Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot idea for this fic. All Other Characters names, information and whatnot are products of my imagination. There's no truth behind any of these fictionalized people.

Summary: What is really brewing between Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows? Is is love? Is it friendship? Could there be more to Catherine and Grissom's relationship than what was seen on the surface?

Author's Notes: This is my first CSI fic and so please be nice. I just recently got hooked on the series and...well, I can't help but feel some underlying tension between the Night Shift's supervisor and his right-hand person and closet confidant. Please read & review. I'd like to hear some feedbacks from you. I so very much love to explore the possibilities of a GC pairing. smiles

III. Something Happened On the Way to Breakfast...

Grissom relaxed in the passenger's seat as Catherine drove to their favourite diner near the lab. She was in good spirits since last night, and Grissom couldn't help but wonder what has gotten into her.

He doesn't have anything against Catherine enjoying her life. She has lead a hard knock life up until recently and she deserved to be happy, but that one information he found out during his recent evaluation of her put a wrench on their friendship.

"Catherine, you don't really need to--"

"Just shut up and enjoy the ride, Gil. It's not everyday one of your CSIs invites you for breakfast and actually offers to pay for your meal," Catherine told him without taking her eyes off the road.

"True, but what is the purpose behind this invitation for breakfast?" he asked, taking his eyes off the road and looking beside him at the woman sporting a pair of dark glasses and swiftly maneuvering the SUV in and out of traffic.

"There's no ulterior motive behind the invitation, Gil. It's just a friendly invite. A friend concerned about her friend. That's all," she insisted and hit the left turn signal before pulling into the diner's parking lot. She killed the engine and unbuckled her seat belt. Grissom still remained in his seat, seat belt buckled and he was looking at her pointedly. Catherine cocked an eyebrow and whipped off her sunglasses. "Look, Gil, I know the Sabato case is boggling you. It's boggling Nick and myself too, but there's a time for delving into it wholeheartedly and there's a time to set it aside and try to eat something."

"And the latter part proves to be now?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I know this case won't give us much breather, so why not cease it as soon as we can instead of letting it slip by us?"

She had a point there. And at that precise moment his stomach decided to agree with Catherine for a change.

"Hmm, I think your stomach agrees with me, Gil," she grinned cheekily before jumping out of the black SUV.

Their usual diner hostess gave them the best booth in the place. They were seated by the window and was able to watch the early morning traffic pass them by while they waited for their orders to be served.

True to her words, Catherine talked business with Grissom in between sipping their coffee and taking a bite off their meal. She was famished after running around the city trying to piece together the puzzle that Amelia Sabato represented.

"If they are a happily married couple, why would Mrs. Sabato decide to kill her husband? And in public for that matter," Catherine wondered aloud, her fork arrested mid-air as she thought about the possibilities. "And if they're filthy rich, why didn't she hire someone else to do the deed for her?"

"To be or not to be, that is the question," Grissom quoted Hamlet as he forked his eggs, going through all possible motive for the missus to pull the trigger on her husband.

Catherine frowned at her companion and dug into her meal with vigor. After a couple of minutes of silence she spoke once again, this time addressing the topic of their conversation on a more personal matter.

"Gil, are you sure we're okay?"

Grissom's fork was arrested mid-air, his gaze slowly meeting Catherine's from across the table. He had been waiting for her to say it, to ask him exactly where their relationship stood right now. He remembered what he told her.

We'll be fine.

Three words. Three simple words that brought neither comfort nor assurance to him when he spoke it out loud. He was sure Catherine wasn't certain either that they were or ever will be okay indeed.

"Of course we are, Catherine," he gave her his rare jolly smiles. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because," she shrugged, setting her fork down and sitting back in her seat. "I get this feeling that we're not okay, Gil. Sure we get along fine at work, but after...after what I said...I don't know if I ruined your trust in me or what."

Grissom quietly put his fork down and held Catherine's gaze. A million things suddenly sprang into his head as soon as she said what she said. He couldn't help but think now if this was her motive all along for this breakfast invitation.

"Is this why you invited me for breakfast? You want to earn back my trust after what happened?"

"No!" Catherine quickly straightened and leaned forward in her seat. Shaking her head, she placed her hands on her hands on the tabletop and held Grissom's gaze, "Don't even think that that's my ulterior motive for inviting you for breakfast. That was the farthest thing from my mind when I came into your office this morning and asked you to join me for breakfast," she insisted.

"Then why bring that up?"

Catherine took a deep breath and slowly slumped back in her seat. Flexing her shoulders a little, she drooped her head to the side, her gaze still meeting her supervisor's.

"It's been eating me alive thinking that I let you down. Trust me, it's the worse feeling in the world. I know what it felt like to be let down especially after Eddie, but for me to actually cause that feeling to you? God, it's ten times worse than when it happened to me!" she admitted.

"Don't let it bother you, Cath," he told her soothingly, his lips twitching to a slow smile. "Don't strive too hard to be perfect. We all can't be perfect. We each have our flaws. That's what makes us human," he philosophized.

Against her better judgment, Catherine found herself smiling back at what Grissom just said. She hated to admit it, no matter how quirky her supervisor was, whenever he said something it almost always made her feel relaxed and reassured that everything else was okay.

"Thanks, Gil," she sat up straight and reached for his hand across the table top.

Grissom was surprised at the unexpected jolt he felt when Catherine's hand covered his. He quickly darted a gaze at her hand on his before he turned his hand palm up and closed it around hers. "Anytime, Cath."

Catherine's stomach jumped when Grissom's hand closed around hers. It was an odd sensation to feel, especially after she'd been working alongside the man for years now. He must've grabbed her hand one too many times before, but this was the first time he held her hand for the sake of...well, just for the sake of holding it. And it felt good. She felt relaxed. His touch relaxed her. She'd been with other men since Eddie, but none of them made her feel what she was feeling now with Grissom...

TBC

A/N: Oooh, finally something's happening between these two! LoL Unspoken feelings are starting to surface. Well, what do you guys think? Feedbacks are most welcome. Thanks once again for reading my fic.