Title: Out Of Sight
Author: Angie
Summary: "They set us up."
Disclaimers: CSI Crime Scene Investigation does not belong to me, they are the property of CBS, Alliance Atlantis, Jerry Bruckheimer and the wonderful actors who portray them.
Author's Notes: I've been sitting on this fic for a while. Couldn't think of a title. I'm still not sure about it, but Gomey wanted me to post a new chapter, and I don't have one ready for her... so this will have to do. Many thanks to Marianne, for being the fabulous beta that she is and just an all around great person. And many thanks for the punch up to the ending. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to review, I really appreciate it and probably don't express my gratitude enough.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: nothing
Distribution: The GraveshiftCSI Homepage
XOXOXO
Warrick sat in his boss's office, waiting in silence as he finished up his phone conversation.
Gil hung up the phone and then turned his attention to the man in front of him. "Did you need something, Warrick?"
"Not really."
Gil looked puzzled for a minute before speaking his question. "Then why are you here? If you need something to do, I'm sure Cath will appreciate the help on her case."
"I'm just waiting for a couple lab results to come back on my home invasion. Just thought I'd see how you were doing."
"I'm fine." He answered with a bit of skepticism in his voice. "Is there…"
"You still like that calamari place out at Lake Mead?"
"The Grille? I haven't been there in a while, but I still like it."
"I heard about this place over on Tropicana … Suba. Apparently they have the best calamari in Nevada."
"Really? Where did you say it was again?" Gil's interest was piqued.
"Over on Tropicana, a couple blocks from The Palms. I got a buddy that works there. Want me to see if I can get you a reservation? They are booked for months, but I bet he can get you in."
"Sounds great. Just let me know when."
XOXOXO
"Nick… why do you keep staring at me? Do I have something on my face?" Catherine turned to look in the mirror.
"You don't have anything on your face, so stop looking in the mirror. You're as gorgeous as always."
"Okay, now I know that you're up to something. What do you want?"
"Nothing, really…" He stopped at the look on her face. "Well, nothing big. It's just that I have this friend…"
"Tell me you're not trying to set me up on a blind date."
"I'll be there. So it's not like you wont know anyone. But this girl… she's great Cath. You have to do me this favor. I'll owe you."
Catherine rolled her eyes and shut her locker door. "You will definitely owe me. And you are finding a sitter for Lindsey that night, too."
"Thanks Catherine."
"Don't think you're getting off that easy. I need my house cleaned. And some laundry done and…"
"Cath…"
"Okay, okay… maybe I am going too far. When is this dinner?"
"Saturday."
"Saturday? This Saturday? And you wait until Thursday to ask me? A girl needs time to prepare Nick. How do you know I don't have plans?"
"I checked the schedule. You work that night. So I'm guessing you don't have plans beforehand. It's just dinner. Get yourself a new dress… I'll pay for it."
She walked past Nick, turning at the locker room door. "You so owe me for this. What time?"
"Five."
XOXOXO
Gil walked up to the front door of the restaurant. Making his way through the crowd, he finally located the hostess.
"Name please?"
"Gil Grissom. I have a…"
"Five o'clock. Got you right here. If you don't mind waiting over there just a minute, Mr. Grissom. I'm afraid we are running a little late at the moment."
Gil nodded and moved to the offered chairs, hoping he wouldn't be forced to wait here long.
XOXOXO
Catherine paced the room, glancing once again at the clock. She jumped when the phone rang and glanced at the caller I.D. before picking it up. "You better have a good excuse, Nick. And I mean 'I'm in the hospital' type of excuse."
"How did you…"
"You're in the hospital?"
"Yeah. I, um, well I slid stepping out of the shower. I think I broke my wrist but I'm still waiting for the x-rays. I got hold of Dana, but she can't get in touch with her cousin."
"Nick…"
"Cath, you can't just let him sit there and think that we all stood him up. He's a nice guy. Just go and have dinner."
"You know how I said you were going to owe me? That price just went up." Catherine grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down the directions.
