A/N: My second CSI fic! And so soon! I'm proud of myself. This is a short G/C episode filler for episode 1:16, Too Tough To Die. One shot.
Disclaimer: Ha! I wish.
After ensuring that Eddie had left, Grissom rounded to corner to see Catherine bent over a water fountain, splashing the cool liquid onto her face. He approached her slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Catherine?"
She hastily wiped the water from her face before turning to look at him, startled. The water, though, didn't hide the tell-tale red rim around her eyes. He knew she'd been crying.
"You okay?" He asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Yeah." Catherine replied, wiping the remaining droplets from her cheeks. "I'm fine."
He put a comforting hand on her arm. "Catherine…"
She jerked away quickly, staring at the ground. "I'm fine, Gil." Catherine spat bitterly. Sensing him stiffen, she knew she'd hurt him. "Really." She added softly.
"Catherine…" He repeated. She didn't lift her gaze from the floor. "Look at me." When she didn't move, he reached out a hand and tilted her head upwards, forcing her to look into his eyes.
And what he saw there broke his heart.
Grissom knew that Catherine thought she'd finally, finally gotten away from Eddie when they started the divorce. But the process was long, and it was another blow to her to have him do something like take a second mortgage out on 'their' house.
She'd held his gaze a moment too long and felt she was going to cry again. These emotions combined made her look away, erasing a stray tear with her slender index finger in the process.
Catherine bit her lip and crossed her arms tightly, desperately trying to regain her composure. These seemingly meaningless gestures didn't go unnoticed by Grissom. He took a step forward, closing the space between them, and wrapped her in his arms. Her 'I'm fine' façade shattered in his embrace as she cried quietly into his shoulder.
Neither knew how long they stood there. They hardly noticed the inquiring stares of passers-by. They were focused solely on each other. It was as if no one else existed; as if it were only the two of them.
Just Catherine and Gil.
When the tears stopped, she pulled away, hands swiping at her eyes.
"I'm sorry about that," she apologized, gesturing at the wet spot on his shirt.
Grissom shook his head slightly, dismissing the issue. "It's no problem."
Catherine took a small step backward, pointing her thumb over her shoulder. "I should probably…"
"Right." As she moved to leave, his voice stopped her. "If you ever want to talk about it-"
"I know where to find you," she finished for him.
"Good," he replied, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
After a moment of hesitation, she leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thanks."
"Anytime."
And as he watched her walk away, Gil couldn't help but think that he was one step closer to being more to Catherine than just a shoulder to cry on.
The End