Catherine drew back her hand and slapped him hard across the face. "You son of a bitch."
Warrick rubbed his cheek gingerly. "I probably deserved that."
His voice sounded so good. "You're damn right you did. What the hell are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me about all this? Why didn't you trust me?" The words were spilling out, and she couldn't hold back the tears. Strength be damned, she was angry and hurt and, damn it to hell, happy to see the bastard.
"I'm gonna tell you everything, Cath. But it's kinda cold out here."
She glared. "You deserve to be cold." Warrick frowned. "Fine. Come in." He grunted as he pushed himself up and through the window. "Why didn't you just come to the door?"
He rolled to the ground before setting himself up on his knees. "Because I can't be sure who's watching your house, and I can't afford to be seen by anyone yet." When she frowned in confusion, he continued, "You want to know what's going on, right?"
"More than anything." Sookie meowed and jumped off the bed, bounding over to Warrick. She rubbed up against his legs, squawking and purring. "Sookie, really?"
"Since when do you have a cat?" Warrick asked, scratching the kitten's ears gently.
"Lindsey's boyfriend has a cat, and she gave birth to a litter of kittens. They were able to find a home for all except her. Linds brought her home, knowing that I'd fall in love with her." She smiled to herself, then, "Now tell me what the hell is going on."
He sighed. "Sit down. You're not gonna like a lot of this."
She released her breath, her head spinning as she stood and rounded the bed. Lindsey. She had to call Lindsey. Catherine took her cell phone from the night stand and punched in her daughter's number. When the call went straight to voicemail, she nearly went into a panic. She left a clipped message telling her daughter to call her before disconnecting.
Warrick went to speak, but his cell phone's ringtone interrupted him. Catherine moved toward him as he answered the call. "What's happening?" He listened, and an expression of intense relief flooded his features. "Thank God. Where's she going to be?" Pause. "Alright. I'll tell her mother."
"Lindsey?" Catherine asked breathlessly.
"Yeah. The agents that picked her up brought her to a safehouse. They wouldn't tell me exactly where in case your house is bugged or someone is listening in on the call. But you can bet wherever it is, Lindsey's safe." A profound sense of relief left Catherine limp, and Warrick sprang from the chair to catch her mid-fall. "You okay, Cath?" he asked, the concern plain in his voice.
She nodded, words failing her for the moment. He was so close, she could smell the faint musk of cologne mixed with sweat. It was a heady scent that left her reeling. She could see the specks of brown in his glassy green eyes, and she turned away to hide her own baby blues from his prying gaze. Warrick set her steady on her feet, and Catherine moved over to the bed and sat once more, shaking off the grip of lust that had taken hold of her.
"Do you want to stay here tonight?" she asked, flinching ever so slightly at the implication that question usually held.
"I don't think it would be safe. I'm not one hundred percent sure I wasn't seen when I came here."
A wave of disappointment from his refusal--and relief from his ignorance--washed over her, but she ignored it. "If you're sure."
His features twisted in a pained expression. "I'm so sorry, Cath. I never wanted to hurt you."
"Then you should have told me what you were planning. You should have been able to trust me."
"It's not that I couldn't trust you and you know it," he said with the conviction that was so utterly Warrick, and she was taken aback. "The past three years have been hell. I've had to keep myself under the radar, and the only reason I knew about anything that happened in Vegas was through Grissom. I wanted to be at Lindsey's graduation, and it killed me that I couldn't go. The same for Bobby's funeral. It... sucked. And I suffered through it to keep you and everyone else I care about safe from the bastards that would do anything to get to me if they knew I was alive."
"Like go after my daughter?" He nodded, and she thought about everything he'd said. "I... think I can understand that. I'd probably do the same thing." She suddenly felt open and vulnerable knowing that there was an uncontrollable variable that put her in danger, and she didn't want to be alone. "Please stay. If someone did see you, then I'm not safe with or without you here. I'd rather have you. Two against one are better odds."
"I guess you're right."
"Oh, I know I'm right," she said bluntly. "The guest room is down the hall on the left. You know where the bathroom is. There's an extra toothbrush in the medicine cabinet."
He nodded and headed for the door. "Okay. Good night, Catherine."
"Good night, Warrick."