A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

I don't own CSI. The inspiration for the issues between Grissom and Catherine in this chapter came from a scene in episode 104, "Pledging Mr. Johnson."


The Weekend

"So, you're leaving again?"

"I'm leaving again."

Catherine gave him a teasing smile. "You know, if you keep taking off like this, I'm going to start thinking that you have an out of town mistress."

Grissom smiled tightly. "Do I look like the type to do something like that?"

"Of course not," Catherine smiled. "Oh, I have to thank you for giving me advance warning this time."

"You're welcome," Grissom replied. "You won't have as much to do with Nick and Warrick this time, either."

"No, they're well on their way to Level III," Catherine said. She heaved a mock sigh. "It seems like only yesterday they were Level I. Our little boys are getting so big."

Grissom smiled tolerantly. "I'll see you next week, Catherine."

"Take care," Catherine said. "Enjoy San Francisco."

Grissom gave her a mysterious smile. "I intend to."


His lecture was on Thursday night. He hoped that the attendance would be good. He always worried about lecturing on Thursdays – far too many students would rather be out in bars than in classrooms on that particular evening. He smiled a bit wistfully as the thought crossed his mind. When had he stopped thinking of Thursday as the night that kicked off the weekend?

He was unpacking his lecture notes when he heard the door to the hall open. He started to look up, knowing that she would be the one walking into his classroom before he had seen who was there or she had said a word. Who else would arrive so early?

"Sara," he said, a grin stretching across his face as his eyes met hers.

"Hi, Grissom," she grinned. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said, walking up the aisle to meet her even as she came down toward him. "How are you? How's the new job?"

"It's great," she smiled.

"It's going well for you?"

"I really love it," she said, giving him a teasing smile, "just like you said I would."

He smiled and shrugged. "What can I say? There are some things that I just know."

"Well, you hit that one dead on, soothsayer." She paused. "How are things in Vegas? How's your team?"

"Fine," he said. "Nick and Warrick are in a stiff competition to see who can make Level III first, with Jim encouraging them all the way."

Sara smiled. "He wants them to compete?"

"He wants them to make Level III," Grissom corrected. "And, Jim is a firm believer that healthy competition leads to results. It seems to be working so far. I suppose that means I can agree with him."

Sara smiled. "And the others?" She didn't want to admit it, but she wanted to hear about Catherine. She was referenced many times in Grissom's emails, leaving Sara to wonder what sort of relationship the two coworkers shared.

"Well, Greg is settling in nicely," he said. "He's very dedicated to his job, but he's a very … different … sort of person."

Sara grinned in spite of herself. "Care to elaborate?"

"He's … more of a free spirit that anyone else in the lab."

"I think that's a good thing," Sara replied. "Someone needs to be looser, or the entire group would end up completely uptight."

"You're right, I suppose. Everyone seems to like him – even Catherine."

"Is she difficult to please?"

"No, not exactly. She just isn't one to stand for a lot."

Sara grinned again. "I get the impression that you aren't, either."

Grissom smiled. "Well. That may be true, too, but Catherine is a bit more vocal about it than I am."

"Somehow, I doubt that."

"Do you work with us?"

"No," she smiled.

"Then you don't know for sure," Grissom smiled. His smile faded somewhat. "I'm pretty willing to make allowances for Catherine right now … she's going through a tough time."

"Oh?"

"Well … she will be soon enough."

"Care to drop the code?"

The door opened, and several students walked in. Grissom gave Sara an apologetic smile.

"Can we continue this later?"

"Sure," Sara replied. "Are you still up for dinner after class?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Sara took her seat with butterflies in her stomach. She had emailed Grissom suggesting that they have dinner after the lecture on a whim, certain that he would turn her down. When he had responded with "dinner would be lovely," Sara's heart had done a back flip. She had spent forever choosing the perfect restaurant for their first meal together – something nice, but not to fancy. Her worst fear had been that he would change his mind once he arrived in San Francisco. The fact that he hadn't changed his mind made her so nervous that she wondered if it wouldn't have been better if he had turned her down.

