A/N: Thanks to Alza for reading this through for me, and for the encouragement. Also, thanks to Angie and Linda for the constant reminders that this wasn't finished… Please remember this fic was started almost two years ago, and follows Wedding Bells which was written before then, so it's not set during the current TV seasons. More notes will follow the chapter.
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Chapter Five
Gil had once thought that there was no sight more beautiful than Catherine smiling: but as she glared at him once more, it occurred to him that that look could give her smile some competition.
"I'm not ready yet, Gil," she said, pleading puppy-dog eyes firmly in place.
"Spontaneity is the spice of life, Catherine," Gil smiled.
"That's variety," she shot back.
"Things change," he smirked.
"Yeah… You used to be so quiet," she responded, pouting.
Gil laughed and hugged her tighter to him. "It must be love."
Catherine couldn't help smiling now. "Aww. I am so lucky to have a man who's willing to get up on stage, and wear a blonde wig for me."
"I would do anything for you, Catherine, you know that," he smiled, placing a gentle kiss on the end of her nose.
"Including giving me time to prepare for my act?" she asked, eyes full of exaggerated hope.
Gil smiled mischievously. "Except that." Then he turned to the audience, who by this time were talking amongst themselves, and announced: "Ladies and gentlemen… Catherine Willows!"
As the crowd applauded, Gil was rewarded with that beautiful glare again, as he made his way off the stage to return to their table; and Catherine made her way over to select a song.
--
Gil sat down in an empty space beside Brass; giving himself a great view of the stage.
"She doesn't look impressed," Brass commented, as they watched Catherine take her place behind the microphone.
Gil smirked. "No she doesn't."
Brass shook his head slowly, chuckling to himself. "Are you two even gonna make it to the wedding?"
Gil looked at him, and simply said, definitively, "Yes."
Meanwhile, across the table, Nick and Sara were giggling about something. Greg did not know what had caused the laughter – he hadn't been listening – all that he knew was that Nick was making Sara laugh. And it bothered him.
And when Sara placed her hand on Nick's arm as she laughed, it bothered him even more.
"I'm gonna choose my song," he announced, as he slid out of the booth. "So I can go after Catherine."
He walked through the club, running the lyrics of "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Hero" through his mind, as he tried to think of an appropriate response for him to make.
--
Catherine waited, impatiently, for the music to start, trying to remember as much of the song as she could, so she wouldn't make an absolute mess of it. She could just about make out Gil in the crowd, grinning smugly, and she once again, mentally, blamed him for all of this… Her mind did, occasionally, remind her that she had known she was expected to sing for days, and could have been more prepared than she was. But she chose to focus on blaming Gil. There was less fun in admitting that you yourself were at fault.
As the first bars of music filtered through the speakers, Catherine noticed Greg walk past the stage, muttering to himself, the only word she could make out being 'hero'. She shook her head, partly in sadness, partly in amusement, and then focussed on starting to sing at the right point. Which had approached faster than she had expected.
"Er… Any man of mine better be proud of me," she began, stuttering a little to catch up with the music.
"Even when I'm ugly, he'd still better love me,
"And I can be late for a date, that's fine,
"But he better be on time …"
By the end of this first verse, she had regained her confidence and was ready to present the song with the attitude she intended.
"Any man of mine'll say it fits just right …" she continued, her voice more determined now; and she received wolf-whistles from the crowd as she ran her free hand down her wriggling body as she sang:
"When last year's dress is just a little too tight.
"And anything I do or say better be okay
"When I have a bad hair day …"
In their booth, across the club, Brass leaned towards Grissom. "I think she might be trying to send you a message, buddy," he smirked.
Grissom just smiled and continued to watch as Catherine now had her audience singing with her; allowing them to sing the alternative 'yeah's of: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I like it that way."
"Any man of mine," she continued, alone, "Better walk the line,
"Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time.
