Now, everyone say a great big THANK YOU to Dallas. Without her, this fic wouldn't still be going along because I would still be stuck, having written myself into a corner. THANKS buddy :D
Gil sat on the bed. "You didn't tell me."
Catherine looked up at him. "What are you talking about?"
"It was in Dale Graves' confession."
Catherine looked back down again. "Still don't know what you're talking about."
"I read the confession, Catherine. I know you had an orgasm."
"Gil…"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She looked up at him. "It's none of your business."
"He forced you."
"He forced me into a lot of things."
"Cath…"
Catherine put her book down and turned over in the bed. "Go away, Gil."
Gil put his hand on her shoulder. "No."
She turned back over, her eyes filled with tears. "Gil…please."
"No." He lay down beside her. "I'm not leaving you, Catherine. Nothing was your fault. I know you think that it was, but it was not. He forced you to do something you didn't want to do, and then he forced you to have an orgasm to make HIM feel better about it." He stroked her hair, feeling his heart break. "I'm here, Catherine. Let me in."
Catherine burst into tears, burying her face in his chest. Gil held her tightly, stroking her back with soothing strokes. "It's going to be alright, Catherine. We'll get through this. I promise."
"This guy makes me sick," Nick said, tossing the statement down on the table.
"You and me both," Warrick said.
Sara walked into the room. "Hey. Brass said that Dale confessed."
Nick nodded. "You might not want to read it."
Sara picked it up. "I have to, Nick. It's part of our job."
"Our job is the evidence. Not the statement."
"The statement is the evidence."
Warrick watched the two argue back and forth. He sighed. "Just read it, Sara."
Sara's eyes scanned down the document. Her eyes widened. "Jesus. He forced her to orgasm?"
"He said it only seemed fair that she enjoy herself too," Nick said with disgust.
Sara put the piece of paper down. "Did Grissom know?"
Warrick shook his head. "I told him the statement over the phone."
"Will she have to do a lineup?"
"It'd help," Nick said. "That way we can lock the bastard up, no questions asked."
"If she's up to it," Warrick said. "That's Grissom's call at the moment."
Lindsey walked into the kitchen. "Morning, Uncle Gil."
Gil looked up from where he was making pancakes. "Hi, Lindsey. How did you sleep?"
Lindsey shrugged and sat up at the counter. "Okay, I guess. How's mom this morning?"
"She's still asleep. I thought I'd let her sleep for as long as I could. She's very tired."
"Hasn't she been sleeping well?"
Gil shook his head. "No."
"But you take care of her when she has nightmares, right?"
Gil looked over to the little girl. "Yes, I do."
"Good." Lindsey nodded. "She needs you."
Gil glanced at her for a moment, before he finished his pancakes. "Well. There we go."
"Do you want me to stay down here while you wake her up?"
"I'm sure she'd like to see you." Gil put the pancakes on a plate. "Do you want to carry up the maple syrup?"
Lindsey nodded. "Okay."
Gil went up to Catherine's room, Lindsey following him. When he arrived at the door, he peeked his head around it, smiling slightly as he saw Catherine still asleep.
"I'll wait here and hold the plate and syrup," Lindsey decided, taking the plate from Gil's hand.
He looked at her quizzically for a moment, then nodded and went inside. Lindsey peeked around the door, watching silently.
Gil sat on the edge of the bed, his hand gently resting on Catherine's shoulder. "Cath?" he murmured.
Catherine mumbled something in her sleep, not waking up. Gil lay down beside her, facing her, and reached over, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Cath? It's me, Gil. Time to wake up, beautiful." The endearment slipped out, and he barely noticed it. "I made pancakes."
Catherine slowly started to stir, and her eyes opened, looking at him. "Hi," she murmured.
He smiled at her. "Hi."
They lay there, just watching each other for a moment, content in the silence.
"I made pancakes," Gil told her.
"I like pancakes."
Gil grinned. "I know you do." He gestured to the doorway. "We better make sure Lindsey hasn't eaten them all."
Catherine nodded and Gil helped her sit up against the headboard.
"Morning, mom," Lindsey said, bringing the plate and syrup in.
"Hey, baby," Catherine smiled. "Did you sleep well?"
"Like a log," Lindsey replied.
Gil looked at her sharply, surprised at the difference of replies. Lindsey looked up at him, a wise look on her face.
"That's good," Catherine said, as Lindsey settled the plate on her lap. "These look great, Gil."
"I aim to please," he replied, sitting on the side of the bed. "I didn't bring you a drink, because I wasn't sure what you'd like."
"That's okay. Um…orange juice would be nice."
"I'll get it!" Lindsey volunteered, disappearing downstairs.
"It's nice to have her home," Catherine said, watching her daughter go. She turned back to Gil. "Thank you."
"You have nothing to thank me for," Gil promised her. "I'll always be here when you need me, Catherine."
Catherine took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "You always have."
"I just wish…" Gil stopped and shook his head. "Never mind."
Catherine's hands cupped his face, forcing him to look back at her. "Just wish what, Gil?"
"I wish that I could have prevented this. Taken care of you better."
"Don't start thinking like that. He would have got what he wanted one way or another."
For some reason, that comment hurt Gil almost as much as the fact he hadn't prevented this from happening.
Catherine's hand went to his face. "Don't. Don't go there."
"I can't help it." Gil took a deep breath. "I hate him for doing this to you. I hate that he laid a finger on you. I hate that he forced you. I hate that he took something that wasn't his to take."
"He didn't take anything from me, Gil."
"Yes. Yes he did," Gil told her. "He took a part of you, Catherine. And I'm damn well going to get it back."
Catherine moved closer to him. She snuggled against him, her head burying in his chest. "You have no idea how much you mean to me. How important you are. How much you've helped me."