Then, he looked up and smiled at her. In that moment, as her eyes connected with his, she found herself once again under his spell. He gave her that look, that smile that made her feel as though she were the only person in the room. He made her feel like she was his princess. In that moment, she knew that everything would work out.


The lecture ended, and the students all collected their things. Sara, too, put her things away, but remained seated, waiting for Grissom. He spoke to each of the students who had a question for him, showing the same infinite patience that he had given Sara during his tenure at Berkeley. She smiled softly as she watched him. They might monopolize his time for the moment, but he was hers for the evening. She had never been so excited to go out for dinner.

At last, the students were all gone. Grissom turned his smile to Sara.

"Well, tour guide, are you ready for dinner?"

"Yes," she smiled. "We're going to one of my favorite restaurants. I hope you like seafood."

"Love it."

"Okay, then! Let's go!"


The restaurant was close enough that they could walk to it. Sara was glad that it was such a nice evening; it made for a very pleasant stroll. They made small talk as they waited for a table; it wasn't until they had placed their order that the conversation became more personal.

"Do you want to tell me about Catherine?" Sara asked a bit awkwardly. She wasn't sure if he wanted to talk or not, but she wanted to let him know that she was willing to listen if he did.

Grissom sighed. "I'm only telling you this because I know that it will never go beyond the two of us."

"Of course not," Sara said seriously.

Grissom nodded. "I just found out that Eddie, Catherine's husband, has been cheating on her."

Sara's eyes widened. "Did she tell you?"

"No," he said. He paused. "She doesn't know."

"Then, how do you know?"

"I was at one of the casinos, working a case, and I saw him with another woman. They were headed into a hotel room." An expression passed over his face as though he were about to be sick. "They could barely keep their hands off one another."

"And you haven't told her?"

"How can I?" Grissom asked, his expression becoming tortured. "How can I tell this woman who has been a good friend and colleague for years – years! – that her husband is cheating on her?"

"How can you not?" Sara asked. "Don't you think that she deserves to know?"

"I don't know," Grissom said. "I'm trying to rely on what I know, not what I think."

"And what do you know?"

"I know that she loves her husband. I know that she wants to make her marriage work for her daughter's sake. And I know that she would leave him in a second if she found out he's been seeing another woman."

"Grissom, you have to tell her. You can't let her stay married to someone like that."

He shook his head. "I don't want to meddle in her life."

"This isn't meddling!" Sara exclaimed. "If it were you in her place, wouldn't you want to know?"

He shook his head again. "Every day, I see people's lives ripped apart by one force or another. I don't want Catherine to have to suffer the way that they do."

"I don't know her," Sara said, "so I can't say for sure how she would react. Do you really think that she would let this destroy her?"

"Catherine is one of the strongest people I've ever known," Grissom said. "I know that this wouldn't destroy her. But, I know how much it would hurt her. And I know that I don't want to be the one to bring about all that hurt."

"You wouldn't be," Sara said. "Eddie is the one who is causing her pain."

"Have you ever seen a woman scorned immediately turn on her husband?"

"She's going to be angry when she finds out," Sara said. "And, when she finds out that you knew but didn't tell her …"

Grissom shook his head again. "I won't be the one to tell her," he said firmly.

"All right," Sara said, although she clearly did not think it was "all right."

"Let's talk about something else," Grissom sighed. "Tell me about working with Carl."

"He's great," Sara said enthusiastically. "Anne is fabulous, too. I'm really learning a lot from them. They said I'll be able to move up to Level II in a few more months."

"That's great," Grissom smiled. "I have a feeling you'd give my guys a run for their money."

Sara smiled, wishing that she could have the chance. "You know, Carl reminds me a lot of you."

"How so?"

"He's completely old-school. He insists that we do actual, live reconstructions instead of computer simulations, he'll spend forever staring at fingerprints instead of using the computer …"

"Whoa, now," Grissom smiled, "I won't stare at fingerprints forever anymore."

