Chapter 3

Catherine moaned gently at the feel of a hand running slowly up and down her back.

'If only my shirt wasn't on. Then I could feel it even more,' she thought disappointedly.

She cuddled up next to the warm body next to her, burying her face in his neck. She sighed when she felt warm lips on her forehead.

"Don't you ever sleep in?" she asked him. Her arm moved up and down when he chuckled softly.

"Not when I'm waking up next to you, which is ever day," Gil answered.

"Not even on our nights off?"

"Sometimes but not always. Plus, there's Lindsey and she always ends up waking us."

"Why do you get up so early?" she asked, turning her head lazily to look at his face.

"Because sometimes, I still can't believe that you're lying next to me. I have to check every one in a while to make sure it's not a dream," he explained. He brushed away the stray strands of hair from her face, her beautiful blue eyes shining through.

"I like waking up next to you. I like waking up in your arms."

Gil pulled her on top of his, glad to see the smile on her face. He kissed her softly. "You know, it's not often we just sleep. I like it but…"

"Don't get used to it," she warned. "It won't happen often, but we were tired. We did stay at my sister's until midnight after all."

"Then we shouldn't have to go to work."

"I would love to just lay here in your arms all night but don't you think it would look just a little suspicious if we both stayed home? They're starting to suspect something. I think Greg figured it out the other night."

He looked confused. "How?" he wondered, starting to get up.

She pushed him back down forcefully. "Don't worry about it. But I think we shouldn't bother to hide anymore. Let them figure it out in their own good time," she expressed.

He seemed to think it over. He had to admit, he did like keeping their relationship a secret. There was more mystery and excitement that way. He liked knowing he had this side to him no one knew. Sure a lot of sides of him were like that but this was different. This was his relationship side. His relationship with Catherine.

He loved the rush of pride he felt when men turned their attention to her whenever they went out to dinner. He loved the looks of disappointment that came over their faces when they realized she was utterly happy and quite spoken for. He wasn't so sure he wanted to give all that up.

"But I like knowing you're mine," he complained, pulling her body down close to his. She smiled at the feel of their chests pressed together.

"I will be yours. I am yours and you're mine," she told him, kissing him to prove her point. "But now people will know I'm yours."

"I know," he whined, "but I like them not knowing. I like the secrecy."

"So do I." She kissed him again, knowing she was persuading him. "But I'm not saying we have to outright tell them. We just don't hide it anymore."

He sighed deeply, not as persuaded as she thought.

"Gil…" she said, dragging his name out. He didn't look threatened. She held up her left hand for him to see.

"You see this ring?" She waited until he nodded. "They're going to notice it sooner or later because I'm not hiding it and I'm not denying anything. It signifies the beginning of a commitment, in our case a long commitment. I don't want to hide the best thing that ever happened to me."

She was getting angry now and as much as he loved to see her angry, he hated that he was the cause of it.

"You won't have to. I'm sorry, we can go ahead and let them find out," he assured her, grabbing her hand to calm her. "You don't have to be upset."

"Really? I have no reason to be upset? You're acting like you don't even want this relationship to be acknowledged by more than the three of us," she said, starting to move off him.

He stopped her before she could. "That's not true. My family knows," he pathetically argued. "But that's not true. I want everyone to know I'm with you, to know that I love you. You took it the wrong way."

"There's more than one way to take that?"

"Yes! I didn't mean that I don't want anyone else to know. I meant that I like knowing we've had this secret for a year. I like knowing that I have you all to myself. You know there's going to be a load of questions from everyone. Honestly, I wasn't ready to answer those questions but now I know I'm ready. I love you, Catherine, and I want everyone to know it."

"Really?" she pouted.

He kissed her to sway her. "Really."

She looked for any sign that he might be lying but she found none.

"I'm sorry I overreacted. I guess I…"

"Hey, no need to apologize. Right now, I just want to kiss you."

She offered no protest as he rolled them over so he was atop of her. She just smiled at him before he took ahold of her lips. She kissed him deeply, still trying to gain his forgiveness.

"How about we get in a little activity before we go to work?" she suggested when his lips began to trail. She received no verbal response but she more than definitely received a physical one.

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'What is up with them?'

'You'd think they were a couple the way they're acting right now.'

'I thought I was over him. Why aren't I over him? Why, I have a feeling, does she get to be under him?'

'I wonder if I should spike my hair again.'

"Why do you think they're all being so quiet?"

"Probably trying to figure out what's with us," Catheirne answered in a whisper close to him. "Or they're each thinking about a case, the latest person in their lives, or themselves."

They both looked at each other, the same thing running through their minds.

"The first one," they said together.

Five minutes later, the team couldn't handle it anymore. When Catheirne placed her hand on their boss's thigh during their conversation, her engagement ring flashed them. If that wasn't enough to grab their attention, their physical contact was.

"So Cath, how was your Christmas? Anything special happen?" Greg asked, setting down a case file. Everyone else followed his example.

"Yeah, like the deal with that ring on your finger?" Warrick added.

"I suppose you all want me to explain this," Catherine said, holding the hand that had been on Gil's thigh. All of them nodded.

"Well, my boyfriend asked me to marry him on Christmas Eve. Obviously I said yes. Nothing else to explain really."

"Yeah, there is. You've been goin' out with this guy for how long now?" Nick wondered.

"Just over a year."

"And yet, we know nothing about him. What's he like? Is he a good guy? Lindsey get along with him?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Catherine suggested, setting them up.

Wait a minute," Greg interrupted, not hearing any of the conversation, "he proposed on Christmas Eve?"

"I thought you were with Grissom all day Christmas Eve," Sara pointed out, her worst fears almost becoming true.

"Oh, my god, you two go out!" Greg suddenly exclaimed. "I knew it! And you all thought I was lying."

Catherine and Gil both smiled, knowing they'd been busted.

"You caught us," Gils aid.

"We've been going out this long and none of you noticed? What kind of CSIs are you?" Catherine joked.

Catherine stood, the paperwork she held falling to her side. Gil stood with her after putting his paperwork in his briefcase. He took her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"You can all ponder on that but if you'll excuse us, we have things we need to do," Gil told them.

"Please keep your bedroom activities to yourselves," Greg said, putting his hands over his ears.

Catherine chuckled. "That's actually not what he was talking about but who knows? Maybe we'll come back tomorrow and tell you all about bedroom activities, Greg. Just to bother you."

"You know I think I'm better off not knowing. But you guys better name your first child after me."

Gil pulled Catherine out of the room before she could protest. He would have done the same thing had he not chosen to be the rational mind.

Greg turned his attention to his coworkers, noticing all of them were still trying to digest the new information.

"So, who won the bet?"

THE END

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!