a/n- Glad you all are enjoying the story. Now things start to heat up again.

Catherine could not stop thinking about what Greg had been through while she was at work.

"Catherine, what is wrong with you today," Grissom asked her as once again he had asked her something and she seemed not to hear him.

She looked up at Grissom; surprised he was even there. "Oh, just tired I guess."

Grissom narrowed his eyes towards her. "This doesn't have anything to do with Greg staying with you, does it?"

"No, not at all," she quickly responded with a lie. She hated lying to him but she did not want to have to go into some long explanation of what was really going through her mind.

"Okay, how is he doing anyway? I need to stop by and see him again."

"He is doing good. I think he gets his stitches out today finally. I know he is happy about that." She smiled.

"Good and how is he getting around now on his own?"

"He's doing better. He's able to move his right shoulder more now, I know. He's still using the cane to help him walk around. He hates it, but it is helping him remain on his feet longer. I know he is still usually pretty tired out after his physical therapy sessions."

Grissom nodded his head. "What about his emotional state?"

Catherine hesitated to respond right away to that question. She considered everything he had told her the night before.

"I'd say he's doing very well considering all he has been through."

"Good, I trust your opinion and that is good to hear. Well, I got a few things to do before the shift ends. If I do not see you before you leave, enjoy your day off."

Catherine was eager for her day off. She made plans at Lindsay's suggestion, to go out to Lake Mead for the day and have Greg go with them to get sometime outside, since he had been cooped up for so long now. She had not told him about it yet, but would at dinner.

"Well, it looks like your are healing fine. Just keep applying the medicated lotion you have and bandages over until I see you again in about a week."

Greg put his shirt back on as Dr. Maddox told him what to do. The removal of the stitches was not as bad as he thought it was going to be, it just took a long time.

After Dr. Maddox said he could go, he met Lily out in the waiting room. "Sorry it took so long. I know you must be totally sick of me by now."

Lily smiled at the young man. "Nonsense, it's rather nice having a man around again. Besides, it gets me out of the house more often."

"Well thanks, I appreciate it."

When they got back to the Willows home, Greg sat in the living room to relax, while Lily went off into her room to take a nap. Greg thought that Catherine would have been home by then, but knowing all too well, the shift had probably gone into overtime.

He was really starting to miss working. It was mostly due to his complete boredom, but also he missed seeing all his friends at work. He had not seen much of the others since he was staying at Catherine's.

He did miss the thrill of solving the case or finding the key piece of evidence. He had been out for almost a month now. He was ready to go back to work soon.

"Oh dear, you really need to get back to work soon."

Greg looked over his shoulder and saw Catherine grinned at him. "What? What's wrong?"

She pointed to the TV. "The Young and the Restless?"

Greg looked at the TV. He had not even been paying attention to what channel it was on. "What? No, I'm not watching that. The news was just on. I did not even realize this came on. I was thinking about stuff."

She came over and sat down next to him. "What kind of stuff?"

"Oh just missing work and everyone there mostly."

A smirk played on her lips. "Even Hodges?"

Greg flashed a grin at her. "Maybe not him so much."

"So are your stitches out now," she asked him.

"Yes they are. Dr. Maddox says everything is healing well now."

"Was it painful getting them removed?"

Greg shook his head. "Surprisingly it was not that bad. Mostly a weird sensation while they were being taken out. It took a long time."

"Well you had a lot of stitches," Catherine said to him.

"Yeah I know. I just feel better knowing they are gone. At least my back won't look like Frankenstein anymore."

"It wasn't that bad," Catherine said trying to make him feel better.

Greg frowned at her. "Cath, be serious. You know it was bad looking. You had to see it more than I even did. I've already faced the fact that I will have those scars on my back for the rest of my life, but at least I am still alive, right?"

Again his attitude amazed her. "You are right. I am just glad to hear you starting to sound like your old self."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well you know since our talk last night and bringing up those memories of my friends, I remembered how lucky I really was. I could have just as easily been the one helping Mike that day and been shot. I could have died from my beating. Ty could have slit my throat so easily so many times, but here I am." He smiled at her.

She smiled back at him. "Yes here you are, sitting on my sofa, watching soap operas."

He glared at her, with a smirk on his face. "Don't you dare tell anyone at work that or I'll tell them you saw down forests in your sleep!"

She opened her mouth in shock. "You would not dare!"

Greg just kept the cocky grin on his face. "Never dare me."

She glared at him with a frown for a while before finally speaking.

"We'll continue this later. I need to catch up on some sleep now." She tossed a pillow at him as she got up and walked to her bedroom.