"I need a man who knows, how the story goes,
"He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'
"Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind
"Any man of mine."
Catherine was obviously enjoying herself now. She was stamping her right foot, and clapping her hands in time to the music, and the crowd was joining in.
"Well any man of mine better disagree
"When I say another woman's lookin' better than me …" she accompanied these words with a look of disbelieving shock, to say "as if!"
"And when I cook him dinner and I burn it black
"He better say, mmmm, I like it like that yeah,
"And if I changed my mind
"A million times
"I wanna hear him say,
"Yeah…"
She waved the microphone towards the audience for their: "yeah…" then back to her for the next one, repeating that to the end of the line, when she once again returned to singing solo.
"I like it that way…
"Any man of mine better walk the line
"Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time
"I need a man who knows, how the story goes
"He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'
"Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind
"Any man of mine…"
As a short instrumental played, and Catherine danced around the stage, Warrick leaned across the table, to talk to Grissom. "That's a lot to live up to," he grinned. "Are you sure you can meet all her needs?"
Grissom laughed. "Oh I know I can," he said, smugly.
"Ew!" Sara exclaimed, showing that she had been listening to their exchange. "We do not need that image!"
They all laughed and turned back to Catherine's performance.
She had just finished the audience participation segment again, and was now encouraging them to clap to the beat as she started the last chorus.
"Any man of mine better walk the line
"Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time…"
She paced the stage, clapping her hands at the base of her microphone.
"I need a man who knows, how the story goes
"He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'
"Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind
"Any man of mine…"
The music slowed as the song listed the criteria for the last time, and as the music faded out in the background, she spoke in a sultry voice: "Any man of mine."
There was cheering and whistling from the crowd, and all her co-workers were out of their seats, screaming congratulations and requests for an encore, as she proudly took a bow, a self-satisfied smirk on her lips.
-----
Catherine was still smiling, and still catching her breath, from her performance, as she tried to put the microphone back onto its stand. A voice behind her told her to stop though.
She turned around to see Greg approaching her across the stage.
"I'm singing next," he announced.
"Oh… Okay," she said, handing him the microphone. "What are you singing?"
"It's a surprise," he said, cryptically, tapping his finger on the side of his nose to reinforce his point.
Catherine shook her head, laughing, wished Greg luck, and then made her way off the stage and over to where the others were sitting.
"Great job!" Warrick congratulated her as she nudged Grissom to move over so she could slip in next to him.
"Thank you," she grinned.
"Yes. Well done," Grissom said, as he slipped his arms around her waist, and kissed her cheek.
"I think Gil has an inferiority complex now," Brass chuckled.
Catherine adjusted her body to turn to her fiancé. "Oh you have no need to worry," she smirked.
As Sara and Nick both rolled their eyes, Warrick giggled and Brass laughed once more, Grissom shrugged: "That's what I told them."
Catherine could imagine what he had said and, from the look on Sara and Nick's faces, what their reaction had been, and she joined in the laughter. "Have you been scarring people for life, Gil?"
"I try," he said softly, as he leaned in and kissed her lips.
Catherine returned the kiss, passionately, her lips sliding over his, and her tongue pushing for entry to his mouth. Grissom granted the request and pulled her closer to him, amid shouts of "ew!" and "get a room" from the other end of the table.
They pulled apart and, giggling, Catherine stuck her tongue out at Sara and Nick. Before they could respond, however, music had started, and Catherine and Gil, innocently, turned to face the stage, his right arm remaining draped around her waist.
-----
They listened to the music, all of them glancing at each other to see if anyone recognised the song. It seemed it sounded familiar, but none of them could place it. With a shrug, they resolved to wait for Greg to start singing.
When he did, however, it didn't help. It was impossible to tell what he was saying; he was mumbling so much he may have just been making the sound, and there may not have actually been any words in there.
Catherine couldn't help but giggle, and she wasn't alone. Every one at the table was amused by Greg's performance so far, and from the mutterings coming from the tables around them, every one in the club was as intrigued as they were.
