motioned for her to follow.

"Gil are you sure about this, I mean, I don't have to sleep here, if your mom is..."

Gil cut her off "don't worry about it. She might be pleased to see I actually have a girl friend"

Catherine looked up at him.

"not what I meant." he mumbled " I meant that , you're" he stammered " You are a girl a.. and.. your my friend.." he paused "Right?"

Catherine smiled at his embarrassment even though she was a little disappointed. " I understand what you mean, calm down."

The two headed up to the stairs and settled in his room. Gil was on the floor and he willingly gave up his bed.

"SO" Gil whispered into the silent room trying to start a conversation. " I don't mean to pry but, why didn't you want to go home?"

Catherine sighed "It's no big deal..I just..my mom brings home these guys and" she paused " They really aren't interested in her if you know what I mean."

Gil sat up " Have they ever.."

Catherine sat up to " NO, gross, but..I don't know I just hate when she brings guys home. That's all."

Gil laid back down " What about your dad? Where is he?"

Catherine shrugged " I don't know, my sister and me both have different ones, neither of us really know who he is."

Gil nodded even though she couldn't see him " Don't you want to Know."

"Not really" she replied " just one more person to judge me, and I don't need it."

There was a brief silence and she spoke again " What about you?"

Gil sat up. " He left us, me and my mom, a few months ago, remember the day I yelled at you? It was the same week, that's why I was so frustrated and snappy."

"I'm sorry" she whispered " Do you miss him?" she asked propping herself up on her shoulder to face him.

Gil shrugged " I don't know what I feel anymore."

"Do you know why he left?" she continued

Gil turned to her " My mom's been sick, she has been having trouble hearing and he got sick of her doctors appoints" he paused " Sick of me, he really didn't like that I was the brains of the family and he.. I wasn't his ideal son I guess."

Catherine sighed " I know what you mean, sometimes..most times my mom is so cold to me, I think she hates me. but I am getting to the point where I don't care anymore. That's why I ran away."

Gil flicked on the light " You ran away?"

Catherine nodded and climbed of the bed and sat on the floor wrapped in one of his sheets. " Yeah, when I was sixteen, we lived in Montana, I got in this huge fight with my mom, my grades were slipping I had a rock star boyfriend, she hated him and one night we just packed up and we got on a bus." she stretched out and grabbed a pillow. " It didn't last long, I and I came home."

Catherine watched as Gil turned the light back off and again they were in the dark.

"Catherine?" Gil whispered

"hmm?" she replied half asleep

"Are you and Eddie breaking up?"

"mmm" she moaned

Gil frowned at his missed chance and closed his eyes tomorrow he would try again.

TBC