Chapter 7

Warrick had tried to talk to Catherine after the Novak case was finished. She refused to talk to him. He would see her in the hallway she would look at him like she wanted to say something but would pull back. Warrick became so frustrated. Warrick arrives outside the Bellagio and looks at the tall expansive building. He sees Mac Johnson over by the door. Mac was the night manager for the hotel. He was a big burly black man that could have sooner been seen on a football field instead of running a fancy hotel. He was dressed in a crisp navy pinstripe suit with white dress shirt and red tie.

" Hey Mac,…"

" Warrick my man so what are you doing here ? " The two men grasp hands.

" I just needed to think. Look I was wondering is the lounge open yet ? "

" Not for a couple of hours. Would you like to use it for a bit ? We got some new games of blackjack if you are…."

" You know I don't do that anymore. Would you mind if I just used the lounge for a bit ? "

" Nah Chantal won't be there for a bit to open up."

" Thanks." Warrick passes him a c-note.

Warrick walks into the lounge and looks around. It was very bluesy looking. There were comfy leather chairs off to the side beside a fireplace. There was a long bar with rows upon rows of bottles on the wall. The bottles of liquor twinkled in the soft lighting of the room. Warrick walks over and sits down in front of the baby grand piano. He rubs his fingers over the ivory keys. Soft and smooth just like her face. He starts to play just a melody. He dabbled in jazz nothing serious but he found it relaxing.

" You look like you could need this ? " A tumbler of Jack was placed in front of him.

Warrick looks up and sees Tina looking at him. She was standing there in a tight green cocktail dress.

" Look I thought that we had talked about this….I'm not interested anymore."

" I wasn't stalking you if that's what you are wondering about. There's a benefit here tonight upstairs in the ballroom for the hospital. The board asked that we all come. I came down for a breather and saw you talking with Mac. So why aren't you with her ? "

" It's complicated. Look it's been a really long day. I'm not interested."

Tina moves behind him and starts to knead out the sore muscles in his neck. Warrick relaxes a bit.

" I could offer you so much more if you would just let me. " Tina rubs a hand down the front of his chest. Warrick grabs her wrist and pulls her around so she is facing him.

" Look I said I am not interested. It's over. "

" I get that. I just thought…."

" Well you thought wrong…. Look I've got to go get something. Just don't be here when I get back. "

" Fine. "

About 15 minutes later Warrick arrived back at the piano. Tina was standing there.

" Look I told you that I don't want to deal with this. It's over. I don't know how to make it clearer."

" Fine. You could have done so much better baby. "

Tina walked out in a huff swaying her hips from side to side. She looks back at him for a moment wondering if he will stop her.

Over the next couple of hours he dabbled on the piano thinking about things that had happened. He would never have put Nicky's case in jeopardy. He was just furious at Novak for what he had said about Catherine. Warrick grabs his jacket. He needed to talk to her and find out if there really was something between them or if it was just a fling. This walking on egg shells around each other was not working.

Warrick headed over to Catherine's apartment. He knocked on the door. No answer. A neighbour came out. An older woman wearing a paisley house coat with curlers in her hair. She had a smoke in her mouth.

" Do you realize what time it is ? "

" I know. Sorry it's just…."

" You're looking for Catherine and Lindsay Willows right ? "

" Yeah."

" They left with a couple of bags tonight. "

Warrick was stunned. She had left just like that without talking to him or anything. What had happened ? He guessed that it was just a night nothing more.

" Where did they go ? "

" Do I look like their mother or something ? They're gone. That's all I know." The old lady closed the door.

The following day he had gone into work and had found out from Grissom that Catherine had left for Miami. Horatio Caine had offered her a job with the Miami-Dade Crime Lab as day supervisor and she agreed to it. She had left without telling him. He didn't have any clue that she was planning on leaving. He guessed that she figured that night was a mistake. He had been so confused and angry.

A week later Grissom had called him into his office. Grissom let him have it.