And then suddenly all became clear. Reaching the chorus, Greg let out one audible line: "We don't need another hero!" and then continued to mumble.
"Ah! That's it!" Sara exclaimed.
Catherine offered her the same wondering frown that she had done when the brunette had made no association between her own song and Nick's. Surely she must have noticed the connection with this one.
Warrick and Nick had exchanged a look that was a mixture of amusement and concern, so they obviously realised what the reasoning was behind Greg's choice; and when she looked at Grissom to see if he had noticed, his look shared some of the anxiety that hers did.
Greg was still singing – if you could call it that – and, once again, the only line he sang clearly was "we don't need another hero", and this time it was louder and more forceful than the first.
"There's definitely a hero theme tonight," Sara commented, causing Catherine to sputter the mouthful of drink she had just been taking.
"Yes there is," the older woman responded, coughing.
Nick had blushed slightly and ensured his face was facing away from Sara.
"I wonder why," Brass said.
Sara seemed to ponder this for a few seconds and then she shrugged. "I just liked my song… Nick, why did you choose yours?"
From where she was seated, Catherine could see quite clearly in Nick's profile that his eyes had widened, and, while she did feel sorry for him, she couldn't help but laugh.
When Sara looked at her, eyebrows raised in question of why she was laughing, Catherine playfully slapped the hand that Grissom had rested on her hip, and said: "Gil! Stop it!"
Grissom didn't miss a beat, and tickled her, to keep up her cover story, and Sara rolled her eyes and looked back to Nick, who was still facing the stage.
"Oy!" she said, poking him in the back. "I asked you a question!"
Nick feigned pain in his back where she had prodded him, and slowly turned around in his seat. "I've always been an Enrique Iglesias fan," he lied - convincingly though.
Sara nodded. "Cool," and then, as Greg's one line was belted out again, she looked back to the stage, and said: "Why is he just singing that one line?"
The others chose to take it as a rhetorical question and Brass swiftly changed the subject. "So have you two love birds set a date yet?" he asked Catherine and Gil.
"Not yet," Grissom replied. "But it'll be some time soon."
"Something you're not telling us?" Brass smirked, winking at Catherine.
She rolled her eyes. "No!… I just can't wait to be Mrs Grissom," she commented, looking into Grissom's eyes as she spoke.
"And I can't wait for you to be Mrs Grissom," Gil commented, resting his forehead against hers as he spoke, and then softly kissing the tip of her nose when he had finished his words.
"Man! You should never mix love and alcohol!" Warrick declared as Grissom and Catherine kissed once more.
They were broken out of this embrace by the cessation of the music, and the applause surrounding them.
They joined the others in applauding Greg enthusiastically, because the rest of the audience was less than exuberant. They cheered and whistled as he left the stage and moved round to make space for him to sit down when he returned.
"So, is it gonna be a big wedding?" Sara asked, taking the last mouthful of drink from her glass.
Catherine and Gil looked at each other.
"You mean you haven't discussed it yet?" Sara asked. "You've been engaged for a week! What have you been doing?… No! Don't answer that!"
The others giggled as Sara once again looked traumatised by her thoughts.
"See," Grissom said, in Catherine's direction, but loud enough for all of them to hear, "She doesn't need me to scar her for life. She's doing a good job all on her own."
Everyone was laughing as Greg rejoined the group. "What did I miss?" he asked as he sat down in the space beside Warrick.
"Nothing you would want to hear if you don't want to be permanently damaged!" Sara exclaimed.
"What have you been doing?" Greg queried, looking, reprimandingly, at Grissom and Catherine.
Catherine's eyes widened in innocence. "We haven't been doing anything. Sara has a dirty mind!"
Sara smirked. "That's what Mick tells me."
