I Can't Feel My Face

Rating: It's fine for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own any songs or characters... or the tv show :(

Summary: "Write this down... I haven't had sex in six... no, seven months!"

A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for all the reviews! A shout out goes to ninthwardgurl05 for reading a Grillows fic even though she's GSR! (And actually enjoying it). That takes some serious courage! And to the rest of all you Grillows fans who read and reviewed, I promise I will not let you down! I apologize for any grammar mistakes you may find while reading. I get way too excited when I write Grillows. If you listen to any song by The Paper Kites, it influenced this chapter. I'm obsessed with this band.

Dinner had been amazing. She couldn't remember the last time someone had made her laugh so hard that her cheeks grew red and numb while she sported a contagious smile. It was then, as she fanned her face with her hands and wiped away the tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes that he realized how much he loved seeing her happy, that her smile could make him weak at the knees, and her laughter was sweet music to his ears. Even after she had managed to control said laughter and calm down a bit, her cheeks were still flushed with color from the red wine they had ordered with their dinner.

She's on her second glass, which is still a bit full and once they fall back into a comfortable silence, she reaches for it and takes another sip. Their empty plates had been cleared from the table almost half an hour ago, but they still sit together in the small booth and nurse the wine that's left in both of their glasses.

"Are you having a good time?" He already knows the answer from the look on her face and he's ecstatic that it's going so well. They've never had a night out to dinner together where it wasn't a good time, but he wanted to hear it directly from her.

"I'm having a wonderful time," she says as she sets down the wine glass, but keeps her hand on the stem, poised and ready to lift her drink back to her lips. "But… can I ask you something?" It's the wine that's gotten her thinking about what this possibly all mean could. The logical side arguing that he's been a good friend, maybe trying to help relieve some of their work related stress, but the other part of her just knows it's got something to do with the evaluation that took place in his office earlier that day.

There's one sip left of wine in his glass and he gulps it down before nodding his head. He rationalizes that the extra sip of alcohol will help his courage when she finally asks about Sara. He had managed to avoid this conversation with her for this long, but the truth was finally going to come out.

She can feel her stomach start to twist with anticipation for his answer, but she's almost too shy to ask the question. All it takes is one look at the man in front of her who's been her best friend for over fifteen years and the hesitation goes away.

"What's with all of this," she asks while gesturing to the restaurant and their glasses of expensive red wine. She realizes that he might interpret her question the wrong way and quickly reaches out for his arm with her hand to give him a gentle and reassuring squeeze. "Not that I'm not having fun. Our dinners together are always fun." He's starting at her with such intensity now, she almost swears he can see her heart beating frantically at her chest. "But… we haven't had one of these together in the longest time… so… why now?" She hoped he would give her an honest answer, even though he was never really the type to lie to her.

He's relieved he won't have to explain his situation with Sara just yet, knowing it would very well put a damper on the evening.

All the scenarios were running through her head, starting with him just wanting to catch up from to him trying to shut the rumors down about him being the most unsocial and cold person in all of Las Vegas.

And after a few moments of debating in his head which answer he would give her, there's a playful little smirk that grows on his face and she knows that whatever he's about to say is going to throw her for a loop. The suspense is killing her and she finds herself praying that the wine has given him enough courage to be the witty Gil Grissom she had once known.

"I guess I wanted to help you get your personal life back."

Her head is tilted in the same way it was earlier that day, with her lips slightly parted and her tongue daring to come out and lick the wine from her lips. His answer could go either way, but she's counting on the fact that he's sporting the flirtatious grin that it means exactly what she wants.

/

There's still a few hours left in the night as they walk out of the restaurant, her arm looped through his tightly as he leads her down the sidewalk. It's the most physical contact they've made all night, but he welcomes it. It's nice to be so close to her. He knew he was only allowed to touch her like this because they were close friends, not because they were together in that kind of way. But as he watches her point out different bars for them to go into with flashing lights of Las Vegas dancing in eyes, he vows that it'll change… and soon.

She makes out a bar that she's been wanting to visit for quite some time and he reluctantly goes in with her. He knows that if he's going to keep doing this, he needs to get used to crowded spaces. It's not so much the bar that worries him, but the types of things that happen in them, but he reasons that as long as he's with her that she is safe.

She heads for the bar, with him right behind her, almost shielding her away from the other men in the bar. She turns around with two beers and hands one to him. He offers up a small smile, nods his head in thanks, and takes a sip.

The rest of the night goes by surprisingly fast, and after another beer, she realizes what time it is. She hops down from the bar stool that she was just perched on and comes to stand in front of him… dangerously close. He's still nursing his beer when her hip brushes against his leg. There's a slow song that pours out from the speakers and she starts to sway against him, grabbing his arm and smiling when he has to put his beer back down on the bar table.

