May Twenty-First [CSI; Grissom/Catherine]
TITLE: May Twenty-First
FANDOM: CSI
PAIRING: Grissom/Catherine
SPOILERS: Vague ones for season five
RATING: PG
DEDICATION: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANGIE!!! This fic is for you; for all your hard work on the site, on the list, on the LJ community, just… everything! You are amazing and I hope you enjoy your special day!
AUTHOR’S NOTES: This fic might be slightly AU, depending how you look at it. It’s written assuming the events at the end of season six never happened. Ahh, what a world that would be, huh??
SUMMARY:
*****
“Ow, Gil, watch the potholes!”
Gil Grissom smirked over at his strawberry-blonde companion and apologized facetiously, “I’m sorry to ruin your dashboard nail salon Cath, but potholes on this highway are inevitable.”
“Oh, it’s just as well,” she sighed, grabbing one of her ankles and pulling her foot toward her to blow on her newly-painted toenails. “I’m done anyway.”
“Good, I think I’m getting light-headed from the fumes.”
Catherine Willows glared facetiously. “Oh, whatever. I was just trying to finish primping for our big date.” She put her feet up on the dash and wiggled her toes at him.
Gil chuckled. “Yes, our date. You mean the one date we go on every twenty-first of May, which always seems to get ruined by one thing or another?”
“That’s the one! Let’s see…” She pressed a finger to her chin and narrowed her eyes contemplatively. “I think three years ago we tried for a candlelit dinner at the Bellagio and ended up in the middle of a crime scene…”
He nodded, “Mm-hmm, and two years ago we tried to have that quiet evening at Lake Mead and got rained out…”
Catherine nodded back, “Yep, and then last year--” She frowned thoughtfully. “Last year…” She trailed off and looked to her companion for help.
He smiled, reading her thoughts without looking at her, and brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles while he kept his eyes on the road. “Last year we were fighting, my dear. Remember?”
“Oh yeah,” she sighed, and looked down to watch their fingers intertwine over the console. “That stupid swing-shift split thing. Ecklie’s such a dumbass.”
Gil chuckled. “Yes, well… I figured this year we’d try something different, my dear, now that our team’s back together. I thought we’d get a little further away so there’s less a chance of one of us getting called away, or paged about a DB…”
“Oooh, that’s smart.” Catherine smiled flirtatiously. “You’re a crafty man, Dr. Grissom.”
“Why thank you.”
She looked out the windshield and squeezed his hand, smiling when he squeezed back. “So when do I get to know where we’re going?”
He smiled enigmatically. “As soon as we get there.”
Catherine chuckled lightly and shook her head at him. “You’re just a mystery until the very end, aren’t you?”
“Oh, you’ll solve me eventually.”
“I hope I never do.”
This time, he turned his eyes away from the road ever-so-briefly to give a questioning glance. “Why?”
“Because what kind of great relationship has no mystery whatsoever? In what kind of grand romance do the people know absolutely everything about each other?” She shrugged. “I mean, did Romeo and Juliet know absolutely everything about each other before they tied the knot?”
“Romeo and Juliet killed themselves.”
She sighed. “Okay, bad example. Give me a different one.”
Gil chuckled and kissed her hand again. “This is your game, Cath.”
“Alright, alright… Mulder and Scully!”
“Mulder and Scully…” he repeated, brows furrowing. He turned to her briefly. “Federal agents that run around and chase aliens - that’s the grand romance you’re using as an example?”
“Yes. And I know it was a television show, but come on, Gil! That’s one of, like, the top two great television romances of all time! Second only to David and Maddie.”
He nodded slowly, the names ringing a bell. “Ah yes, I remember your Moonlighting years. You were obsessed.”
Catherine tossed her long strawberry-blonde curls and flicked her bangs out of her eyes. “My point was, two people don’t have to know absolutely everything about each other. It’s healthy to leave a little mystery there.” She grinned almost smugly at him. “You’ll never know everything there is to know about me.”
He quirked an eyebrow at this. “Really?”
She nodded. “Mm-hmm, I guarantee it.”
He cut his eyes at her, narrowing them slightly. “I could solve you.”
She laughed. “You could eventually, yes. I have no doubt about that. But you won’t.”
“I won’t, huh? How do you know?”
“Because you’re like me in that respect-you want to keep a little mystery, to keep the romance alive.” Catherine turned up the radio then and folded her arms over her bent knees, bare feet still propped on the dash. She asked over the sound of the music, “So how long until we’re there?”
