AN: Finally I got something up, hope you like it.

Thanks: for the fb's, keeps me writing.

Summary: See previous chappies.

2ndAN: I know last chappie was a little sad ;)

Chapter 7: True Love Never Dies

In the next 9 years after they left the hospital together and he brought her back home to Ed he couldn't believe why she never left Ed, why she never even tried it.

He asked her a lot of times.

And she always said, she'd just stay for Lindsey's sake.

He never asked her what or who made her so strong to take an addicted and beating husband for a so long time.

But he knew she loved Lindsey and that's why she stayed all those years.

She on the opposite never told him that just a glimpse of a thought about him made her strong enough to take this hell of a life.

When Lindsey turned nine he saw Ed with another woman but couldn't find the courage to tell her.

He wanted to tell her but all this time she lived in this hell and for what? Nothing?

As she found out she wanted eventually the divorce and got it.

She was free again, with her daughter. Not only her daughter. Their daughter.

But he didn't know.

Somehow she understood why he didn't tell her that he had seen Ed cheating on her. And their friendship was getting better.

She never asked him about Sara Sidle.

But she thought she didn't have to cause after the death of Holly Gribbs it was her he wanted as replacement for Holly.

She was pissed at him and he didn't seem to understand why.

He never asked her why she started a relationship with Ed in the first place.

And so she never told him.

When Sara Sidle started working at the lab and Catherine was divorced from Ed she thought that Gil had what he wanted and she thought he wanted Sara.

So she throw herself into dating other guys.

Never in all those years Gil Grissom was absent from her mind.

She thought she could forget him but she couldn't.

Someday she had found the courage to talk to him but then there was Terri Miller, and she knew she didn't have a chance anymore.

And so they both started dating several other people always thinking the other one didn't feel the same love anymore than they felt long ago.

But Gil never loved anyone else than Catherine, he was the only one calling her Cathy, and that was a long time ago, by this time he only was calling her Cath, like nearly everyone else.

Then one day Ecklie was promoted and split their team up.

Not seeing why and finally opening his eyes he wrote her a letter.

Dear Cathy,
I don't know if you ever knew this but you have been and will be the only one I can ever love. I hope you know that by now. Ecklie splitting us up opened my eyes again and I thought the least I can do is write you a letter and ask you if you'd like to live together again with me, the way we always wanted. If not I have at least asked you.

I will always love you,
Your,
Bugman'

A shift later he found a letter on his own desk and opened it.

Dear Gil,
I can't tell you how my heart jumped as I read your letter, maybe we can start again with a new beginning,

I love you a lot more,
Yours,
Cathy Grissom (hopefully soon to be)

PS, I'm waiting in your car, thought we could go and eat something, Lindsey is at Nancy's this weekend.'

He got up from his chair closed his office door and ran down to his car and the love of his life still waiting for him.

He opened the door and got into his car as he saw Catherine smile.

"Penny for you thoughts Cath"

"I was just thinking how perfect today is"

"It definitely is."

He put a hand under her chin and turned her face to him and looked deep in her blue eyes.

Only a few inches apart from her face he asked her, "May I kiss you?"

She seriously said, "You don't need to ask that, do you?"

After the kiss she asked him,
"Didn't we have exactly this conversation the day we first met?"

"Yea, we had, and how did you know what to say?"

"I never forget anything you say Mr. Grissom"

And again they leaned in to kiss each other, this time a little more passionate.

The wish of going to a restaurant and eat something was long forgotten in the back of their minds.

This was going to be a long night like the one mentioned and never forgotten happened a long time ago.

TBC ;)