CSI/NCIS Fic: Starting Over 44/?
TITLE: Starting Over 44/?
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRINGS: Gil/Catherine, Gil/Sara, Catherine/Lady Heather, Catherine/Gibbs, Ziva/Nick, Abby/Greg
WARNINGS: GSR for a while, Lady Heather makes an appearance later (and all that that implies), etc.
DISCLAIMER: I own no one... *sigh*
DISTRIBUTION: Graveshift Archive, crimsonchampagne... Others, ask.
SPOILERS: Season 6 for CSI, Season 2-3 for NCIS
SUMMARY/NOTES: I've been painting for a while... so I haven't exactly been in a writing mood. I'm trying to fix that.
Gil fussed over his tie as he looked in the mirror of the suite he and Jim and Warrick were using to prepare for the ceremony. He had enough trouble trying to tie the strip of fabric properly, but the wedding had his nerves more than rattled so he didn't think he had much of a chance of ever tying it into a bow.
"You need to relax, Gil," Jim told him quietly. Gil could hear the amusement in his friend's voice. "Everything's going to be fine."
He smiled and ducked his head a bit as he turned away from the mirror. "I know... But, I guess part of me expects it to be a figment of my imagination."
"You're kidding, right?" Jim asked. When Gil didn't respond immediately, he continued talking, "How is it that you can figure out every minute detail of a crime scene, get inside a killer's or victim's head... but when it comes to Catherine, you can't put two and two together?"
"She... she boggles my mind, Jim," Gil admitted.
It was true. He couldn't understand why she chose him, after everything he put her through over the past few years. He was grateful she chose him---but he didn't understand her decision. He didn't know how he managed to end up with a woman who respected him, cherished him, and who encouraged him to be himself. He wasn't afraid of scaring her or disgusting her because she accepted all of him, and for that most of all, she was more valuable than anything else in his life.
Jim patted Gil's shoulder. "Well, she shouldn't," he said. "You've known each other for years. I knew it was bound to happen."
"You did?"
"The way she'd look at you... the way you'd look at her... and when you started dating Sara, her reaction was clear," Jim explained. "Your reaction to her leaving kind of cinched it for me."
"And you never thought to tell me?"
Jim smiled and shrugged. "I hoped you'd figure it out on your own. And, you did."
Warrick stepped out of the bathroom, tying his tie as he walked. Gil felt a brief flare of jealousy, for the younger man's dexterity, and then he mellowed as Warrick spoke. "Brass giving you another pep talk, Grissom?"
Gil chuckled. "Something like that, Warrick."
He returned to trying to tie his tie, until Warrick offered to help. Gil accepted the assistance and then he moved onto making sure he had the rings. He knew he did; but, he still worried.
Once he palmed the velvet box and put it in his jacket pocket, there was a knock on the door. Jim stood up to answer the call, but Warrick was already there. He opened the door to reveal Sara standing there.
"Hey."
She smiled tightly. "Hi, Warrick," she said in a soft voice. He stepped back and let her into the room. She walked slowly, nervously, holding a brown envelope in her hand. "I... I was hoping to get a moment alone with the groom," she explained.
Gil's cellular phone started to vibrate. He looked at the display and saw that it was Catherine. He sighed and decided to ignore it; he wanted to get his conversation with Sara finished so he could focus on his future with Catherine. He looked at Warrick and Jim and nodded to both of them. They stepped out of the room and the door clicked shut.
"Hi, Sara," Gil said, "I didn't think you'd be coming today."
"I... I wasn't sure I should," she admitted. She held the envelope up. "But, when I saw this... I... I couldn't let you get married without telling you."
Gil arched an eyebrow. "What is in there?"
She didn't respond vocally. She handed him the envelope and stepped back to lean against the desk. Gil opened it and pulled out a few photographs. His eyes widened when he saw Catherine and Heather kissing and playing some of the games they enjoyed. The photographs had been taken from outside of the dominion; they hadn't caught sight of Gil watching on the other side of the room. He recognised the clothes Catherine and Heather were wearing and he knew the evening in question was from their last visit to Las Vegas.