"Come on. Dance with me." She's trying her best to get him out of his chair, but he's not moving. After a few weak attempts on her part, he slides one arm around her waist and slowly pulls her close to him.

"It's late, Catherine." She takes in a deep breath as her name rolls off of his lips. "Maybe next time," he promises and she nods, offering up a smile to let him know she's okay with that. In fact, she's more than okay with it. If it means she gets to have another night out like this with him, then she'll wait as long as it takes.

There's another twist of her stomach when he doesn't remove his arm from around her waist as he slides off of the bar stool, finishes his beer, and leads her out of the bar to head back to his car.

/

He knows she probably wants to go home at this point, the alcohol finally taking its toll on her as she yawns in his front seat. The drive back to where her car is parked back at the lab doesn't take too long, but before she can get out, his voice stops her.

"I'll follow you," is all he says. The fact that he wants to stay out even longer to make sure she makes it home okay warms her heart. She's never experienced a night out like this before with anyone else and she's even more excited to have another one, like he promised. She slowly unbuckles herself from the passenger seat and leans over the console to press a soft, long kiss to his cheek.

It's unexpected and he's frozen in his seat, but he's never felt more alive than in this moment. Her lips are soft against his cheek and he wants nothing more than to stay here with her so close. He can smell her perfume and with the combination of her so close to his body, he swears he'll pass out if she doesn't move away soon.

She can feel his cheeks rise under her lips as he smiles and she pulls away slowly, coming up with her hand to wipe away a smudge of her lip balm that's gotten on his skin.

"Thanks," she whispers before jumping out from his SUV and heading to her own. When she gets into the driver's seat and starts the engine, she fixes her rearview mirror so she can see him still smiling like a fool in his SUV behind her.

She pulls out of the crime lab's parking lot and heads down a few back roads in order to make it to her house. She pulls into the driveway and turns off the engine before getting out to meet Gil at his own car. He's leaning up against the driver's side with his arms crossed over his chest.

She slowly walks up to him, her keys still dangling in her hand. When she gets close enough, he lets his arms fall away from his chest and they rest at his sides.

"You wanna come in?" It's a tempting offer and he wants nothing more than for this night to continue, but he knows she's exhausted after a long shift and night on the town. She's not nearly as close as he'd like her to be, so he reaches out for her waist again and pulls her a bit closer. She looks down at his hands and smiles, realizing he's growing bolder and more confident as the night progresses. She hopes that he's the same way tomorrow and the day after because it's nice. His touch is addicting and after experiencing it firsthand tonight, she's not quite willing to let it go yet.

"Maybe next time. You're exhausted." He speaks words of truth and she nods in silence, letting him know he's right. She places her hand in the crook of his elbow to steady herself against him.

It's insane, she thinks. Just a few hours earlier, she was no more than a colleague to him. A close friend and a coworker. But thanks to whatever higher power out there, they were more than that now… but she didn't know exactly what. It would take more nights like these to figure it out.

"Thank you for tonight." Her voice is soft and all he can do is nod. It's not a problem… it's never been a problem if it means making her happy. There' still so much that she wants to talk about, which is why she invited him into her home in the first place, but she's not sure her heart could handle any more surprises. So she'll let him slip out of it for now. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," he confirms. He's slightly disappointed when he realizes that in fact tomorrow, when they'll get to see each other again, he won't be able to get nearly this close to her… to practically have her in his arms.

She's looking up at him, studying his face and at the last second she sees the disappointment there. He's done a lot tonight, gone out of his way to see her have a good time. It's thoughtful and sweet.

So her hands move from the crook of his elbow and slide up his chest, then stop right above his chest and each grab enough material of his jacket to pull him down to her level. She stops pulling at his jacket when their lips finally meet. He's frozen again, much like earlier when she had pressed an innocent kiss to his cheek, but when her lips slightly part and her tongue comes out to shyly brush against his bottom lip, he comes alive.

There's no other care or thought in the world besides the fact that Catherine Willows is kissing him. Really kissing him. The itch returns to touch her once more, so his hands move from his sides and come up to frame her face. His thumbs softly run over her high cheekbones as she tilts her head a little to get a better angle of his mouth. All it takes it one kiss for her to realize this was where she was meant to be. After all those years, it only took one kiss to come to the conclusion she was meant to spend the rest of her life in Gil Grissom's arms.

So when they pull away from each other, she's got that classic Catherine smile that drives him crazy and he laughs. She's going to be the death of him.

"Tomorrow," she repeats, her voice echoing in his head as she slowly moves away from his body. He instantly misses the heat coming from her and nearly makes a move to pull her back, but he just watches as she walks up her driveway and unlocks her front door. She turns to look at him once last time before she shuts the door. He lets out a huge breath he never knew he was holding and lets his head fall back against the driver side window.

A/N: Chapter three will be just as cute, I promise! I need to finish this story before school starts up again. I'll try my best! Let me know what you guys think! Review and make me happy please! :)