Title: Love Don't Lie

Author: Angie

Summary: What happened in their past?

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'm running out of ways to say thanks to Marianne for the beta. So, I'll just simply say 'Thanks.' This story is, well it's a bit Alternate Universe. Gil and Cath are still Gil and Cath, but this takes place in the past. A sort of... what if? To view this story with the song lyrics as written, visit my webpage… or if you just want to read a lot of G/C fics.

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Anything in the series is fair game...as of now it's just general ideas.

Distribution: The GraveshiftCSI Homepage

Chapter 11

XOXOXO

"Cath, hurry up. You're up next."

She looked up in time to see Stephanie's head slipping back out of the dressing room.

'This is it, Cath. The answer to all your problems. Just get out there and perform. Put everything else out of your mind.' Catherine looked in the mirror, checking her make-up once more. The nervous energy was abundant in her gestures, her hands constantly moving between her hair and tugging on the practically non-existent clothing. Sitting on the bench, she pulled out the stilettos, one of the few things she discovered all strippers wore. "I hate these things."

"We all do, hon." Stephanie said as she came back into the room and sat next to her on the bench. "It's a necessary evil. You look great, by the way. You are going to have them drooling tonight."

"I don't think I can do this."

"Sure you can. You'll be great." She got up and went to her locker, pulling out a small bottle. "Here. Take a drink of this, it will help calm you down."

"What is it?" Catherine asked as she reluctantly peered into the bottle.

"Just a bit of vodka. Take a shot; it'll help."

Catherine tipped the bottle up, taking a healthy drink before pulling the bottle away. "How do you do this?"

"Don't think about the men. Or what you're doing. Just let your mind go elsewhere. It's only going to be a few minutes, Cath." She held her hand out and helped Catherine off the bench. "The first time is the hardest. Trust me on that. Just go up there, concentrate on the music. Think about why you are doing this. It will be over before you know it."

XOXOXO

Catherine felt the smile plastered on her face, her muscles aching with the forced seductive grin. She tried not to grimace as she felt the rough hands placing the money in what was left of her minimal clothing. Bending down, she played with the ties on her shoes, being sure to let the men have a longer look before she slowly stood and walked off stage. Coming through the curtains to the back stage area, she headed for the dressing room, and the bathrooms contained there.

She moved through the dressing room, ignoring everyone around her and headed straight for the stalls, barely making it there before the vodka made a re-appearance.

"You did great, honey."

Catherine felt the hands pull her hair out of the way, and she slowly leaned back looking up at Stephanie.

"I can't do this."

"Don't say that. You were a hit out there. It's just a few hours a night, and then you can afford everything you want, right? You can finally get a divorce from that sleaze. No more worrying about how you are going to pay for school. You can get a car that works most of the time, instead of having to really on the bus. This is good, Cath."

Catherine sighed, listening to everything Stephanie was saying. "I just…."

"No more thinking about it. Get up." She stood and held her hand out to Catherine, pulling once Catherine had taken her hand.

"Wash your face and rinse your mouth. Let's see how well you did." Stephanie left and went to her locker, returning moments later with a robe. "Here. Put this on." She held the robe open while Catherine slid into it.

"Stephanie…"

"Don't talk. Not right now. Let's see how well you did tonight, okay?" Stephanie watched as Catherine slowly gathered the money. She took the bills from Catherine and started counting. "Two hundred."

"Two hundred? That's… wow!"

Stephanie couldn't help but laugh at the change in Catherine's demeanor. "Two hundred's nothing. You'll do much better later. Once you get to the weekend, and you get a following, you'll be making twice that easily. And then there are always ways to get some extra…"

"No. I draw the line at that. It's bad enough I'm dancing, I'm not going to sleep with…"

"That's okay, hon… there's nothing wrong with sticking to dancing. Lots of girls do that, and they make a very good living, and from the looks of things tonight, you are going to do great."

"But…"

"No buts. You do this as long as you need to. Get yourself back on your feet. Move out of that hellish neighborhood, finish school. Get yourself a career."

"In law enforcement? I hardly think this is the appropriate first step…"

"Hey. There is nothing wrong with this job. It's not illegal. It pays well. The hours are good. There is absolutely no reason why you can't do this and don't let anyone try and tell you differently."

Catherine smiled up at Stephanie. "Thanks. I definitely needed that."

"No problem. Tomorrow night, you can supply the vodka."

