Author's Note: I know that I haven't done an author's note for a long time, so here you go. I am so happy that you guys like my story. I really didn't expect such a response from you and I'm really glad that I got one! I'm enjoying writing this fic as much as you are enjoying reading it! (I hope ) thanks again everyone! And please R/R again!
The tattered lace and silk formed a frightening tableau against the beige carpet. A rainbow of color and sequins. The panties were shredded, and covered in what looked like blood; flowering stains like crimson poppies in a wind-swept field. As Catherine gingerly pushed them aside she noticed something that made her stomach lurch. Each pair had a message, scrawled across them in black ink. The messages were cryptic and terrifying. "Seek the light if you dream of flight," and "Cradle the Dove with the Broken Wings." She pushed them away gently, not wanting to destroy the evidence, but not able to bear the sight of them for another moment.
The other items inside the box made her shudder; a thin cord formed a deadly noose, a plastic doll bound with rags, her empty sockets gazing vacantly outward. Someone had stalked Sara, followed her, and tormented her. At the very bottom of the box lay a ring; it looked like solid gold with a single, blood-red ruby in the solitaire setting. It was exquisite even while it was horrifying. Who was this man? Why did he target Sara?
Suddenly, a soft sound emanated throughout the house. The front door was opening… had she left it unlocked? She quickly reached for the pistol holstered to her hip. Quietly she stepped out of the bedroom, and waited at the entrance to the living room at the end of the hall. Her back pressed up against the cool, white stucco, as she listened intently for a sign from the intruder. She heard a drawer open, and papers rustling like dry leaves. A floorboard creaked beneath her feet and she froze. Not a sound disturbed the complete silence that followed.
"Okay" she mouthed to herself "On Three."
"One" she gripped the cool, metallic handle of her service revolver tightly.
"Two" she strained to discern the location of the suspect.
"Three" she quickly flipped the safety on her pistol and whipped around the corner simultaneously shouting "Las Vegas Crime Lab, freeze!"
Catherine was surprised not only to find an identical gun pointed at her as well, but to see that her "intruder" was none other than Gil Grissom.
"Jesus, Gil, you scared the hell out of me!"
"I could say the same Cath, what are you doing here without backup?"
"The same as you I expect. Finding answers. I think I've found some pretty big ones too."
"What is it?"
After showing Grissom the box she had found, Catherine collected it and walked into the living room. Gil followed close behind her, silent as if deep in concentration.
He was thinking about the soft glow of the mid-day sun on her skin. Thinking of the way her smile lit up her face with a maiden-like glow. He was imagining a life where they were not coworkers, where a relationship wouldn't be out of the question. He tried to shake himself from such reflection, but the thoughts lingered like wisps of smoke in his mind. God, she was beautiful.
"Penny for your thoughts" Catherine said as they walked onto the lawn.
"I'm not sure they're worth that much" he laughed.
"Oh, come on Gil. Just talk to me."
"Well, I was thinking about Sara; and about her killer. I just don't get it."
She looked at him skeptically but replied "I know, but we will soon, I promise, I don't get it either."
Gil dismissed the feeling of guilt he felt in lying to her, but she could never know the truth. Her friendship and support meant too much to him to throw it away on some silly infatuation. Besides, it is not as if she could ever reciprocate his feelings, no woman he loved ever had. As least that is what he told himself as he watched the way the sunlight danced in her hair.
Catherine stole a brief glance at Grissom's face and saw it lined with concentration and worry. She longed to smooth it, to make him smile, but she pushed those feelings aside. Those emotions had to be compartmentalized and stored away, to collect dust in the recesses of her mind, never to be acted upon. As least that is what she told herself as she wrapped her arms around Gil's neck and kissed him, squarely on the mouth.
END NOTE: Sighs. Wow. That's done. I hope you guys are ok with the way I've set this up. I was a little unsure, but then I just went with it. What the heck, I mean, it's gotta come sometime right? Well, thanks again! O and by the way there is a little purplish-blue button down there for you to review so please do!