Chapter 2
The phone rang just as Grissom and Catherine were leaving his office to go to the break room for assignments, so Grissom suggested that Catherine go on ahead of him. She reluctantly agreed, but only when he pointed out that it would give her one last opportunity to wind up Warrick.
She entered the room to find Warrick, Nick and Sara already there, seated around the table, talking. She walked straight to the pot of coffee, acknowledging the welcome back greetings from Sara and Nick with only a nod. The younger two CSIs shared their looks of concern, and – as Warrick stood up and walked over to Catherine – they both looked more confused. Once again wondering what he was missing, Nick was quite relieved that, this time, Sara was also out of the loop.
"Are you okay?" Warrick asked quietly.
Catherine nodded quickly.
"Did he upset you? I wouldn't have left you with him except you looked like you wanted to talk to him – "
"Warrick, I'm fine. Honestly. We'll talk some other time." She walked away from him, sitting down beside Sara, and plastering a smile onto her face.
"So, have I missed anything?" she asked cheerfully.
Nick and Sara looked at each other then both shook their heads.
"It was the same as most weekends," Sara explained. "Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Ooh, Greg did try it on with Brass's niece," Nick smirked.
"Oh yeah," Sara said, smiling excitedly. "I can't believe I forgot that. It was hilarious!"
"Greg was turning on the charm when Brass walked in, and Lucy jumped up and hugged him," Nick continued.
"You should have seen Greg's face!" Sara added.
They were just laughing when Grissom walked in. Catherine looked at him, their eyes met, and there was no way she could have kept up her charade. A smile spread across her lips. He returned the smile then turned to the group.
Warrick caught Catherine's eye as she turned away from Grissom, and frowned questioningly. She tried her hardest not to smirk, but could feel herself failing, so she looked down at the table, blushing a little. Warrick shook his head, smiling to himself.
"Okay, Nick and Catherine, you have a DB in the parking lot of the Luxor." He handed the assignment folder to Nick. "Sara and Warrick, a break-in at a jewellers at the Forum shops," he continued, handing the folder to Sara. "And Catherine and I are getting married," he finished.
Nick frowned. "I thought you said Cath was – " he stopped when he realised what Grissom had said.
"Married?" Sara asked, eyes wide.
Warrick just laughed and shook his head again, in disbelief that he had fallen for Catherine's trickery.
"Well, er, congratulations!" Nick exclaimed, standing to shake Grissom's hand and to hug Catherine.
"Thank you," Catherine smiled to the young Texan as he moved away from her.
"I... I didn't even know you two were... seeing each other," Sara said, finishing slowly.
"It's a complicated tale," Catherine said, shaking her head. "But... this is its happy ending."
She looked at Sara, almost like a child waiting for a parent's approval. She knew that Sara had had a crush on Gil, and that, if those feelings still remained, this would be very hard on her, but she didn't want to drive her away. For all the disagreements they had had in the past, Catherine did like Sara, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset her. And she wanted Sara to realise this.
After a short moment's silence, Sara smiled. "Congratulations."
Catherine beamed, and accepted the hug that Sara offered, glad that the younger woman had chosen to be adult about this, and not sulk, as she did have a tendency to do when things didn't go her way.
As Sara moved to speak to Grissom, Catherine looked at Warrick and grinned. "You're very quiet."
"I can't believe I fell for all that," he said, standing up and moving round to sit next to her. "You are cruel!"
Catherine laughed. "You deserved it!"
Warrick's eyes widened in a declaration of innocence. "What did I do?"
"You didn't tell me I was in love with Grissom!"
"I thought you knew! You're a CSI!" he laughed with her. "... Seriously now, I'm happy for you. It's about time!" He leaned over and hugged her tightly.
"Well, this definitely calls for a celebration!" Nick exclaimed.
"Yep. Engagement party!" Sara agreed. "This weekend. I'll speak to Ecklie about covering the shift."
"Guys, really, we don't – " Catherine tried to tell them it wasn't necessary, but they refused to listen.
"So where shall we go?" Nick asked, looking to Warrick and Sara for suggestions.
Grissom just sat down and observed it all, too happy about finally having Catherine as his fiancée to worry about the fuss that was being made.
"There's that new bar... What's it called? Horizon!" Sara offered.
Warrick nodded. "But it's karaoke in there at the weekend."
Catherine's eyes lit up, and she turned to Grissom, smirking, as she spoke to the others. "Karaoke? Now, that sounds like fun."
As Grissom glared playfully at Catherine, the other three exchanged confused glances.
"I didn't think karaoke would be your thing," Warrick said to Grissom.
"Oh, if that's what Catherine wants to do, it's fine by me," he responded, eyes still fixed on Catherine's. "Just as long as she sings."
Catherine smiled. "I will, if you will."
Grissom raised one eyebrow. "You want me to sing? After what happened last time."
Catherine nodded. "Nothing soppy though. I don't want my make up running again."
"Soppy?!" Grissom exclaimed.
"It was lovely... But, yeah, it was soppy," she giggled.
"Right!" Grissom declared.
Fear danced over Catherine's face, as the three other people in the room continued to exchange confused glances.
"Right what?" she questioned, warily.
"You'll see," he smirked standing up. "Now, I believe we all have work to do," he said, nodding to the rest of the team before leaving three totally confused CSIs and one rather worried fiancée and heading out to his crime scene, smiling mischievously to himself.