XOXOXO

Gil sighed, leaning back in the seat and staring out the window.

"Gil?"

"I'm fine." He answered automatically.

"I didn't ask…"

"What?" Gil turned his attention back to Brass.

"I was just going to ask if you knew how far this place is."

Gil sat up straighter, trying to see what little scenery there was on this dark deserted highway. "Um… I'm not sure. Can't really tell where we are at the moment. What's the last town we went through?"

"Pahrump."

"That's only about ten miles from the crime scene. We should be there soon."

Brass nodded. "Great. I'm getting a bit tired of the drive." 'And the silence.' He added to himself. "Want to talk?"

"Robbery turned homicide from the sounds of it. Little town out here, could have happened hours ago. If we're lucky we'll be able to get some prints. It we're real lucky we'll be able to match them to someone." Gil concluded, glancing over at his superior.

Jim sighed, and let Gil call the shots on the conversation. "That's what the report sounded like."

Gil turned his attention back to the window, his thoughts going back to the person who always occupied his mind.

XOXOXO

Catherine shut the door behind her as she walked into her apartment. Gliding around the boxes, she stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a bagel before going back to her couch. She reached for the text book and started reading where she had left off. After reading the same paragraph for the fourth time, she sighed and shut the book. "I'm never going to get this read by tomorrow."

She stood, stretching the kinks in her back before walking down the hallway. Flicking on the light in the bathroom, she stepped in and turned the shower on before shutting the door. Adjusting the tap, she slipped off her clothes before sliding under the scalding water.

Tears came to her eyes, as the water cascaded down her back. She stayed in place, letting the burning water wash away the shame of letting the strangers watch and touch her body.

XOXOXO

Gil stepped out of the car, looking at the scene around him. The spectators had already gathered as the swirling lights indicated a rare crime in this small town. Ducking under the crime scene tape, he made his way to the small convenience store, Jim following close behind. They paused in the doorway.

"How many people do you think have been in here since our suspects?"

Jim looked around scanning the crowd before answering. "No paramedics. Local cop found the victim and called for back up. They both went in and found him dead."

"We need to wait for the coroner." Gil said, his eyes scanning the crowd.

"I know. I just talked to…" Jim trailed off, watching Gil turn and walk away. Staying a few steps behind, he followed Gil, trying to figure out what was drawing his attention.

Gil kept walking. His mind focused on one thing, the mane of red hair in front of him. "Catherine…" The name came out in a whisper, stopping him mid-stride. He turned in a circle, trying to figure out who called her name.

"Gil? You alright?" Jim paused, the haunted look on Gil's face almost scaring him. "Do you need to take a little break? Maybe go sit in the car for a bit? Get some coffee?"

He shook his head. His mind still trying to figure out what had just happened. "Tell me you just saw her?"

"Saw who? Gil, what are you talking about?"

His eyes flittered back and forth, quickly taking in the scene behind him allowing his mind to process what had just occurred. "Um… never mind." He turned back around once more, still searching the crowd before stopping at Jim's face. "Guess I'm just not used to the crowd." He offered lamely, before heading into the store.

Jim watched Gil walk into the store, soon following. Opening the door, he let his eyes take in the scene. Gil was looking over the body, trying to take in as much information as he could before the coroner removed the body. Being careful not to destroy any evidence, he crossed the store to join Gil behind the counter.

"Cash register is still closed. Breath deep. The alcohol is almost strong enough to cover the smell of the body."

"Kids?"

"That's my guess. Probably broke a few bottles as they were grabbing the liquor. There's a couple of rows of cigarette cartons missing as well. Every other brand is full, so I doubt they had a run on Camels."

Brass looked up, taking in the empty rows. "Too much for one person to carry. I'm willing to bet there's beer missing too. Kids generally head for that before the hard stuff. How many do you think were looking for?"

"Three or four. Each going for a different item in the store. Probably missing some snack foods too. This definitely looks like a smash and grab to me. Maybe we'll get lucky and one of these kids will have a record… or a big mouth."

Brass opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He watched Gil for a few minutes before attempting to speak again. "You going to be okay in here by yourself? I'm gonna go talk to the detective and see if he's heard anything."

Gil nodded and turned back to his work. Hearing the door close, he sighed, letting the melancholy feeling overwhelm him.

"I'm used to being by myself."

XOXOXO

To be continued…