He chuckled to himself. It was nice being so comfortable around her now. He wondered if it was safe enough yet to make a move. He shook his head, still feeling foolish about trying to be anything more than friends with her.

Later that evening, after Lindsay was home from school and they were having dinner, Catherine brought up the Lake Mead idea to Greg.

Greg was skeptical about being outside in public for a long period of time for some reason.

"I don't know. I think I should just hang back here and rest."

"Come on, Greg. It will be nice to get out, get some fresh air and you can still relax, it will just be outside." This was coming from Lindsay, who really was growing use to Greg being around all the time.

He looked at Catherine who simply shrugged her shoulders. He felt helpless. He had no choice but to agree to go along.

He sighed heavily. "Fine, I will go. Just don't complain if I slow you down."

Lindsay smiled. "Thanks Greg. I will make sure you enjoy yourself."

Greg smiled at Lindsay before looking at Catherine who was smirking at him. He just shook his head slightly, wishing her daughter were not so persuasive.

Greg stayed quiet for the most part on the ride out at Lake Mead. Lindsay was telling Catherine all about her upcoming performances in the high school play.

Greg felt like he was intruding on a family outing. He was going to be glad when he could go back to living on his own again. Although he admitted he would miss them some, mostly spending so much time with Catherine.

They found a spot to lay out with a picnic table nearby. Lily, with Lindsay's help, had prepared a cooler of food and drinks.

Greg stared at Catherine's curves in her black shorts and red tank top as she billowed out a blanket onto the ground. Greg felt like an old man, using the cane to get around. He tried to go without it but when he walked too long without help he strained his back muscles, which only caused him pain. The doctor warned him it was not going to be a quick healing process.

Catherine noticed Greg sitting on the picnic bench looking a bit forlorn. She came over to him. "What's wrong, Greg?" He looked at her, with her nearly perfect skin and strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and wished he had the courage to tell her how beautiful she looked. Instead he decided to mention what else was on his mind.

"I just feel like I am a party crasher, like I don't belong here."

"Nonsense. We wanted you here. It was Lindsay's idea mostly because she thought you needed to get out of the house some."

Greg looked surprised. "Yeah, so it was Lindsay's idea? Well, okay then I will try not to feel like an outsider."

"Come on, come over and join us on the blanket."

After a couple hours, Greg had to admit the sun felt good beating down on him. It was nice, sitting outside, drinking a couple beers and just talking about life in general. He felt truly relaxed for the first time since the event.

He was about to grab another beer when Catherine stopped him. "Perhaps you do not want to mix too much alcohol with your pain meds," she said to him with a warning in her eyes.

He frowned a bit. "I guess you are right, but just know you are spoiling my relaxed mood," he said giving her his best puppy dog eyes.

"Okay one more, but then that is it. We will be leaving soon anyway." She handed him the beer he had grinned for and watched as a smile filled his face.

After Lindsay had her fill of swimming and flirting with boys, Catherine decided it was time to head back home. Catherine noticed that everyone was quiet on the drive home. That was a sure sign they had an enjoyable day. Everyone was tired.

Back at home, Lindsay asked to spend the night at a friend's house, so Lily took her there before she went out for a date herself.

Greg was still in the shower when Catherine entered his room to get ready to do the usual change of his bandages. He had been unusually quiet since they returned. She was not sure if it was due to him being tired or something else.

He came out of the shower and saw her still dressed in her shorts and top from the day. He looked rather sheepishly at her. "Hey, " he greeted her.

She had grown accustomed to seeing him shirtless as he came to get his bandages done.

He sat down on the bed besides her. "You've been awfully quiet since the ride back." She said casually.

"Yeah, I've just been thinking."

"Well by your mood, it seems the thoughts have not been good."

"Hmm, yeah drinking sometimes does that to my mood." He turned his back towards her so she could start changing his wet bandages.

As she peeled off the old ones, she asked him what was bothering him.

Greg figured now was as good a time as any to say what was on his mind. He had been thinking about her all day long. "Could you see yourself with someone like me?"

Catherine stared at the back of his head, stunned. How could he ask something like that so easily?

He noticed she stopped doing his bandages. Maybe he should not have asked that so openly. He turned around to look at her, almost wanting to laugh at her expression. "I kind of blindsided you with that one, huh," he looked coyly at her. He was already starting to regret asking her.

"You know, forget I even asked," Greg said before feeling like a total fool after a minute of her not saying anything.

She stared at him before finally formulating a response. "That's something hard to forget easily, but you know I can give you an answer. If you had asked me that question a year ago, heck even a few months ago I would have said no, but now that I've come to know you better through all of this and seen what you're really made of, I can say yes."

