FIC: Reconciliation, 1/1, PG
Title: Reconciliation, 1/1
Rating: PG
Summary: Jim has that thoughtful tone he gets when he's putting a case together for the benefit of a suspect.
Notes: Previous installments can be found here. And no, still not finished. If you're going to gloat, take a number.
Disclaimer: Zuiker and company own the rights to CSI and its characters. I apparently own a leaky roof that's only a year old. Grr. Argh.
~*~*~
Catherine pauses a moment in the diner's restroom and takes stock of her appearance. It's not great, but cold water and make-up have hidden most of the damage caused by her crying jag in Jim's car. It would be nice if fixing things up with Jim were going to be that easy, but Catherine knows better than that. On the other hand, she also knows that Jim, unlike Eddie or Chris or Sam or any of the other men in her life, will help her repair the damage. It's that knowledge that stiffens her spine and lets her leave the uncertain refuge of the restroom.
She slides into the booth across from Jim and worries about the brief frown that crosses his face. Her concern lasts as long as it takes for him to slide out of his side and into hers, trapping her between him and the wall. Normally, she hates this configuration, hates having to crank her neck around to see who's next to her, but right now, it makes her feel safe and protected. His left arm goes around her shoulders, and with him holding her close like this, she doesn't feel like she's about to fly apart at the seams. Catherine relaxes against him and breathes a sigh of relief.
His voice rumbles quietly. "We still have to talk about Sam."
"I know." Catherine keeps her head on Jim's shoulder and reaches for his right hand. "I was out of line the other day."
"Yeah. We both were."
Her breath catches at his acceptance of responsibility. Jim's words, spoken gently, are a balm to Catherine, and not only because of the implied apology. With them comes the knowledge that she isn't going to have to fight with him over who said what and when. Instead, they can both focus on the problem that led to the argument in the first place, and that, Catherine realizes, is a heady feeling. She thinks there's a good chance they'll be able to resolve this now, before they have to finish their respective shift. If that's the case, then maybe, just maybe, he'll come home with her later that morning, and she'll get a decent night's sleep for the first time in two days.
"Thank you," Catherine says as she holds his hand a little tighter.
In response, he lifts her hand to his lips and kisses it. "You ready to tell me what's going on with Sam?"
She nods, but it's a moment before she can trust her voice. "You know he and Mom have been seeing each other, right?"
"Yeah." Jim's disapproval is clear, but he doesn't say anything else.
"He asked her to marry him." Catherine bites her lips as he goes tense.
"When?"
"About a week ago."
His chest rises as he takes a deep breath; he lets it out slowly and Catherine can feel him nod. "She said yes?"
"Yeah."
They sit there for a long moment, and Catherine thinks he has an easier time of it with the news than she did. Jim can hate the idea without getting caught up in the tangle of childhood wishes and adult experience that she suffers whenever she thinks about Sam finally getting around to marrying her mother.
"Okay."
"What?" Catherine leans back slightly so she can see Jim's face.
"Okay." His eyebrows go up, no doubt at her look of disbelief. "What?"
"I kind of expected you to be a little more pissed off about this, especially after Thursday morning." And she did. She's been obsessing about this piece of news for the last two days, convinced it will send Jim packing.
"Catherine, I was pissed off because you were lying to yourself about Sam, and because you seemed to expect me to go along with it." She thinks he would have said more, but Jim stops talking and waits for her to respond.
It's hard, but -- "You were right. I was lying to myself."
A lot of tension leaves Jim at that, and Catherine realizes suddenly just how much hinged on her own acceptance of responsibility. She shudders at the thought of what might have happened if she had dug her heels in on that point then puts it out of her mind as she hears his whispered, "Thank you."
"There's something else," she says, hearing confidence in her voice for the first time in too long. "And you're not going to like it."
"Probably not," he agrees. "What is it?"
"Sam's pushing for a double wedding at the Rampart. Big, glitzy. You know the kind." Whatever reaction Catherine thought Jim would have, it isn't his wholehearted burst of laughter.
"You're --" He can't talk, because he's laughing too much. So much, in fact, that Catherine finds herself laughing along with him. "Geez --"
Catherine has seen Jim laugh before, but never to the point of losing his breath. She thinks pure, unadulterated amusement makes him unbelievably handsome, and she resolves to make sure she sees him that way as often as possible.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's just --" He shakes his head. "He can't be serious."
Catherine's left eyebrow twitches upward. "You're talking about Sam Braun, remember?"
The comment sobers him up. "Yeah. I remember."
Their waitress chooses that moment to bring their lunch over, and when she moves away again, Jim says, "Answer me this -- do you want to get married at the Rampart?"
"No." It's an easy answer for her. She's the one who's been pushing for a quiet wedding at one of the local chapels. Jim said something early on about inviting everyone they knew, but he never pushed it. He told her to plan the wedding she wanted, and what she wanted -- wants -- is a small wedding with close family and friends. "But Sam said he'd pay --"
"Sam Braun isn't paying for this." It's the most definite Jim has been about anything to do with their wedding. "You and I are more than capable of paying for the ceremony we want, so he doesn't get a say in it. Okay?"
"Okay." Catherine relaxes against him once more and soaks up his strength. She won't ask Jim to talk to Sam about their plans -- now that she knows without a doubt that Jim has her back, Catherine can tell Sam thanks but no thanks. Her emotions when it comes to Sam are still a mess, and they won't get cleaned up anytime soon, but at least --
"Hey, Catherine?"
"Yeah?"
"I have an idea." Jim has that thoughtful tone he gets when he's putting a case together for the benefit of a suspect. It's a tone that says he knows exactly what went down before and that he knows exactly what's going to happen from that point on. "Do you trust me?"
