Disclaimer – Please see chapter 1
A/N – Thank you very much for all your wonderful reviews & continued support, I really do appreciate them/it, keep them coming!. My usual apologies again for not having the time to reply to them, I have been slammed with so much to do this week. Story is beta'd by myself so any remaining mistakes are all mine, so I apologize in advance. Hold on for the ride guys, a few little surprised in store for you today! R & R Enjoy!
Fall Out Boy – Chapter 22 What is it Catherine
Once they all returned to the town house, Gil helped Sara to the guest room with her bags, made sure she'd had her medication, then redressed her hand checking that the wounds were not infected.
He made sure she, Kye and the dogs were all settled, requesting that she call him if needed, placing a chaste kiss to the top of her head while leaning over the couch before leaving for the lab.
Arriving in the labs parking lot, Gil put his Mercedes in park, then his head turned swiftly to the drivers window as a sharp knock to it got his attention.
Shaking his head he got out and locked up "Jim. What are you doing over here so early for?" Gil greeted with a question.
"I might ask you the same thing, but then again that's not too unusual for you is it" Jim quipped back as they walked towards the lab.
"Actually I've been pretty busy most of the afternoon, chasing up stuff for Nick's case" Jim said with a little tease, knowing Grissom would want to know more, even though he was hands off on the case.
Omitting to inform Jim he was unlikely to be staying in the lab for the whole of his shift tonight he spoke "Oh, so any developments?" Gil asked nonchalantly, knowing he was being baited by Jim in his usual fashion.
"A few, but seeing as you have a personal interest in the case and have to stay away from it, I'm not sure I can divulge any information to you" Jim said with a smirk.
Gil getting fed up with his tactics now, but also still somewhat irritated at being called in early when he could have spent the time with Sara, spoke a little harshly "Jim. I am still Nick, Greg and Catherine's supervisor you know. So everything eventually comes through me" as he entered the lab.
Holding up his hands in mock surrender Jim chuckled "Okay, enough of the games" he chuckled "Our number one suspect Spencer Aaron Frost, aka 'Ice-man', according to NYPD has himself an alibi for the night, with two Tom's no less" he said raising and eyebrow.
"PD are in the process of bringing them in for interview as we speak, so I'm waiting on a call from them to see how solid that alibi is, as to if we are going to be able to get a warrant to search his place and stuff".
"We all know this type of guy Gil, he lawyered up right away. He's loaded with cash, got an untarnished back ground and reputation, intimidating at that from what I'm told. So who knows at this point if he just paid and threatened these women to cover for him" Jim said as he followed Gil into his office.
"So Catherine and Greg wont be heading out to New York just yet then" Gil said dropping his briefcase on the floor by his seat, then sitting down.
"No. But you might want to be aware that this 'Ice-man' guy is making his way to Vegas with his top notch lawyer, stating that he is going to rightfully claim custody of his son and heir, and Miss Meridians body for burial" Jim said pre-warningly, with a look to say 'this could get messy'.
Shaking his head perceptively Gil sighed "Okay I'll warn Catherine, if you'll warn your guys to be on the ball with this guy" he said, thinking Sara and he already had enough to be dealing with right now without an ugly custody wrangle over Kye.
Pulling out his pager to inform Catherine of him being in the lab now, Gil spoke "Thanks for the heads up Jim. Any problems or breaks in the case keep me informed okay".
Jim knew this was Gil's routine way of dismissing him, wanting to get on with whatever he needed to do "Yeah no problem Gil. I just need to leave a couple of messages for Nick and Catherine with Judy, then head down to ballistics about another case. Catch you later" he said leaving the office.
Sending out the quick page to Catherine he set the pager down on his desk, then knowing he had at least ten minutes hopefully to himself, he used both hands to rub over his face, he was still tired from not enough sleep, but also the events on the last few days, plus possible impending problems seemed to be making him all the more fatigued than normal.
Slipping his hands away from his face, then sitting back in his comfy office seat he closed his eyes to rest them for a few minutes, perhaps a power nap or forty winks as he had heard the phrase, would help right now.
Using the time for much happier thoughts, he recalled Sara and his talk earlier, the way he'd managed to muster the courage to speak openly to her, then pull her into his arms for their first tentative hug.