Greg's eyes lit up. "Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better."

She smiled him. "No, I'm not just saying that to make you feel better. Now turn around so I can finish your bandages."

Greg rolled his eyes at her and turned around. There was a quiet moment before Greg spoke again. "Does it turn you off," he asked quietly.

"Does what turn me off? What are you talking about," she asked with softness in her voice after hearing some sadness in his.

Greg swallowed hard. "My back."

She had just finished replacing the last bandage when he said that. She felt that tug at her heart again. "No Greg, not at all." She placed her hand over a bandage on his back. "You know what I think of when I see your scars, I think of the man who risked his own life to protect mine, a man who puts others before himself. A man that I've grown to care about deeply."

Greg turned around and gazed into her blue eyes. "You really mean that?"

She nodded her head and smiled at him. "Yes, I really do. I think I started realizing it when Tyler first ran that knife down your back and I thought you might die. Deep inside I could not bare the thought of you not in my life in any way. And now over the last couple of weeks, you've shown me a side of you that I did not know existed."

Greg's expressive brown eyes studied her a moment. "I feel the same way, but I did not just realize it recently. I've felt this way for a while now, but was too afraid of rejection to say or act on it."

"What makes you think I would have rejected you?"

Greg cocked his head to the side. "Catherine, let's be serious. For one, the age difference between us is pretty big."

Catherine nodded her head. "True, but it is not unheard of and look we are not that different than Sara and Grissom in age difference."

"Yes, you have a point there. But then there was the fact that you have Lindsay and I know how protective you are with her."

Catherine could not believe he would ever think that she though he might be a threat to Lindsay. She placed a comforting hand on his leg. "Greg, you are wonderful with Lindsay. Never in a million years would I worry about Lindsay when she was with you. You have fit into this household naturally. Both my mother and Lindsay adore you. Lindsay had even told me she is going to miss you being around when you go back to living on your own. That is why she wanted the day with all of us together today."

Greg slowly nodded his head, seeing things more clearly now. "So what about you? Are you eager to see me leave or will you miss me being around?"

She smiled at him, knowing where he was going with this line of questions. "I can ask you the same thing. Are you eager to leave or do you want to stick around?"
A grin grew on Greg's face. "Clever, spinning the question back on me, but fine I will answer it, unlike you," he smirked with a gleam in his eyes. "I admit I miss my space and well mostly my stuff, but I really like being here now. I mean your mom and Lindsay have both been great to me, making me feel like part of your family. I'd really miss seeing you everyday. I'd really miss seeing how relaxed you are when you are at home, how we can have these talks. And how sexy you are in your shorts and tank top." A mischievous grin played on his face.

"Oh yeah?" She licked her lips then traced her fingertips over his bare chest. "I'll miss seeing you come out of the shower just like this."

The mood was changing fast. Greg watched her hand as it stopped just short of his pants waistband. The heat was building fast between them. His lust filled eyes slowly traveled up her shapely body, resting on her face. "Your not going to just flirt with me like you have so often in the past, now are you," he asked in a low voice.

She gave him a sly look. "I have flirted with you a lot, haven't I?"

Greg slowly nodded his head, his eyes fixed on her lips now.

She leaned in closer to him, her eyes hungry for him now. "I think I am done flirting." She placed her hands on his face and drew him in for a deep, passionate kiss.

Greg thought he was dreaming or his meds were messing with his head. He dreamed about her kissing him but never thought it would actually happen.

When she drew back, she gave him a satisfied grin. He was a much better kisser than she ever imagined. "Now, did that feel like flirting," she smirked.

Greg cleared his throat a bit. "Um, I don't know. Still could have been a tease, I need more convincing."

Catherine was turned on now and the glint in his eyes only made her want him more suddenly. "Oh, is that so. I'll convince you." She started kissing him again while pushing him back on the bed, her hands traveling over his chest.

He reached up and pulled her hair loose out of the ponytail then running his hands thought it.

She pulled back and sat up on top of him for a moment. She began to reach to take her tank top off.

Greg was leery of moving too fast. He placed his hands on her arms to stop her. "Are you sure you want to do this? It seems rather sudden."

She smiled at him. "You really are too sweet. We've known each other for years now. We've both been holding back too long, besides it's only us home tonight."

Greg helped her pull off her tank top. She had on a lacy black bra underneath.

Greg thought it could not get any better until she proceeded to also remove her bra. She chuckled at the awed expression on his face.

This time he grabbed her and pulled her down to him. They hungrily took each other in, giving into all their desires.