XOXOXO
Catherine pulled up to the restaurant and relinquished her keys to the valet. Nodding her thanks, she took the ticket and tucked it into her purse, quickly making her way to the doors. Glancing around, she spotted the hostess and made her way to the stand.
"Name please?"
"Catherine Willows. Um, I think my reservation is under Nick Stokes. I should be meeting…"
"I've got you right here Miss Willows. If you'd like to take a seat at the bar and grab a drink we have a group ready to be seated momentarily."
'A group?' Catherine thought to herself as she made her way to the dimly lit bar. She had barely finished her drink when she was being led into a darkened room with a group of other people. The lights continued dimming until they were submerged into pitch black.
"Ladies and Gentleman. Welcome to dinner in the dark. If you follow your guide you'll be led to a new dinning experience."
'I'm going to kill him.'
XOXOXO
Catherine stopped and sat when her guide directed. Her hands were guided to the tabletop and she could feel the plate in front of her with the wine glass set slightly to the right.
"As I'm sure you've noticed, there is no silverware on the table. The experience tonight is much more sensual if you eat with your fingers. Get to know your neighbors and the others at the table, this is meant to be a fun experience."
Catherine heard the guides leave the room, and she sat uncomfortably, not sure what to do next. The silence at her end of the table indicated she wasn't the only one who felt this way. Shifting slightly, she felt around her place setting, attempting to determine how close she was to the others sitting at the table. Her exploration was quickly offset when a waiter appeared at the table setting something down in front of her.
"Don't be shy. Find out who your neighbors are."
She heard him leave. Hunger overcoming her general anxiousness at the situation. She reached forward to where she thought the item was placed, pulling her hand back when she felt another hand.
"I'm sorry. I didn't…"
"Catherine?"
"Gil?" She questioned turning to the voice.
"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time.
"Nick."
"Warrick."
"They set us up." Catherine muttered.
Gil moved to stand but stopped when he felt her hand on his.
"What are you doing?"
"Leaving."
"Why?"
"Why?"
Catherine grasped his hand, not used to not being able to see his eyes. "We might as well stay and have something to eat. We're here. Nick's paying for my meal, he can pay for yours too. I'm guessing they have some sort of bet riding on this."
"What are you saying?"
"Let's play with them a little. Have some fun at their expense."
XOXOXO
"So what is it?"
Gil cleared his throat. "It's not bad. It's some sort of fish. Definitely not the calamari that Warrick was promising I'd get tonight."
"But is it something I'm going to like?"
"Definitely. Try it." Gil pushed her plate towards her and listened for her movement.
"It feels slimy."
"Just try it, Cath." He listened for her movement, smiling when she finally spoke.
"Wow, this is really good."
"I told you…"
"I know. I should trust your judgment. You always know what I like." Catherine reached out for her wine glass, bumping hands with Gil.
"Sorry." They both said at the same time.
"I was just reaching for my wine glass." Gil explained.
"I thought that was mine. Sorry, must have reached for the wrong glass. I just can't get used to not seeing. You'd think I'd be used to it considering when we work."
"How often are we in complete darkness though? Usually there's light seeping through from somewhere. I haven't been able to detect any in this room."
"You know, even though I'm mad at being set up… this is interesting. I'm still not quite sure about eating with my hands though."
"I don't know… there's something sort of….I don't know."
"Sort of what?" Catherine encouraged him to continue.
"Sort of sensual, like they were saying earlier. Just the feel of it. And being in the dark like this, don't you feel that it heightens the entire experience?"
"I didn't think about it that way." Catherine thought for a minute. "Even in this short time, my other senses are making up for the lack of sight."
"So, Nick is paying for your meal? How did he get you here?" Gil asked, changing the subject back to one they had skipped earlier.
"Begged."
"You two were going on a date?"
"Double date. Said he had met the perfect girl… He knew exactly what to say to get me to reluctantly agree. I hate blind dates. How did Warrick get you here?"