The way she felt in his embrace as she fit closely to his own body as if meant to be, so naturally, so comforting and so very calming to his whole inner self.
The feeling of personal achievement and contentment that he'd not felt for many years now, not this kind anyway, he'd had many a personal achievements with his passion for insects and his chosen career path over the years, but not this new sense of it, and the way she now made him feel unlike before.
A small smile made its way to his lips, as he remembered how his fingers and hands had trailed soothingly over her back, tracing the contours of her shoulders, spine and lower back beneath them.
The soft Silkiness of the strands of her fine, clean lavender scented hair, as they ran through his fingers when he held and stroked her hair reverently.
Then to much earlier when she wore his dress shirt so naturally as if it were a designer gown made just for her, large on her frame, semi rolled up sleeves, a few buttons undone tantalizingly from the neck down, revealing part of her cleavage, but all the same wonderfully worn by her.
Shifting a little in his seat at the stirrings in his loins that the vivid memories provoked, he was rudely and abruptly brought out of his indulgence with Catherine's sharp tap on the door and words.
"Disturbing you am I Gil" she smirked wickedly, this was not something anyone caught him doing very often.
Sitting forward and shifting again to make himself more comfortable, but doing it as discreetly as possible, all desirable and arousing thoughts disappeared as he focused his gaze on her smirk "No. Just catching five minutes to myself" he eventually replied ever as evasive.
"So you needed to discuss something with me" he intoned right away, eager to get on with what she had to say.
Dropping the smirk now and remembering the issue she was about to discuss, Catherine closed the office door before taking a seat facing him across the desk.
Gil frowned at her action, wondering what could possibly need to be discussed at the lab in such privacy she'd now created, he now felt a funny foreboding creeping inas he caught her more serious expression now "Catherine.....What is it?".
Taking a deep breath Catherine formed her words carefully, as she placed the file she had been carrying on his desk in front of her "Gil, you need to hear me out on this first and then we'll have to discuss how we go forward with it, okay?" She stated slowly as she watched his brow crease deeper with worry.
Not liking exactly where this was going, but somehow knowing it could be a personal matter, Gil felt alarm bells ring in his mind before he even had any information, so he spoke up hoping to at the very least to find out what all this was about "Okay. Tell me" he said hesitantly, urging her to go on.
Sitting back into the chair then pulling the file into her lap she opened it up "Wendy finished up with most of her DNA testing with the Meridian case. She still has some samples to run from the crime scene, but she got a hit off the child's with a match to someone in the Las Vegas employee data base" she said seeing a little shock and realization register in Gil's eyes as they widened.
It suddenly hit him like a ten ton mack truck what Catherine was working up to telling him.
Shit!
This can't be happening!
No way!
I used protection god damn it!
I made sure I always did all these years.
She said she was using protection.
Not to worry.
On the contraceptive pill, she reassured me, but I still protected myself.
I trusted her.
She lied to me.
But I still used a condom that one and only time with her, Danm it!
So how?.
Why now?.
Why?.
All that shot through his panicked mind now, as flashing vague images of their awkward and rushed coupling assaulted him.
A/N – Should I end the chapter here? Nah I couldn't be so mean to you all! (Chuckle)
Rushing to perhaps correct her wrong thought out delivery of information, but more so in reassurance to her long time friend Catherine quickly made the connections to what he was thinking, so spoke up fast "Gil he's not yours..I'm sorry if you thought.....Your not Kye Merridians biological father" she said worriedly now.
He'd been holding his breath as it felt like the air had been knocked clear from his lungs at this stark possibility, but as soon as Catherine's words registered in his ears, he let it out wish a whoosh, feeling the taut tension within his body, go with it in relief.
Closing his eyes, shaking his head and using one hand to rub along his jaw, then behind his ear nervously he focussed his eyes back on Catherine.
"I'm sorry Gil I never meant...You okay?" she asked seeing him try to compose himself , then draw his usual mask of indifference back over his features.
Nodding as he now clasped his hands together in his lap "Yes Catherine, and I know you never intended to...." he broke off deciding not to go there with her "So who is Kye's natural father then?" he asked, his own relief evident, but with a little trepidation at who it might possibly be.