TBC...
The phone rang just as Grissom and Catherine were leaving his office to go to the break room for assignments, so Grissom suggested that Catherine go on ahead of him. She reluctantly agreed, but only when he pointed out that it would give her one last opportunity to wind up Warrick.
She entered the room to find Warrick, Nick and Sara already there, seated around the table, talking. She walked straight to the pot of coffee, acknowledging the welcome back greetings from Sara and Nick with only a nod. The younger two CSIs shared their looks of concern, and – as Warrick stood up and walked over to Catherine – they both looked more confused. Once again wondering what he was missing, Nick was quite relieved that, this time, Sara was also out of the loop.
"Are you okay?" Warrick asked quietly.
Catherine nodded quickly.
"Did he upset you? I wouldn't have left you with him except you looked like you wanted to talk to him – "
"Warrick, I'm fine. Honestly. We'll talk some other time." She walked away from him, sitting down beside Sara, and plastering a smile onto her face.
"So, have I missed anything?" she asked cheerfully.
Nick and Sara looked at each other then both shook their heads.
"It was the same as most weekends," Sara explained. "Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Ooh, Greg did try it on with Brass's niece," Nick smirked.
"Oh yeah," Sara said, smiling excitedly. "I can't believe I forgot that. It was hilarious!"
"Greg was turning on the charm when Brass walked in, and Lucy jumped up and hugged him," Nick continued.
"You should have seen Greg's face!" Sara added.
They were just laughing when Grissom walked in. Catherine looked at him, their eyes met, and there was no way she could have kept up her charade. A smile spread across her lips. He returned the smile then turned to the group.
Warrick caught Catherine's eye as she turned away from Grissom, and frowned questioningly. She tried her hardest not to smirk, but could feel herself failing, so she looked down at the table, blushing a little. Warrick shook his head, smiling to himself.
"Okay, Nick and Catherine, you have a DB in the parking lot of the Luxor." He handed the assignment folder to Nick. "Sara and Warrick, a break-in at a jewellers at the Forum shops," he continued, handing the folder to Sara. "And Catherine and I are getting married," he finished.
Nick frowned. "I thought you said Cath was – " he stopped when he realised what Grissom had said.
"Married?" Sara asked, eyes wide.
Warrick just laughed and shook his head again, in disbelief that he had fallen for Catherine's trickery.
"Well, er, congratulations!" Nick exclaimed, standing to shake Grissom's hand and to hug Catherine.
"Thank you," Catherine smiled to the young Texan as he moved away from her.
"I... I didn't even know you two were... seeing each other," Sara said, finishing slowly.
"It's a complicated tale," Catherine said, shaking her head. "But... this is its happy ending."
She looked at Sara, almost like a child waiting for a parent's approval. She knew that Sara had had a crush on Gil, and that, if those feelings still remained, this would be very hard on her, but she didn't want to drive her away. For all the disagreements they had had in the past, Catherine did like Sara, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset her. And she wanted Sara to realise this.
After a short moment's silence, Sara smiled. "Congratulations."
Catherine beamed, and accepted the hug that Sara offered, glad that the younger woman had chosen to be adult about this, and not sulk, as she did have a tendency to do when things didn't go her way.
As Sara moved to speak to Grissom, Catherine looked at Warrick and grinned. "You're very quiet."
"I can't believe I fell for all that," he said, standing up and moving round to sit next to her. "You are cruel!"
Catherine laughed. "You deserved it!"
Warrick's eyes widened in a declaration of innocence. "What did I do?"
"You didn't tell me I was in love with Grissom!"
"I thought you knew! You're a CSI!" he laughed with her. "... Seriously now, I'm happy for you. It's about time!" He leaned over and hugged her tightly.
"Well, this definitely calls for a celebration!" Nick exclaimed.
"Yep. Engagement party!" Sara agreed. "This weekend. I'll speak to Ecklie about covering the shift."
"Guys, really, we don't – " Catherine tried to tell them it wasn't necessary, but they refused to listen.
"So where shall we go?" Nick asked, looking to Warrick and Sara for suggestions.
Grissom just sat down and observed it all, too happy about finally having Catherine as his fiancée to worry about the fuss that was being made.
"There's that new bar... What's it called? Horizon!" Sara offered.
Warrick nodded. "But it's karaoke in there at the weekend."
Catherine's eyes lit up, and she turned to Grissom, smirking, as she spoke to the others. "Karaoke? Now, that sounds like fun."
As Grissom glared playfully at Catherine, the other three exchanged confused glances.
"I didn't think karaoke would be your thing," Warrick said to Grissom.
"Oh, if that's what Catherine wants to do, it's fine by me," he responded, eyes still fixed on Catherine's. "Just as long as she sings."
Catherine smiled. "I will, if you will."
Grissom raised one eyebrow. "You want me to sing? After what happened last time."
Catherine nodded. "Nothing soppy though. I don't want my make up running again."
"Soppy?!" Grissom exclaimed.
"It was lovely... But, yeah, it was soppy," she giggled.
"Right!" Grissom declared.
Fear danced over Catherine's face, as the three other people in the room continued to exchange confused glances.
"Right what?" she questioned, warily.
"You'll see," he smirked standing up. "Now, I believe we all have work to do," he said, nodding to the rest of the team before leaving three totally confused CSIs and one rather worried fiancée and heading out to his crime scene, smiling mischievously to himself.
TBC...