"You... you had someone following Catherine?" Gil asked, appalled with the brunette's behavior.
"She's cheating on you!"
"Why did you have someone following Catherine?" he asked. "Or were you following her yourself?"
"I hired someone," Sara muttered. She sighed and pushed her hand through her layered hair. "I don't trust her."
"Well, I do," he said. "And I don't need you to snoop into our private lives."
"She's sleeping with Lady Heather!" Sara exclaimed. "She's... she's just like I told you she was like! She likes all that freakish stuff and you're too good for her, so she's going to---"
A knock at the door cut Sara off. She stopped and looked at the door with wide eyes. Gil sighed and walked over to the door. Upon opening it, he saw Catherine. He raked his eyes over her dress and he felt stirrings of desire inside of his body. She looked gorgeous in the dark red dress; he was glad they had decided against tradition, for their own wants and needs. The collar at her throat was the perfect accessory.
"You... look... wow."
Catherine smiled and blushed. "Thank you," she murmured.
"I'm glad I'm getting to look at you now," he admitted, "and not on the altar, because... wow."
She giggled and her laughter warmed his heart. She leaned in and kissed him gently. "Thank you," she whispered before stealing another kiss. She leaned into the room and saw Sara; he could feel her body stiffen with tension.
"God, do you ever get sick of yourself?" Sara muttered in disgust.
Catherine blinked and looked at Gil. He knew in that moment that she knew about what had bothered Sara so much. He wondered how she knew, but he didn't ask the question. He let Catherine walk into the room and shut the door, isolating them.
The strawberry blonde turned and glared at Sara. "How dare you ruin our wedding day," she said in a low growl. "It's absolutely unacceptable."
"Unacceptable? You're sleeping with Lady Heather!" Sara shot back. "You don't deserve a man like Grissom!"
"No, I don't," Catherine said quietly, sincerely, "but he chose me, with all of my faults. And I love him in return." She paused and tilted her head; the light from the room's lamps caught on the collar and sparkled in some of the jewels. "Did you wonder why Gil's not more upset? Did you notice that he didn't break down and curse about me and my actions?"
Sara's expression darkened. "He's shocked."
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Gil said, finally speaking up. He reached out and caught Catherine's hand in his. "I'm not upset with Catherine. She's the love of my life... my other half. Nothing you could do or say would convince me otherwise, Sara."
"She's cheating on you!"
Gil shook his head. "We're done talking about this, Sara," he said in a calm voice that betrayed how angry he felt. "You need to leave. If you'd like to stay for the ceremony, you're more than welcome to, but nothing you can do can prevent it from happening."
"You're serious."
He nodded. "Very," he replied.
"She doesn't deserve you, Grissom," Sara said quietly. "She has you in her clutches and she's throwing you away by sleeping with that whore."
"Don't talk about Lady Heather that way," Gil scolded. "She's our best friend."
"She's sleeping with your future wife!" Sara exclaimed.
Gil released Catherine's hand so he could put his arm around her shoulders. He didn't say anything. He didn't want to lie but he didn't want to admit the truth, either. The truth, in Sara's hands, could be dangerous; he didn't like to acknowledge that she could be vindictive even though he knew she could be.
"Go, Sara," Gil insisted. "We're getting married today."
The brunette fled the room in a huff. Catherine turned and looked at Gil, her eyes wide and worried. He leaned in and kissed her forehead.
"We're getting married today," he whispered, echoing his previous words.
"How did she know?" Catherine breathed.
Gil sighed and hugged her close. "She had an investigator follow you," he replied. He kissed her neck, over the collar, and then rubbed her back. "It doesn't matter, Catherine," he murmured, "because I love you and you love me, and we have a good relationship. I wouldn't ask you to give up your connection to Lady Heather... and truth be told, I enjoy it."
At the end of his words, a genuine blush crept up his throat, underneath his beard.
Catherine's lips formed a brief pout and then she pressed them to hers. "I love you," she whispered. "I choose you. And any time you say you want to settle down and be us, all the time, I'll be with you. You know that, right?"
"I do," he whispered back. "But, I think we're fine the way we are."