"Promise of the best calamari in Nevada."
"They both knew how to play us. Do you want to get revenge on them right away or make them suffer a while."
"I don't know. I'm not having a bad time. Are you?" As hard as he tried, he wasn't able to keep the fear out of his voice.
Catherine reached for his hand or at least where she hoped his hand would be. "Not at all." She smiled when her fingers came in contact with his, wrapping her fingers around the side of his hand. "I didn't mean it to sound like that. You know I like spending time with you. I just don't like them interfering in my life."
"I'm not exactly fond of that either. Why do you think…"
"Why do I think they set us up?" Catherine finished for him. "I'm not entirely sure. Maybe they just read our friendship as something more then what it is."
"Is it?"
"What?"
"Never mind." Gil said, taking a sip of his drink.
"Gil."
"Yes?"
Catherine rolled her eyes and squeezed the hand that was still in hers. "Do you want it to be more then friendship?" She held her breath waiting for his response.
"I…"
"If you don't know, then maybe that's what they were picking up on. They were trained by the best Why wouldn't we expect them to pick up on sexual tension between us?"
"You think there's… sexual tension between us?"
"Don't you?"
"I guess I never really thought about it."
"Well, it isn't really something you think about. It's something you feel. Something that's just there. I'm not the only one that's…" Catherine paused, hoping to hear something from Gil. "I am the only one…" Catherine quickly released her grip from Gil's hand and slid the chair back. "You never learn do you, Catherine. Just keep your mouth shut." She stood from the chair as she continued mumbling to herself.
Gil blindly reached out and pulled her back to the chair. "You're not the only one."
"Let me go."
"Not until you hear me out." Once she stopped struggling, he released his grip, hearing her settle back into the chair. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hesitated. Of course I've noticed the tension. I may not be the most socially adept person on the planet, but I'm still a man, Catherine. I'm not immune to your charms. You walk into work wearing those tight shirts, just a hint of your stomach peaking out…it's all I can do to not pull you into my office, or the locker room, or any place we can be alone."
"Gil…"
"Let me finish."
"We need to leave… now."
Gil pushed his chair back, standing as the lights came on. He sat back down, looking Catherine's direction as he let his eyes adjust.
Catherine smiled, her eyes fully able to take in Gil's appearance. The light blue shirt and leather jacket, looking stunning on him. "You look…good."
"You say that like you didn't expect…"
"Just take it as a compliment, Gil." She stood from the table and held her hand out. "Let's get out of here. Spend a little time alone before we need to get ready for work."
He placed his hand in hers, letting her lead him out of the room.
XOXOXO
Catherine sat in the break room, flipping through a magazine while waiting for the shift to start.
"So, how did it go?"
She looked up, watching Nick sit in the chair across from her.
"You owe me big time."
"What?"
"First of all, the cousin didn't show." She set her magazine down and looked at Nick. "And how is your wrist?"
"What?"
"Your wrist? The one you broke sliding out of the shower? No cast… no swelling. I just endured a three hour meal getting hit on by some desperate sleazy Las Vegas singles, in the dark mind you. And they kept using that as an excuse to touch me. This cousin doesn't show up and you are not injured."
"He didn't show up?"
Warrick entered the break room in time to hear Nick's comment. "He didn't show up?"
"No, he didn't… and how do you know about this date?"
"Nick was telling me." Warrick quickly filled in, sitting next to Nick.
Catherine was about to continue when Gil and Sara walked into the room.
"Nice to see everyone here on time. Nick, Warrick you have a 419 on Paradise. Cath and Sara are with me on the stabbing by the Sphere."
"So what did you think of the calamari?"
Everyone turned to face Warrick, who was looking expectantly at Gil.
"Oh. That new place you wanted me to try. Couldn't make it. I needed to help a friend out of a jam."
Unnoticed by a stunned Nick and Warrick, Gil and Catherine exchanged sly, knowing glances before the team disbursed, laying claim to another day on the streets of Las Vegas.