Catherine passed over the DNA result sheet to Gil as she spoke "See that's why it's a delicate matter Gil, and why it needed discussing in private" she said watching the expressions on his face as he read the report "Because of a couple of things concerning the father, yourself and a certain absent employee of yours".
Gil looked up at her with wide incredulous eyes "You've got to be kidding me here Catherine, this can't be right. Run it again to be sure" he said ending with his jaw slightly agape as he looked at the name on the sheet again.
"Wendy ran triplicate sets of tests as is the protocol, they're correct and the results she found whether you, or I, like it or not Gil. Now can you see why I have kept it quiet and asked her to do the same for now?" she said knowing he would understand her motives for her early calling him in.
"Shit!" Gil cursed quietly, he really didn't need this crap right now on top of everything else.
He was not only shocked, worried and concerned at how he was now supposed to treat this information, to tell the other person involved in all of this, but he was quite disgusted at Charlotte having obviously, and quite easily jumped into bed with this jerk around the same time they'd had a short relationship together.
"So this Hank Pettigrew, Kye's biological parent......" Gil broke off for a moment, he had to refrain from spitting out the man's name, and couldn't even bring himself to state that he was a 'Father' of the child he most likely never knew about, the same one now being cared for by Sara, in his home "He's the paramedic that Sara dated I assume to be correct?" he asked wishing Catherine could say no right now.
Nodding Catherine felt momentarily saddened for her friend, she wished that he'd get his head out of his damned microscope and go after what he really wanted, what he loved, what everyone else could see that he couldn't, someone willing to love him right back in return unconditionally.
"Yes. So are you going to inform Sara at some point, or would you like me to?" she asked giving him an out if he wanted it.
"No. I'll take care of that Catherine, and thanks for being discreet about this, I'm sure Sara will appreciate it" he answered, then seemed to go off in to his own thoughts.
Five minutes later Catherine cleared her throat to get him back on track again with their discussion.
Breaking from his thoughts, and all the numerous questions arising from the ramifications of the new information, Gil decided it was time to inform Catherine of the state of play regarding Sara and Kye staying at his home.
Some time later, Catherine sat slack jawed staring at her boss and friend in complete amazement, going by his narrative, the lack of certain evasive details, but the tone and way in which he spoke of Sara and Kye, signalled to her that there had been a massive shift in his relationship with her co-worker.
Not giving Catherine enough time to respond to the information he had just relayed to her, but wanting to eagerly get out of the lab to be on his own for a while to think, he stated quickly "I wont be in for tonight's shift Catherine, can you take it for me and hand out assignments, while a take care of a few things" he said standing now, after picking up his briefcase "Handle what you can please, but call me on my cell if you get any major problems".
Nodding, she was about to let him go then quickly spoke up "So I take it your going to tell Sara tonight then Gil?" she questioned just catching him at the door.
Stopping and turning to her, Gil replied "Yes, if I get the right opportunity to do so. Sara really needs to be aware of this as soon as possible" then he trailed off saying "The question is going to be exactly how I'm going to do it" as he slipped out of his office.
Seeing if the coast was clear now, Catherine shut Gil's office door and retook her seat whipping out her cell phone "Jim. Listen up. Shout me a decent dinner and I'll bring you up to speed with our two geeks" she said, then waited for his reply.
Chuckling now "Meet you there in fifteen minutes. Bye" She answered flipping the phone shut and standing up ready to leave.
Meanwhile Gil drove his Mercedes out towards the desert in the opposite direction of his town house, letting the thrum of the engine, and the coarse sound of the asphalt under its wheels lull his racing mind, he needed solitude in order to organize his thoughts and plans, how to broach the new subject with Sara, along with the other information that he'd had a brief relationship with Kye's mother, and the knowledge that he'd more or less spilled his guts to Catherine of all people.
His favourite place of privacy and solace beckoned to him, as he neared his journeys end taking the little track towards a destination that he knew without doubt would help him right now.
A/N – I hope the slightly later than promised and longer chapter was enjoyable for you all. Did you all think I was going to make Grissom the 'Daddy'?. Sorry to disappoint any of you, but far too many fanfiction authors have already done that so far, so I opted for something few have chosen as a route before. I hope you will all continue to enjoy how the story is developing, there is lots more to come yet. Next posting over the weekend!
Please take the time to leave a review, they are very much welcomed and greatly appreciated!