"Warrick what's the matter with you? You screwed up on the Spire's murder case. If Sara had not caught your mistake the case would have been thrown out at trial. You come into work all dishevelled looking like you haven't slept in weeks… "

"Sorry Grissom. "

"Sorry isn't going to cut it. I need your mind on the work at hand. Look if you need some time off just tell me. I understand with planning a wedding that it can be hard. I can do it right now. We don't have many cases on the go right now. I can hand your work over to Greg. He's ready to go solo now. "

"Sure…" Warrick absentmindedly looks around at eccentric collection of bugs that Grissom kept in his office. Catherine had left without telling him.

"Hey what's the matter? Warrick, talk to me. Nothing will go past this room. "Grissom walks over and closes the door to his office "You don't seem very happy for a man just about to get married."

Warrick had looked at him with a confused look on his face.

"What the heck are you talking about Grissom? "

"I know that you wanted to keep it quiet and everything. I get that you want a life outside of the lab just don't let it affect your work. I hope we eventually get to meet Tina."

"I'm not getting married. Where did you get that idea? "

"Catherine told me. "

Warrick looked at him stunned.

" When ? "

" The night before she left. Look she really needed to talk to you about something. "

" She did ? "

" I think that her talking with Novak really did something to her. "

" She talked to him. You let her ? "

" Like I could have actually stopped her ? After she sent you home Novak asked to speak to her in the interrogation room. She went in. Whatever he said it really stunned her. "

" What did he say ? "

" I honestly don't know. I tried to ask her but she pushed me away. All I know isa couple days later shementioned that she had talked to Horatio Caine about a job down in Miami. He had offered it to her the last time she was down there. She said that she would be leaving in a couple of days. She just needed to talk to you first. She had heard that you were at the Bellagio. Mac called her. She tried to speak to you. "

" I didn't even see her. "

" Really ? That's weird because she came by the office the next day and told me that she had accepted the job in Miami. She said that you had moved on with your life. She was going to do the same thing. Hey, wait you're not getting married? "Grissom looked confused.

"Where would she get that idea from? "

" Tina told her. "

"She what? "

"I guess you aren't getting married. "

"There is no way in hell. Tina and I broke it off months ago when I realized that…It's kind of hard to be marrying Tina when the only woman that I love is Catherine. "

Warrick looks at Grissom. He couldn't believe that he had come out and said it just like that.

"Look I know you don't agree with office romances but after what happened to Nick…It kind of put it all in perspective. Life's too short to not say what you feel, you know? I realized at that moment that I could have nearly have been killed. A simple coin toss. "

"Look Warrick… "

"I know it was just a random occurrence. I can't help but thinking that I could have died without telling her…. "

"That you love her? "

"Yeah look I know that you two are close…"

"Catherine and I will always be good friends but…. "

Just then a knock at the door. Sara looked in.

"Gil about dinner at Ruanne's. Why don't we head back to my apartment instead? I'll cook you dinner and we can get a nice wine. I still have some of that bubble bath that you bought.… Oh hey Warrick. "Sara looked at Grissom and closed the door.

Gil was obviously uncomfortable about what had just transpired.

"Oh you and Sara? "

"Yeah like you said that night put everything in perspective. Why haven't you told Catherine how you felt? "

"I didn't want it to affect our friendship but I want more. I was going to say something to her then all this happened with Novak. I guess she didn't feel the same way."

"Don't be a fool. Warrick. Go down to Miami and find her. You have a couple of days coming to you anyway. Use them. I'll fill out the forms. Sometimes you have to take a chance and say what you feel rather than assuming that the other person will figure it out. If you love her then tell her. Go. "

Warrick looked at Grissom shocked. He was getting romantic advice from Grissom.

"What? "

"Nothing…Just seems a little weird is all. Look is there something that you aren't telling me Grissom? I get the feeling… "

"It's not my place. Look go and don't come back until you've talked to Catherine. You won't regret it. "

Warrick walked towards the door and looks at Grissom. Romance advice from Grissom. Sara was standing outside the door. Warrick watched them.

"Sara could you come in here please? "

"Sure. "

Grissom pulled her into his arms and kissed Sara like there was no tomorrow. It was very un-Grissom like.

"Where did this come from? "

"I just felt like it. Can't I give you a kiss? "Grissom smiled and touched her face.

Sara smiled and hugged him.