"I stand corrected," Sara smiled. "But, yesterday, he had me setting a pig on fire to see how long it would take the heat to melt fabric into skin." She made a face. "You know, I'm really starting to hate the idea of eating pork."

Grissom laughed. "You know that's the best way to see how human skin would react."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Griss. Between the two of you, you've made me see the value of not using the thousands of dollars in equipment the lab has."

"How's everything else?" Grissom asked. "Do you like being back in San Francisco?"

"I love San Francisco," Sara replied with a smile. "It's always good to be back. There are a lot of memories here for me … not all good, but that's the same everywhere, I suppose."

"Probably," Grissom agreed.

"I just really miss Mary," Sara said wistfully.

"Mary?" Grissom repeated. "Your roommate?"

"Yes, that one."

"She's your best friend," he said. "Of course, you miss her. Has she been up to visit?"

"No, not yet. Not since she and Tom helped me move into my new apartment. She promised to come up this summer, once her classes and graduation are over."

"What's she going to do after graduation?"

"Her doctorate," Sara replied. "She's always wanted to be a college professor."

"An academic."

"Most certainly."

The arrival of their food temporarily suspended their conversation. They continued to chat as they ate, even ordering dessert to prolong their meal. At last, they realized that they could not stay much longer and asked for their bill.

"I'm paying this time," Sara said, reaching for the check before Grissom had time to react.

"You don't have to do that," Grissom protested.

Sara shook her head. "You always paid for coffee when we went out last year."

"That was two coffees," Grissom said. "I have a feeling that a meal like this is going to cost a bit more than that."

"Still … I invited you."

"Sara, you're making it very hard for me to be a gentleman."

She smiled with him. "Call me a feminist, but I want to treat you this time."

"All right," he finally agreed. "But, when we go out next time, dinner is on me."

Sara's grin could have lit up a room. "Definitely."

After paying, they walked out into the cool night. Sara turned her face up to look at the stars, then smiled at Grissom.

"Well, good night, then," she said. "It was great to see you. This has been a lovely evening."

"Wait," Grissom said. "How are you getting home?"

"I parked at the university," she replied.

"Let me at least walk you back to your car."

"I'll be fine."

He shook his head. "Please. It will make me feel better to know that you're safe."

"Now, Grissom," she teased as she fell into step beside him, "is anyone ever really safe?"

"I'd like to do everything in my power to make sure that you're safe," he said quietly.

Sara smiled slightly, unsure of what to say.


After his brief stay in San Francisco, Grissom returned to the relative stability of the lab. Despite the inherent unpredictability of his job, some factors of his life remained unchanging. Nick and Warrick's race to reach Level III continued, bringing both of them nearer and nearer to their common goal. As he became more comfortable in his position, more of Greg's style began to surface. Grissom often found himself asking the younger man to turn down his music while he worked. Ecklie found every excuse to try to show the superiority of the day shift over the night shift, to the chagrin of the graveyard team.

But, the one thing that did change was Catherine. She had gone from cheerful to positively depressed. She walked in with stooped shoulders. The sparkle was gone from her eyes. She did her job with the same dedication, but the passion was gone. Grissom was worried about her, but didn't know how to help her.

Finally, one day, he couldn't take it anymore. He was seated at his desk, and saw her walking past his office.

"Catherine!" he called.

She stopped and backpedaled to peek in the door. "Yes?"

"Come in," he said. "Close the door behind you."

Looking at him with questions in her eyes, she did as she had been asked.

"Sit down," he said.

She took a seat and waited, watching as he looked at her with tender blue eyes.

"How are you?" he asked with more compassion than she had ever heard in his voice.

The fact that Gil Grissom, the man who never showed emotion, the man who was better with bugs than with people, the man who found it so difficult to empathize, was hurting for her was her undoing. The iron woman who never let her personal life interfere with her work burst into tears.

