I'm still not that happy with this chapter but it's just annoying me now so I thought I'd just post it. I hope it lives up to what you expect. Let me know when you've read it and I think there's just going to be one more chapter after this. Thanks for the support up to this point. It's been really helpful x

---------------

Finally getting her rant out of her system, Catherine sighed and relaxed against Gil feeling much better. Though Gil wasn't feeling so relaxed. He was considering his options after his startling revelation. Taking a deep breath and hearing his heart thumping in his ears he decided it was his turn to take a risk for once and forget about the consequences.

"Cath?" He murmured, feeling his pulse reverberating through his whole body at what he was about to do.

"Mhm?" Came the soft reply. As Catherine shifted her head into a more comfortable position nearer Gil's chest, she became aware of the apparent drum roll there. Gil found himself speechless and unable to go on with his plan. Catherine waited but with no response from Gil, and feeling his body burning up against her face, she became concerned. "Gil, what is it?" She looked up at him. "Your heart is-" Finding the ability to move again, Gil claimed Catherine's lips with his own, cutting off any further speech. At first, Catherine didn't know what to do and remained still. The kiss had come too unexpectedly for her to form a reaction yet but as Gil showed no signs of stopping, she couldn't deny the pleasure it brought her and began to return the kiss. Bringing his hand up to caress her cheek, Gil dared to deepen the kiss, surprised at his own forwardness. Catherine complied, twisting slightly to face him and wrapping one arm around his waist. After a few seconds, Gil leaned back and lowered his hand to caress her upper arm. As he watched her take slow deep breaths in an attempt to calm her heart rate and the confused expression slowly take over her face, he suddenly blurted out "Cath, I love you."

Catherine's eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped slightly. It was all becoming too much for her. First, the kiss out of nowhere and now his declaration of love. She was brought back to the conversation she had with Lindsey the previous week and realised that her daughter had been right all along about her relationship with Gil. There always had been something more with him. "Oh my God…" she whispered to herself, forgetting briefly about Gil awaiting her response. Gil, who had been watching the changing emotions in her face, suddenly felt like he had made a huge mistake.

"Cath I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I don't know what's gotten into me." Catherine realised that Gil thought she didn't love him back because of her reaction and placed her fingers against his lips to silence him and avoid losing the moment.

"Don't apologise Gil." She moved towards him slightly. "I don't ever want you to apologise for saying that again, okay?" She lifted her fingers from Gil's lips and pressed her own lips gently against them. But Gil pulled back.

"You don't feel that way about me though, it was silly of me to think that you would and now I've just ruined everything." Gil felt his heart tearing apart as he said those words. Still, Catherine leaned in to kiss him again.

"Honey, I'm trying to show you that I love you too. So will you just let me?" She smiled, hoping that Gil would now stop panicking, and closed the gap between them. Gil processed her words as they kissed, paying extra attention to the fact that she had called him 'honey'. He pulled her closely, now feeling highly relieved and complete, and pressed his cheek against Catherine's. She mimicked his actions with a contented sigh, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding him tightly. The pair remained like that for a few minutes before Gil spoke up.

"I never imagined in a million years that tonight would end like this." He told her, placing a tender kiss on his partner's bare shoulders. Catherine closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of his lips on her skin.

"Me neither." She nuzzled his neck.

Gil rocked her gently until he heard her small yawn. "We should get some sleep, Cath," he whispered softly. Catherine pulled out of his embrace and nodded slightly as she yawned again. "You can take my bed, I'll stay down here."

Catherine frowned slightly. "You don't want to go to bed with me?" Gil instantly realised how his suggestion sounded. "No, it's not that. I just thought maybe you weren't ready; I didn't want to rush you. Believe me, I would love to share my bed with you Cath." He hoped he had convinced her and reached for her hand in reassurance.

Catherine smiled sleepily. "Gil, we have to take things quickly. We have a lot to catch up on."

Despite her tiredness, Gil could still see the twinkle in her eye and couldn't prevent a smirk from forming. She held his gaze briefly before placing a kiss on his cheek. "Let's just stay here, I'm too tired to move." Catherine ran her fingers through her hair and yawned once more. Gil agreed and shifted into a laying position, making sure to leave a space for Catherine along the back of the sofa. As she moved in beside him, Gil began unbuttoning and removing his trousers, causing Catherine to raise an eyebrow.

"I don't normally sleep with trousers on," he smiled sheepishly. "I can keep them on if you want." He decided he'd rather be uncomfortable with his trousers on rather than having Catherine feel uncomfortable if he took them off and so began pulling them back up.

Catherine stopped his hands and took over by removing them completely before moving back in beside him. "It's fine with me," she smiled. Gil reached out for her and pulled her towards him. She complied, moving into his side and placing her head on his chest and entwining her legs with his. "Is this okay?" She wanted to be sure he was comfortable with the intimacy of the position.

"It's fine with me," he repeated her previous words and watched as the corners of her mouth curved slightly upwards. He delicately moved her hair from her face so that he could study her as she slipped into slumber.

As the couple lay together, Catherine realised she was missing something. "Gil? … Say it again," she whispered. Gil pondered for a moment over what it was she wanted to hear. Then it occurred to him.

"That I love you?" Catherine felt the joyous flip in her stomach as he uttered the three words and smiled widely.

"I love you too. We should talk things over in the morning."

Gil leant down to gently plant a kiss in her hair, feeling satisfied with how far they had come in just a couple of hours and that he had been brave enough to make his move. "We will," he told her.

Catherine sighed softly and was lulled to sleep by the peaceful thrumming of Gil's heart.