Silence instantly descended on the table, and everyone, except Sara, glanced at everyone else to see if they had all heard the same declaration. They all looked as surprised and confused as each other, so they assumed they must not have imagined it.
"Mick?" Catherine finally voiced the question that was on everybody's minds.
Sara frowned, as if confused by the question. "My boyfriend," she stated.
Nick and Greg exchanged embarrassed glances, before downing what remained of their drinks.
"Haven't I mentioned him?" Sara continued.
"No," Nick said, surprisingly upbeat given the situation. "No, you haven't."
"How long have you and he been…" Greg asked, letting his question trail off as he didn't actually want to think about what they had 'been'.
"About five months," Sara replied. "He had to work tonight, otherwise he would have come."
There was another moment of silence, and Sara looked round the table. "I'm sure I've mentioned him before."
Everyone shook their heads slowly and Sara frowned. "Oh… Well, now you know," she grinned. "And you can all meet him at the wedding."
Greg had, by this time, taken Warrick's drink, and almost choked as she said this. "Wedding?" he asked, eyes wide. "You've only been seeing him for five months!"
"Grissom and Catherine's wedding, Greg," Sara responded.
"Ah," he said, nodding. "That makes more sense."
"Does anyone want another drink?" Brass asked, standing up to save Greg from any further embarrassment.
"Yes!" Nick and Greg exclaimed simultaneously, both standing up to accompany Brass to the bar.
Grissom, Catherine and Warrick moved to allow the three men to slip out of the booth, and then retook their seats after giving in their drink requests.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Sara announced, scooting around the seat and practically pushing Warrick out of her way.
"Yeah! That's it!" he called after her. "Leave me with huggy and kissy here!… Ow!" Catherine had kicked him under the table.
"We'll try to restrain ourselves while you're alone with us," she said, grinning evilly, as she ran her fingers through the hair on the back of Grissom's neck, causing him to shiver.
Warrick closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, and he heard Catherine laughing. Opening his eyes again, he smiled at the couple opposite him.
"It's good to see the two of you happy … together!" he said.
Catherine smiled, all traces of evil gone, and only happiness remaining. "Thank you… What are we going to do about Nick and Greg?" she asked, seriously.
"Oh, they'll be fine," Warrick said. "And this is probably the best outcome."
"Yeah," Grissom agreed. "At least this doesn't alienate anyone."
"Exactly," Warrick nodded.
After a short silence, he continued with a change of topic. "So, when are you going to set a date? This is Vegas remember, no matter what date you pick, you're sure to find someone available to perform the ceremony."
"That's true," Catherine said. "So, when do you think?" she asked Gil.
He shrugged, as he considered the question. "May the fourth?"
"International Star Wars Day?" Catherine laughed.
"Or maybe not," Gil smiled. "May the fifth?"
Catherine nodded. "Sounds good to me… Gives us a couple of months to plan."
"May the fifth it is then," Grissom smiled and leaned over to kiss Catherine once on the lips.
"Nice restraint," Warrick commented, then he stood up as he saw the other men returning from the bar.
---
When the drinks had been handed round, and Sara had returned from the bathroom, Warrick tapped the side of his glass to get the attention of the group.
They all fell silent, and took hold of their glasses.
"I would like to make a toast," he smiled. "We all realised Catherine and Grissom were in love with each other years ago… and finally they're up to speed! Thanks, in part, to me," he grinned. "No, seriously, I just want to say that I believe you've been destined for this… And we've waited so long, that it'd better be one hell of a wedding!"
His listeners laughed, and he raised his glass. "To Grissom and Catherine."
"To Grissom and Catherine," echoed as glasses clinked, and the betrothed couple kissed once more as Warrick added:
"And roll on May the fifth!"
THE END
A/N: Catherine sang "Any Man of Mine" by Shania Twain and Robert John 'Mutt' Lange; Greg 'sang' "We Don't Need Another Hero" written by Graham Lyle and Terry Britten.
