Chapter Three: I Really Wanna Make You Mine
Disclaimer: Let's see, I own my Muse, my imagination, my dreams, the fangirl in me and not a whole lot else. CBS I worship the ground you metaphorically walk on.
A/N:- Here's the third part for y'all. Thanks for all the lovely reviews.
"So Mr Grissom, how long have you been working at the lab?" Lily asked after she had dished out all the food.
"It's been so long now I can't really remember but it's been over twenty-five years. I met Catherine when I was a CSI Level 1." Grissom said shooting Catherine a quick smile.
Catherine looked at him enviously. How did he manage to be so calm and relaxed after what had just happened between them. She barely had any appetite and knew she would just spend the rest of the meal picking at her food.
"At the strip club?" Lily questioned.
"No actually at a bar." Grissom said cheerily. "You know this chicken is absolutely delicious Lily." He said, turning the conversation onto the food.
Lily seemed to be quietly pleased with his compliment. "I'm not a great cook but Catherine always says I can make a mean chicken casserole."
"So how's school Lindsey?" Gil asked, looking at Catherine's daughter seated next to him.
"Boring." She replied, stretching. "I thought you and Mom were just friends." She said, fixing her stare on Grissom.
Gil cringed. And they were back on that again. He hated talking to people in a social situation but he thought he was managing this meal rather well until Lindsey had to go and bring that up again. "We are." He answered, expecting Catherine to say something and help him out but she kept silent. Lindsey looked back at him disbelievingly.
"So all those times you said you were out, you were with Mr Grissom Catherine?" Lily said sharply.
"No, I was at work, I told you."
"By 'at work' you mean …" Lily started.
"You know, you're really going to have to give me the recipe for this Lily." Grissom said, helping himself to more casserole.
Lily looked back at him irritated that he had interrupted her questioning. "You cook a lot?"
"I like to when I have time but usually after work I'm too tired." Grissom said and then in an effort to keep the conversation going he started naming every possible dish he could think of off the top of his head … and then he felt it.
Very softly and agonising slowly Catherine moved her foot up the inside of his leg, teasing him gently. He squirmed uncomfortable. He was an idiot to think he could win at this game against Catherine. She was the master at this and she knew it. Gil looked across the table at her to find her staring straight at him, her face devoid of any emotion whatsoever. He would've glared at her if, one, he knew how to glare and, two, he wasn't enjoying being at the receiving end of her games so much. Trying to juggle listening to Lilly recommend a cookery book and keeping a straight face, Gil slowly reached down under the table and moved Catherine's foot off his leg, whilst pretending he was just straightening his napkin. Then he glanced back over at her before turning to her mother.
"Thanks for dinner. It was really really nice." He said, trying to act as normally as possible.
"Mom and I were going to watch a movie do you want to stay and watch with us?" Lindsey asked.
"Erm sure. If your Mom doesn't mind." He said, looking across at Catherine, his face remaining impassive.
Catherine met his gaze and stood up. "I don't mind." She said simply, a hint of a smirk visible on her face. "Coming Mom?"
"No, you guys go ahead. I'm going to clean up here and then have an early night." Lily said. Then her look softened as she turned to Grissom. "You better take good care of my daughter – she can be a handful."
"MOM!" Catherine exclaimed, leading a giggling Lindsey into the lounge.
"Don't worry, I intend to." Grissom grinned. "Thanks again for dinner."
Lindsey chose a DVD – something that Grissom hadn't even heard of, and then lay down flat on her stomach on the floor leaving the sofa for her Mom and Grissom.
Catherine let Gil sit down first and then sat down leaving plenty of room between them without making it too obvious that she was doing so. As soon as the film started though Gil moved nearer and stretched his arm out across the back of the sofa.
Catherine thought about this game she had started. It really wasn't the smartest thing she had ever done. They had twenty years behind them. Twenty years. Did they win a prize for the longest time passing before confronting their feelings?
As the movie reached the midway point, Grissom gave up even pretending that he was watching and instead decided to go out on a limb and do something which he should have done all those other times they had watched a film together. He moved his arm down from the back of the settee until it was round her shoulders, pushing her in towards him. Without a moment's hesitation Catherine rested her head on his shoulder and his hand drifted down, stroking lightly the exposed skin on the side of her hip between her top and her jeans. With his other hand he reached for her hand and she laced their fingers together, sighing contentedly.
Catherine hardly noticed when the film ended and the credits started rolling. She was hovering in the happy state of elicit drowsiness that was brought on from the fuzzy realisation that her daring move earlier that day had caused something strange but wonderful to occur between her and her best friend.
Lindsey stood up and stretched. "I'm off to bed now." She said, her eyes taking in the sight of her Mom and her Uncle Gil sitting so close together, holding hands.
"Okay, I'll come and see you into bed." Catherine said, shifting a bit.
"No it's okay. I'll see you in the morning." Lindsey said and started to head towards the stairs before pausing for a minute. "And I just want you to know that whatever's going on between you two ….. I'm happy for you." She said flashing them a smile. "Night."
After she left, Catherine looked up at Gil to ask the million dollar question. "What is happening between us?"
"We're flirting. I thought you would know if it came and hit you in the face." Gil grinned.
"You flirt like this with every woman?" Catherine asked, her eyebrows raised.
"I don't know. That would depend on if we were really flirting anymore." Gil asked, looking into her eyes searchingly.
"Well, personally, I'd say we were way past that stage." Catherine said, leaning in for a kiss.