He smiled. “Just a few more minutes.”
“We’re trying for Tahoe, aren’t we?” she asked knowingly, her sharp blue eyes watching him as a smile plucked at the corners of his lips.
“Yes. I made sure to check the forecast ahead of time, though. Nothing but sun and blue skies as far as the eye can see.”
“Perfect,” she sighed, and rolled her window all the way down to take in the fresh air.
Gil looked over at her and admired her, unnoticed… watching the way the wind whipped her hair all around her, twisting her curls together into a massive riot of blonde hair. He made a mental note that he’d have to untangle her hair with his fingers once they arrived.
When they did, he pulled into a shaded parking spot and told her to stay put. Then, he jumped out and went around to her side, opening her door for her. He took her hand to help her out (even though she didn’t need any help getting out of a car), and smiled at her once he’d shut her door.
His fingers slid through her hair, gently untangling the riotous curls before he quickly pecked her lips. “Want to help me with the food?”
Catherine grinned. “You brought a picnic, how adorable!”
Gil hummed a chuckle and grabbed the large picnic basket while handing her the cooler and blanket. Then, they took their things to a secluded spot near the lake and set everything out. Catherine reached for the cooler. “Oooh, what’s in here?” and she pulled out a bottle of champagne.
Gil grinned and pulled two champagne flutes out of the basket; then, he uncorked the champagne and poured them each a glass. He held up his own in a toast, and waited for Catherine to do the same. When she had, he smiled. “To May twenty-first.” Pausing, he added, “To our yearly date which hopefully will not get interrupted this time.”
Catherine smiled and added, “To many more dates to come, hopefully not so far apart from now on.”
Their glasses clinked and they each took a sip. Then, Gil settled himself on his side while Catherine tucked her legs beneath her. He tilted his head, studying her. “By more often, were you thinking we should have… semi-annual dates?”
She giggled and reached into the picnic basket, pulling out their dinners. “Or, if you want… maybe more often than that.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. I think that’s a good idea.” Pulling her down for another kiss, he smiled against her lips. “We’ve been doing this for ten years now… might as well make it official.”
Catherine laughed and leaned into his kiss.
FIN
{x-posted to graveshiftcsi}
FANDOM: CSI
PAIRING: Grissom/Catherine
SPOILERS: Vague ones for season five
RATING: PG
DEDICATION: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANGIE!!! This fic is for you; for all your hard work on the site, on the list, on the LJ community, just… everything! You are amazing and I hope you enjoy your special day!
AUTHOR’S NOTES: This fic might be slightly AU, depending how you look at it. It’s written assuming the events at the end of season six never happened. Ahh, what a world that would be, huh??
SUMMARY:
*****
“Ow, Gil, watch the potholes!”
Gil Grissom smirked over at his strawberry-blonde companion and apologized facetiously, “I’m sorry to ruin your dashboard nail salon Cath, but potholes on this highway are inevitable.”
“Oh, it’s just as well,” she sighed, grabbing one of her ankles and pulling her foot toward her to blow on her newly-painted toenails. “I’m done anyway.”
“Good, I think I’m getting light-headed from the fumes.”
Catherine Willows glared facetiously. “Oh, whatever. I was just trying to finish primping for our big date.” She put her feet up on the dash and wiggled her toes at him.
Gil chuckled. “Yes, our date. You mean the one date we go on every twenty-first of May, which always seems to get ruined by one thing or another?”
“That’s the one! Let’s see…” She pressed a finger to her chin and narrowed her eyes contemplatively. “I think three years ago we tried for a candlelit dinner at the Bellagio and ended up in the middle of a crime scene…”
He nodded, “Mm-hmm, and two years ago we tried to have that quiet evening at Lake Mead and got rained out…”
Catherine nodded back, “Yep, and then last year--” She frowned thoughtfully. “Last year…” She trailed off and looked to her companion for help.
He smiled, reading her thoughts without looking at her, and brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles while he kept his eyes on the road. “Last year we were fighting, my dear. Remember?”
“Oh yeah,” she sighed, and looked down to watch their fingers intertwine over the console. “That stupid swing-shift split thing. Ecklie’s such a dumbass.”
Gil chuckled. “Yes, well… I figured this year we’d try something different, my dear, now that our team’s back together. I thought we’d get a little further away so there’s less a chance of one of us getting called away, or paged about a DB…”
“Oooh, that’s smart.” Catherine smiled flirtatiously. “You’re a crafty man, Dr. Grissom.”