Alarmed, Grissom had no idea what to do. He grabbed a box of tissues and put them down in front of her.

"Catherine?" he asked softly.

She swallowed hard, trying to get herself under control. "I'm sorry," she choked out, reaching for a tissue. "I didn't mean to …"

"Don't worry about it," Grissom replied. "I just … I want to help you. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

She drew a shaky breath. "It's Eddie," she said. "He's been cheating on me for … months, I guess. I don't like to think that it's been a year, but, at this point, who knows?"

Grissom closed his eyes and opened them again slowly. "How did you find out?"

"I'm not blind," she spat. "Well, then again, maybe I am. It took until I found a receipt for lingerie that I've never seen to make me realize what was happening." She looked away. "You know what hurts the most? I'm a crime scene investigator. I can solve the mysteries of anyone else's life, yet I couldn't see what was happening in my own house."

"You can't blame yourself for this," Grissom said firmly. "He's the one who's at fault. He's the one who was with some other woman, sneaking around, spending nights in hotels, being anything but discreet out in the open …" He trailed off, realizing what he had let slip. He hoped that she wouldn't notice.

But, as she had said herself, she was a crime scene investigator.

"You knew."

He blinked. "What makes you say that?"

"How would you know that he was staying in hotels with her? That he was being indiscreet? I just told you that it was a receipt that tipped me off."

"I …"

"You saw him, didn't you? You saw him with her."

He hesitated.

"Please, Gil."

"Yes," he said quietly.

Her eyes narrowed. "How long have you known?"

He sighed. "Since about a week before I went to San Francisco."

"You were in San Francisco six months ago!" Catherine yelled. "You've known about this for six months, and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't want to upset you." Even to his own ears, it sounded stupid.

"Upset me?" she yelled. She jumped out of her seat and slammed her hands down on his desk. "Gil, this is probably the worst thing you could have done for me! My husband was running around Vegas with some platinum blond skank, making me look like a complete fool, and you knew about it but didn't tell me because you were afraid of upsetting me?"

"Catherine, I –"

"Don't," she cut him off. "Just – don't. Not now." She walked to his door and opened it, then turned to face him again. "This one's going to take some time, Grissom."

She walked out, closing the door behind her.

Grissom stared at the closed door, thinking of the choices he had made. Sara had been right. He should have told her from the beginning.

He hoped he would never make that mistake again.


It took a month. Once Catherine's divorce was in the works and she had arranged a system with her sister to make sure that Lindsey was always cared for, she forgave Grissom for not telling her about Eddie's affair. The entire team felt better once the rather one-sided fight between them ended. The tension had been getting to everyone.

"I'd like to thank you – both of you."

Grissom and Catherine looked up from their seats in the conference room as Brass entered. He closed the door behind him and sat down with them.

"You called us in here to thank us?" Catherine asked.

"Not entirely, but that had to be first."

"What are you thanking us for?" she asked.

"For ending your fight before I brought in our new CSI."

"New CSI?" Grissom asked. "I thought they weren't going to let us have anyone else."

"Apparently, the city has decided that law enforcement needs more money. In our case, that translates into a new CSI."

"Great," Catherine said. "We can always use the extra hands."

"Well, don't get too excited yet," Brass said. "We're getting someone who's brand new to the profession."

"Who?"

"Her name is Holly Gribbs. She comes with family connections and no job experience." He gave them a significant look.

"And we're in charge of training her," Grissom said.

"Well, you did such a good job with Nicky and Warrick; I thought you'd enjoy breaking in another. Gil, you're in charge of her training. Catherine –"

"I know," she interrupted. "I'll back him up. As always."

"Don't be bitter," Brass smiled. "You'll always be first in my heart."

"The sarcasm never ends with you, does it?" Catherine asked.

"Rarely," Brass grinned. "All right, any questions?"

"When does she start?" Grissom asked.

"Next week. Make sure you're ready."

Grissom and Catherine exchanged a look and a half smile.

"We will be."