"With everything."
Rating: PG
Summary: Jim has that thoughtful tone he gets when he's putting a case together for the benefit of a suspect.
Notes: Previous installments can be found here. And no, still not finished. If you're going to gloat, take a number.
Disclaimer: Zuiker and company own the rights to CSI and its characters. I apparently own a leaky roof that's only a year old. Grr. Argh.
~*~*~
Catherine pauses a moment in the diner's restroom and takes stock of her appearance. It's not great, but cold water and make-up have hidden most of the damage caused by her crying jag in Jim's car. It would be nice if fixing things up with Jim were going to be that easy, but Catherine knows better than that. On the other hand, she also knows that Jim, unlike Eddie or Chris or Sam or any of the other men in her life, will help her repair the damage. It's that knowledge that stiffens her spine and lets her leave the uncertain refuge of the restroom.
She slides into the booth across from Jim and worries about the brief frown that crosses his face. Her concern lasts as long as it takes for him to slide out of his side and into hers, trapping her between him and the wall. Normally, she hates this configuration, hates having to crank her neck around to see who's next to her, but right now, it makes her feel safe and protected. His left arm goes around her shoulders, and with him holding her close like this, she doesn't feel like she's about to fly apart at the seams. Catherine relaxes against him and breathes a sigh of relief.
His voice rumbles quietly. "We still have to talk about Sam."
"I know." Catherine keeps her head on Jim's shoulder and reaches for his right hand. "I was out of line the other day."
"Yeah. We both were."
Her breath catches at his acceptance of responsibility. Jim's words, spoken gently, are a balm to Catherine, and not only because of the implied apology. With them comes the knowledge that she isn't going to have to fight with him over who said what and when. Instead, they can both focus on the problem that led to the argument in the first place, and that, Catherine realizes, is a heady feeling. She thinks there's a good chance they'll be able to resolve this now, before they have to finish their respective shift. If that's the case, then maybe, just maybe, he'll come home with her later that morning, and she'll get a decent night's sleep for the first time in two days.
"Thank you," Catherine says as she holds his hand a little tighter.
In response, he lifts her hand to his lips and kisses it. "You ready to tell me what's going on with Sam?"
She nods, but it's a moment before she can trust her voice. "You know he and Mom have been seeing each other, right?"
"Yeah." Jim's disapproval is clear, but he doesn't say anything else.
"He asked her to marry him." Catherine bites her lips as he goes tense.
"When?"
"About a week ago."
His chest rises as he takes a deep breath; he lets it out slowly and Catherine can feel him nod. "She said yes?"
"Yeah."
They sit there for a long moment, and Catherine thinks he has an easier time of it with the news than she did. Jim can hate the idea without getting caught up in the tangle of childhood wishes and adult experience that she suffers whenever she thinks about Sam finally getting around to marrying her mother.
"Okay."
"What?" Catherine leans back slightly so she can see Jim's face.
"Okay." His eyebrows go up, no doubt at her look of disbelief. "What?"
"I kind of expected you to be a little more pissed off about this, especially after Thursday morning." And she did. She's been obsessing about this piece of news for the last two days, convinced it will send Jim packing.
"Catherine, I was pissed off because you were lying to yourself about Sam, and because you seemed to expect me to go along with it." She thinks he would have said more, but Jim stops talking and waits for her to respond.
It's hard, but -- "You were right. I was lying to myself."
A lot of tension leaves Jim at that, and Catherine realizes suddenly just how much hinged on her own acceptance of responsibility. She shudders at the thought of what might have happened if she had dug her heels in on that point then puts it out of her mind as she hears his whispered, "Thank you."
"There's something else," she says, hearing confidence in her voice for the first time in too long. "And you're not going to like it."
"Probably not," he agrees. "What is it?"
"Sam's pushing for a double wedding at the Rampart. Big, glitzy. You know the kind." Whatever reaction Catherine thought Jim would have, it isn't his wholehearted burst of laughter.
"You're --" He can't talk, because he's laughing too much. So much, in fact, that Catherine finds herself laughing along with him. "Geez --"
Catherine has seen Jim laugh before, but never to the point of losing his breath. She thinks pure, unadulterated amusement makes him unbelievably handsome, and she resolves to make sure she sees him that way as often as possible.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's just --" He shakes his head. "He can't be serious."
Catherine's left eyebrow twitches upward. "You're talking about Sam Braun, remember?"
The comment sobers him up. "Yeah. I remember."
Their waitress chooses that moment to bring their lunch over, and when she moves away again, Jim says, "Answer me this -- do you want to get married at the Rampart?"
"No." It's an easy answer for her. She's the one who's been pushing for a quiet wedding at one of the local chapels. Jim said something early on about inviting everyone they knew, but he never pushed it. He told her to plan the wedding she wanted, and what she wanted -- wants -- is a small wedding with close family and friends. "But Sam said he'd pay --"
"Sam Braun isn't paying for this." It's the most definite Jim has been about anything to do with their wedding. "You and I are more than capable of paying for the ceremony we want, so he doesn't get a say in it. Okay?"
"Okay." Catherine relaxes against him once more and soaks up his strength. She won't ask Jim to talk to Sam about their plans -- now that she knows without a doubt that Jim has her back, Catherine can tell Sam thanks but no thanks. Her emotions when it comes to Sam are still a mess, and they won't get cleaned up anytime soon, but at least --
"Hey, Catherine?"
"Yeah?"
"I have an idea." Jim has that thoughtful tone he gets when he's putting a case together for the benefit of a suspect. It's a tone that says he knows exactly what went down before and that he knows exactly what's going to happen from that point on. "Do you trust me?"
"With everything."