“Why thank you.”
She looked out the windshield and squeezed his hand, smiling when he squeezed back. “So when do I get to know where we’re going?”
He smiled enigmatically. “As soon as we get there.”
Catherine chuckled lightly and shook her head at him. “You’re just a mystery until the very end, aren’t you?”
“Oh, you’ll solve me eventually.”
“I hope I never do.”
This time, he turned his eyes away from the road ever-so-briefly to give a questioning glance. “Why?”
“Because what kind of great relationship has no mystery whatsoever? In what kind of grand romance do the people know absolutely everything about each other?” She shrugged. “I mean, did Romeo and Juliet know absolutely everything about each other before they tied the knot?”
“Romeo and Juliet killed themselves.”
She sighed. “Okay, bad example. Give me a different one.”
Gil chuckled and kissed her hand again. “This is your game, Cath.”
“Alright, alright… Mulder and Scully!”
“Mulder and Scully…” he repeated, brows furrowing. He turned to her briefly. “Federal agents that run around and chase aliens - that’s the grand romance you’re using as an example?”
“Yes. And I know it was a television show, but come on, Gil! That’s one of, like, the top two great television romances of all time! Second only to David and Maddie.”
He nodded slowly, the names ringing a bell. “Ah yes, I remember your Moonlighting years. You were obsessed.”
Catherine tossed her long strawberry-blonde curls and flicked her bangs out of her eyes. “My point was, two people don’t have to know absolutely everything about each other. It’s healthy to leave a little mystery there.” She grinned almost smugly at him. “You’ll never know everything there is to know about me.”
He quirked an eyebrow at this. “Really?”
She nodded. “Mm-hmm, I guarantee it.”
He cut his eyes at her, narrowing them slightly. “I could solve you.”
She laughed. “You could eventually, yes. I have no doubt about that. But you won’t.”
“I won’t, huh? How do you know?”
“Because you’re like me in that respect-you want to keep a little mystery, to keep the romance alive.” Catherine turned up the radio then and folded her arms over her bent knees, bare feet still propped on the dash. She asked over the sound of the music, “So how long until we’re there?”
He smiled. “Just a few more minutes.”
“We’re trying for Tahoe, aren’t we?” she asked knowingly, her sharp blue eyes watching him as a smile plucked at the corners of his lips.
“Yes. I made sure to check the forecast ahead of time, though. Nothing but sun and blue skies as far as the eye can see.”
“Perfect,” she sighed, and rolled her window all the way down to take in the fresh air.
Gil looked over at her and admired her, unnoticed… watching the way the wind whipped her hair all around her, twisting her curls together into a massive riot of blonde hair. He made a mental note that he’d have to untangle her hair with his fingers once they arrived.
When they did, he pulled into a shaded parking spot and told her to stay put. Then, he jumped out and went around to her side, opening her door for her. He took her hand to help her out (even though she didn’t need any help getting out of a car), and smiled at her once he’d shut her door.
His fingers slid through her hair, gently untangling the riotous curls before he quickly pecked her lips. “Want to help me with the food?”
Catherine grinned. “You brought a picnic, how adorable!”
Gil hummed a chuckle and grabbed the large picnic basket while handing her the cooler and blanket. Then, they took their things to a secluded spot near the lake and set everything out. Catherine reached for the cooler. “Oooh, what’s in here?” and she pulled out a bottle of champagne.
Gil grinned and pulled two champagne flutes out of the basket; then, he uncorked the champagne and poured them each a glass. He held up his own in a toast, and waited for Catherine to do the same. When she had, he smiled. “To May twenty-first.” Pausing, he added, “To our yearly date which hopefully will not get interrupted this time.”
Catherine smiled and added, “To many more dates to come, hopefully not so far apart from now on.”
Their glasses clinked and they each took a sip. Then, Gil settled himself on his side while Catherine tucked her legs beneath her. He tilted his head, studying her. “By more often, were you thinking we should have… semi-annual dates?”
She giggled and reached into the picnic basket, pulling out their dinners. “Or, if you want… maybe more often than that.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. I think that’s a good idea.” Pulling her down for another kiss, he smiled against her lips. “We’ve been doing this for ten years now… might as well make it official.”
Catherine laughed and leaned into his kiss.
FIN
{x-posted to graveshiftcsi}