Thanks again to reviewers. CSIfreak89, watch out for the butterflies. Glad to hear that even GilCath people are enjoying this.
cwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcw
Catherine walked into the break room, smiling at Nick for no particular reason before heading for the coffee machine.
"Hey Nicky," she greeted.
"Someone had a good day."
"Good doesn't even begin to cover it," she said, turning to him. He watched as she pulled a silver chain from under her shirt. On it hung a sapphire and diamond ring. Nick's eyes widened, followed by her smile. It was silent for a while.
"That is so unlike Warrick I don't know what to say. Hell, that's great Cath. I'm happy for both of you," he said, hugging her.
"Am I interrupting something?" Sara teased, walking into the break room.
Both Nick and Catherine laughed, the later saying, "Funny. I've got to go find someone I have to talk to," she added, turning to go.
"Yeah, I'm sure you'll be talking" Nick teased. She whipped around, glaring at him.
"Not a word out of you until I get back. Understand?" she scolded, nodding in Sara's direction.
"Yes, ma'am."
"So?" Sara asked, once Catherine was out of earshot.
"So what?"
"Come on Nicky, tell me."
"Oh no, no way Sara. Sorry."
"Come on Nicky, it's killing me," she begged, the truth in her words evident in her tone.
"You're an investigator, Sara. Stop whining and think about it," he said, the sympathy left out of his words in his tone.
"Fine," she huffed.
"Hey, do I look like I want to be castrated by Catherine? Besides, it's her secret to tell." Sara nodded, sighing.
cwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcw
Catherine walked into the locker room, smiling when she found who she was looking for. Walking up behind her fiancée, she wrapped her arms around his half-naked body (he'd been changing his shirt), and kissed the back of his neck, becoming suddenly aware of how warm his skin was. She felt him shiver, and let out an involuntary whimper. He turned around, smiling down at her.
"You just like making my life hard, don't you?" he teased.
"Hey, you're the one that was half-naked when I came in."
"Ha Ha, and I'm the one that got lipstick on my shirt before shift? Shall we go talk to Grissom?" he asked, having put his spare shirt on. She sighed.
"Guess we have to."
"Ya sure you wanna do this? I mean, I would understand if... " he trailed off when she stopped, her initial shock wearing off.
"Come here," she ordered, forcefully pulling him into an empty workroom. "Warrick please, please tell me I've never given you a reason to doubt me," she begged, looking him in the eye. He shook his head, frowning.
"No, I don't think so."
"Warrick I love you. Nothing and no one can change that, okay? I need you to understand that. Do you?" He sighed, nodding.
"I guess I just find it hard to believe that I did anything to deserve you. I don't want to push my luck and lose you." She held out her arms, smiling. He fell into them, hugging her tightly.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily" After a quick, but reassuring kiss, they pulled apart, going to find Grissom, who they found in his office.
"Come in," he said, frowning when Catherine closed the door.
"We need to discuss something, Gil."
wcwcwcwcwcwcwcwccwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwccwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwccwcwcwcwcwcwccwcwcwcwcwcw
Warrick and Catherine both spent the shift walking on egg shells, and poor Sara still remained in the dark, though it wasn't for lack of trying. However, a half an hour before shift ended, Grissom pulled Catherine and Warrick into his office.
"So?" Catherine blurted, not bothering to contain her anxiety. Both Grissom and Warrick smirked, though the later did so half-heartedly, as his anxiety was eating at him as well.
"I talked to the sheriff. He said that he sees no reason you two can't remain on the same shift, as long as you remain professional. However, there are two conditions. One, separate cases at all times, and two a month-long probationary period. By the way…" he added, slightly sheepishly, "Congratulations." Catherine nearly squealed, as a huge smile formed on her face.
"YES!" She turned, throwing herself into Warrick's arms. The later just smirked.
"What was that you were saying about a probationary period, Griss?" Immediately Catherine pulled away, nervously glancing at the glass door. Warrick laughed. "I don't think anyone saw… except for Grissom."
"I'm willing to let it slide. As long as you tell Sara. She's been driving me and Nick nuts all night," he added, a slightly uncharacteristic smile on his face.
cwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwc
The entire Graveyard shift, Greg, and Brass sat, squashed into a booth at their favorite diner, finishing up the food that was the pretense of the meeting. Catherine's plate, had anyone bothered to notice, although it had born only a small helping of eggs, and two slices of toast, remained virtually full.
"Not hungry Cath?" Sara, sitting directly across from the person in question, asked. Apparently not everyone hadn't noticed her nerves. Or maybe it was just that the people trained to notice- Nick, Warrick, and Grissom- already knew why her plate was still half-full.
"Not really," she answered Sara, before raising her voice to get everyone's attention. "Jim, Greg, Sara. Warrick and I have something to tell you. We're getting married," she said, turning and smiling at the person next to her, who smiled back. Greg's jaw dropped, Brass smirked, and Sara just got a look of bemused, irritation on her face.
"Of course. I should have guessed," she said, glaring at Nick, who smirked.
"That's great guys, congrats," Brass said.
"Yeah that is great," Greg decided.
Brass raised his glass and cleared his throat. "To two of the best CSIs in the U.S."
"Hey!" exclaimed Nick and Sara, mockingly.
"I said 'two of'…"
cwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcw
Okay, I am really liking the way this turned out. And I guess I should seeing as it took me so fing long to update grins sheepishly Sorry about that. I'm thinking the next chapter will be the last, but you probably could have guessed that from the way I ended this one. I hope you thought this was worth the wait (even though it is extremely short- Understatement, I know) and thanks to those of you who've read since I started. It's been fun.