She smiled and he felt his heart warming again.
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRINGS: Gil/Catherine, Gil/Sara, Catherine/Lady Heather, Catherine/Gibbs, Ziva/Nick, Abby/Greg
WARNINGS: GSR for a while, Lady Heather makes an appearance later (and all that that implies), etc.
DISCLAIMER: I own no one... *sigh*
DISTRIBUTION: Graveshift Archive, crimsonchampagne... Others, ask.
SPOILERS: Season 6 for CSI, Season 2-3 for NCIS
SUMMARY/NOTES: I've been painting for a while... so I haven't exactly been in a writing mood. I'm trying to fix that.
Gil fussed over his tie as he looked in the mirror of the suite he and Jim and Warrick were using to prepare for the ceremony. He had enough trouble trying to tie the strip of fabric properly, but the wedding had his nerves more than rattled so he didn't think he had much of a chance of ever tying it into a bow.
"You need to relax, Gil," Jim told him quietly. Gil could hear the amusement in his friend's voice. "Everything's going to be fine."
He smiled and ducked his head a bit as he turned away from the mirror. "I know... But, I guess part of me expects it to be a figment of my imagination."
"You're kidding, right?" Jim asked. When Gil didn't respond immediately, he continued talking, "How is it that you can figure out every minute detail of a crime scene, get inside a killer's or victim's head... but when it comes to Catherine, you can't put two and two together?"
"She... she boggles my mind, Jim," Gil admitted.
It was true. He couldn't understand why she chose him, after everything he put her through over the past few years. He was grateful she chose him---but he didn't understand her decision. He didn't know how he managed to end up with a woman who respected him, cherished him, and who encouraged him to be himself. He wasn't afraid of scaring her or disgusting her because she accepted all of him, and for that most of all, she was more valuable than anything else in his life.
Jim patted Gil's shoulder. "Well, she shouldn't," he said. "You've known each other for years. I knew it was bound to happen."
"You did?"
"The way she'd look at you... the way you'd look at her... and when you started dating Sara, her reaction was clear," Jim explained. "Your reaction to her leaving kind of cinched it for me."
"And you never thought to tell me?"
Jim smiled and shrugged. "I hoped you'd figure it out on your own. And, you did."
Warrick stepped out of the bathroom, tying his tie as he walked. Gil felt a brief flare of jealousy, for the younger man's dexterity, and then he mellowed as Warrick spoke. "Brass giving you another pep talk, Grissom?"
Gil chuckled. "Something like that, Warrick."
He returned to trying to tie his tie, until Warrick offered to help. Gil accepted the assistance and then he moved onto making sure he had the rings. He knew he did; but, he still worried.
Once he palmed the velvet box and put it in his jacket pocket, there was a knock on the door. Jim stood up to answer the call, but Warrick was already there. He opened the door to reveal Sara standing there.
"Hey."
She smiled tightly. "Hi, Warrick," she said in a soft voice. He stepped back and let her into the room. She walked slowly, nervously, holding a brown envelope in her hand. "I... I was hoping to get a moment alone with the groom," she explained.
Gil's cellular phone started to vibrate. He looked at the display and saw that it was Catherine. He sighed and decided to ignore it; he wanted to get his conversation with Sara finished so he could focus on his future with Catherine. He looked at Warrick and Jim and nodded to both of them. They stepped out of the room and the door clicked shut.
"Hi, Sara," Gil said, "I didn't think you'd be coming today."
"I... I wasn't sure I should," she admitted. She held the envelope up. "But, when I saw this... I... I couldn't let you get married without telling you."
Gil arched an eyebrow. "What is in there?"
She didn't respond vocally. She handed him the envelope and stepped back to lean against the desk. Gil opened it and pulled out a few photographs. His eyes widened when he saw Catherine and Heather kissing and playing some of the games they enjoyed. The photographs had been taken from outside of the dominion; they hadn't caught sight of Gil watching on the other side of the room. He recognised the clothes Catherine and Heather were wearing and he knew the evening in question was from their last visit to Las Vegas.
"You... you had someone following Catherine?" Gil asked, appalled with the brunette's behavior.