"I'm so proud of you. You've come so far."
"Thanks to you."
"No…thanks to you. I can help, but you have to do most of the hard work." Gil smiled down at her.
"Can I come back in?" Lindsey asked, hesitating at the door.
"Of course you can," Catherine told her, looking up. She didn't move from Gil's embrace, even when Gil sat her up next to him.
Lindsey brought in the orange juice, setting it on the bedside table. She paused at the side of the bed. "Is it okay…I mean, will it hurt you if I sit up there too?"
"No," Catherine assured her. "In fact, it will probably make me feel better."
Lindsey's face lit up and she crawled up beside her mother. "Does it?"
"Absolutely," Catherine told her. "Much better."
"Try the pancakes," Gil entreated.
"You know, Lindsey, you need to watch out for Uncle Gil. If he keeps making me eat his cooking, I'll be as big as a house."
Lindsey burst out laughing, and Gil's heart leapt for joy inside.
Catherine Willows had made a joke.
Her first joke since her attack.
Life was good.
"Why should my client do a lineup?"
Warrick blinked. "Because your client already confessed to raping CSI Willows and almost killing her."
"If she'd just cooperated, I wouldn't have had to restrain her," Dale Graves explained.
"You make me sick," Nick growled.
"Oh, that really helps," the lawyer, Michael Smith commented.
"Certainly made me feel a lot better," Nick said, sitting back.
"Mr. Graves will be submitting to a line up," Brass said. "Here's the paperwork."
"You sure I shouldn't come?"
Gil smiled down at Lindsey. "I'm sure. Your mother needs you to go to school. She needs normalcy at the moment."
Lindsey nodded. "Of course. I'll get to making my lunch right away."
Gil put a hand on her shoulder. "Lindsey?"
The little girl looked up. "Yeah, Uncle Gil?"
"Thank you. You've been, and continue to be, so helpful to me, and particularly your mom."
Lindsey grinned and hugged him. "Glad to help."
After he saw Lindsey go and get ready for school, Gil decided to go upstairs and see how Catherine was going.
He stopped at the doorway to the room, smiling as he saw her standing in front of the mirror. "You're beautiful," he whispered.
She turned around, to look at him. "You can still see the cut on my face."
Gil walked over to her, gently raising his hand and touching the spot. "Only if you were really looking for it. And it still doesn't detract from the fact that you're beautiful."
Catherine smiled softly at him. "Thank you."
"It's the truth," Gil replied.
Her hand reached up and touched his. "Gil…I…"
"I'm ready to go!" Lindsey said, coming into the room.
Both Catherine and Gil dropped their hands.
"That's great honey," Catherine smiled. "I'm glad you're going to school."
"Me too! I love school. It's normal," Lindsey told her.
Catherine arched an eyebrow at Gil, who shrugged.
"So, I'm gonna go catch the bus now." Lindsey leaned up and kissed her mother, hugging her. Then she turned to Gil and hugged him too. "See you later guys!"
Catherine watched her bundle of energy leave the house, and then she turned back to Gil. "Normal?"
"I have no idea what's gotten into her," Gil replied. He glanced at her. "Cath…before Lindsey came in…what were you going to say?"
Catherine looked up at him, then down at her shoes. "It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me."
"I just…" She bit her lip.
Gil waited patiently. He knew she needed her time.
"Thankyou."
He raised an eyebrow.
"For being here with me. Through all of this."
"I will always be here for you, Cath." He pulled her into a warm, comforting embrace.
"I love you, Gil," she whispered against his ear, tears escaping her eyes.
He said nothing for a moment, just letting the words wash over him. "Say it again," he almost pleaded.
"I…I love you." A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she said it again. For some reason, it seemed easier to say once you'd said it the first time.
"I've waited a very, very long time to hear you say that to me." Gil tilted her head up so she looked at him. "I love you too, Catherine. So much."
His arms tightened around her, holding her close. "Catherine?" he whispered.
She pulled back a little from him, just enough so she could see his face.
"Can I…Would it be alright if I…if I kissed you?" He was nervous. He didn't want to push her. But he thought maybe…maybe this step forward they had taken could also help to heal her.
Catherine didn't say a word, just nodded slowly. His touch soothed her, and she needed him so badly.
Carefully, Gil lowered his head and captured her lips with his own. Catherine closed her eyes as he deepened the kiss, and she leaned into his solid body. Suddenly, her mind flicked away from the present and delved into the past.
She pushed him away, eyes wide and slowly backing away from him.
Gil watched her, and saw the fear in her eyes. "Cath…I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have…"
"It's not you. It's me."
"No, it's him," Gil said quickly.
"I'm just…" She was starting to get upset. "I'm so goddamn scared all the time! And I want this! I want you! But then HE comes back to haunt me!"
Gil sat down on the bed, wanting to give her as much space as she needed. "Don't let him, Cath. Fight him." He didn't want to make her more upset, but he knew deep inside himself – and in herself – that she could fight this.
"I can't…I try, but…" She held her head in her hands and sank to the floor.
"I know it's hard, Catherine. But I know you can do this. I know you don't want to let him win and he won't win. Because you're stronger than he is. You're a fighter. You always have been." He willed himself not to scare her by moving closer. "I believe in you, Catherine."
She looked up at him. "Help me?"
Gil nodded. "I'll always help you, Catherine. I'm here for you. Whenever you need me."
Slowly, Catherine stood up. Her eyes locked on his and she slowly started to make her way over to him.
Gil held a hand out to her and she smiled, taking it and sitting down on the bed next to him.
"Hold me. Please."
Gil smiled and took her in his arms. "I love you, Catherine. And everything will be okay."
"As long as you're with me," she smiled, snuggling against him.
TBC