"She's cheating on you!"
"Why did you have someone following Catherine?" he asked. "Or were you following her yourself?"
"I hired someone," Sara muttered. She sighed and pushed her hand through her layered hair. "I don't trust her."
"Well, I do," he said. "And I don't need you to snoop into our private lives."
"She's sleeping with Lady Heather!" Sara exclaimed. "She's... she's just like I told you she was like! She likes all that freakish stuff and you're too good for her, so she's going to---"
A knock at the door cut Sara off. She stopped and looked at the door with wide eyes. Gil sighed and walked over to the door. Upon opening it, he saw Catherine. He raked his eyes over her dress and he felt stirrings of desire inside of his body. She looked gorgeous in the dark red dress; he was glad they had decided against tradition, for their own wants and needs. The collar at her throat was the perfect accessory.
"You... look... wow."
Catherine smiled and blushed. "Thank you," she murmured.
"I'm glad I'm getting to look at you now," he admitted, "and not on the altar, because... wow."
She giggled and her laughter warmed his heart. She leaned in and kissed him gently. "Thank you," she whispered before stealing another kiss. She leaned into the room and saw Sara; he could feel her body stiffen with tension.
"God, do you ever get sick of yourself?" Sara muttered in disgust.
Catherine blinked and looked at Gil. He knew in that moment that she knew about what had bothered Sara so much. He wondered how she knew, but he didn't ask the question. He let Catherine walk into the room and shut the door, isolating them.
The strawberry blonde turned and glared at Sara. "How dare you ruin our wedding day," she said in a low growl. "It's absolutely unacceptable."
"Unacceptable? You're sleeping with Lady Heather!" Sara shot back. "You don't deserve a man like Grissom!"
"No, I don't," Catherine said quietly, sincerely, "but he chose me, with all of my faults. And I love him in return." She paused and tilted her head; the light from the room's lamps caught on the collar and sparkled in some of the jewels. "Did you wonder why Gil's not more upset? Did you notice that he didn't break down and curse about me and my actions?"
Sara's expression darkened. "He's shocked."
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Gil said, finally speaking up. He reached out and caught Catherine's hand in his. "I'm not upset with Catherine. She's the love of my life... my other half. Nothing you could do or say would convince me otherwise, Sara."
"She's cheating on you!"
Gil shook his head. "We're done talking about this, Sara," he said in a calm voice that betrayed how angry he felt. "You need to leave. If you'd like to stay for the ceremony, you're more than welcome to, but nothing you can do can prevent it from happening."
"You're serious."
He nodded. "Very," he replied.
"She doesn't deserve you, Grissom," Sara said quietly. "She has you in her clutches and she's throwing you away by sleeping with that whore."
"Don't talk about Lady Heather that way," Gil scolded. "She's our best friend."
"She's sleeping with your future wife!" Sara exclaimed.
Gil released Catherine's hand so he could put his arm around her shoulders. He didn't say anything. He didn't want to lie but he didn't want to admit the truth, either. The truth, in Sara's hands, could be dangerous; he didn't like to acknowledge that she could be vindictive even though he knew she could be.
"Go, Sara," Gil insisted. "We're getting married today."
The brunette fled the room in a huff. Catherine turned and looked at Gil, her eyes wide and worried. He leaned in and kissed her forehead.
"We're getting married today," he whispered, echoing his previous words.
"How did she know?" Catherine breathed.
Gil sighed and hugged her close. "She had an investigator follow you," he replied. He kissed her neck, over the collar, and then rubbed her back. "It doesn't matter, Catherine," he murmured, "because I love you and you love me, and we have a good relationship. I wouldn't ask you to give up your connection to Lady Heather... and truth be told, I enjoy it."
At the end of his words, a genuine blush crept up his throat, underneath his beard.
Catherine's lips formed a brief pout and then she pressed them to hers. "I love you," she whispered. "I choose you. And any time you say you want to settle down and be us, all the time, I'll be with you. You know that, right?"
"I do," he whispered back. "But, I think we're fine the way we are."
She smiled and he felt his heart warming again.