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Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm just borrowing things for a while and I promise I'll put everything back exactly how I found it when I've finished. Well, almost exactly how I found it. ;)
CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI
It was a day Catherine could put in her diary. Or it would be if she kept a diary. Not that it mattered; the analogy remained the same. It was a day she would always remember, never would it be forgotten, and for one simple reason: it was perfect blackmail material.
A loud sneeze from the other room made her grin. Yes, a perfect day for her indeed. Not for Grissom, though. Not for the Bug Man, the Guy Who Never Took A Day off, or, for that matter, even know what 'ill' or 'sick' was, unless it applied to someone else.
No, for Grissom, it was the worst day of his life. For a few days he had been feeling a little drained, and there was an annoying tickle lodged in his throat. Then that morning he started sneezing. By lunch time, his nose was so bunged up no one could understand a word he was saying, and after he'd sneezed twelve times in a row, Catherine ordered Grissom to go home.
He argued, of course, and she ignored him, of course. But when a wave of dizziness hit him, Grissom surrendered and allowed himself to be driven home. His best friend, however, had to add insult to injury; Catherine stayed to play nurse.
"Do you have a camera in this place?" she called to him from the kitchen.
"Dike I'm going do dell oo bere id is," Grissom shouted back.
Catherine went through the house and leant against the bedroom doorframe, her arms folded, one eyebrow raised. "I'm not sure I can translate that."
Grissom glared at her, but due to the amount of blankets he had tucked around him, the puffy eyes and red nose, it didn't have the desired effect.
"Aww, poor ickle Bug Man," Catherine said in an exaggerated tone.
"Dif I twore, I'd thay…."
"You would not!" Catherine exclaimed, cutting him off. Then her expression softened. "I'm sorry. I know you're feeling like crap, but this is the first day you have *ever* taken a day off. I'm allowed a little teasing time."
Grissom grunted.
Catherine came and sat next to him, putting her hand against his forehead. "You're still burning up. Hopefully you'll sweat this out and be back to work in no time at all. Do you want anything?"
Grissom didn't answer. He was too busy thinking how wonderfully cool Catherine's palm was against his burning forehead.
"Gil?"
"Thory," he replied.
Catherine smiled. "You zoned out for a minute there."
"Dired."
"Get some sleep," she said. "I'll still be here when you wake up." Moving her hand a little reluctantly, Catherine stood and headed out of the bedroom.
"Dank oo," Grissom called after her.
"You're welcome. I think," she replied, heading back to the kitchen.
Coffee made, Catherine looked around for something to do and immediately regretted her offer to stay. It wasn't that she didn't want to be there; it was just that there was nothing in Grissom's place to keep her occupied; the latest *Scientific America* or bug magazine just didn't interest her.
But Catherine spotted something that cheered her up. Since her last visit, Grissom had actually bought a stereo, so she turned it on, wondering what was on the radio. Static. Every channel was static. Catherine sighed.
Then, on a whim, she tried the CD player. Pink Floyd came blaring out of the speakers and cursing under her breath, she quickly stopped it and turned the volume down.
"Shit, Gil, that's loud," Catherine muttered.
Taking the CD out of the player, she looked around for a case, feeling hopeful of finding more CDs.
*'After all,'* she thought, *'Where there's one, there's bound to be more, right?'*
After a little searching - Grissom would call it being nosey - Catherine finally found his meagre stash of music. Nothing caught her eye until she spotted a case right at the back of the cupboard. It looked too well placed to have fallen there, and she wondered what Grissom was hiding.
The case was unmarked and the CD was a copy, also unmarked, except for three letters: SCW. Catherine had no idea what it was, but she was curious to find out. Making sure the volume was low, she put the CD in the stereo and pressed play.
Whatever Catherine was expecting, it certainly wasn't a piano start, followed by drums and a man's voice.
*He broke your heart
He took your soul
You're hurt inside
'Cause there's a hole*
All Catherine could do was stare at the stereo. She hadn't been expecting a modern song, or this one in particular. The first time she heard it, she felt as though it was speaking to her, telling the world of how she felt after Eddie had left her. But what was it doing in Grissom's house, and hidden, no less?
*You need some time
To be alone
Then you will find
What you've always known
I'm the one who really loves you, baby
I've been knocking at your door*
Catherine was still staring at the stereo but for a different reason now. She never told anyone about the song; it didn't seem important. But obviously Grissom had heard it and thought immediately of her. She shook her head. The 'CW' on the CD was obvious now - her initials - but the 'S' was still confusing her.
*I've seen you cry
Into the night
I feel your pain
Can I make it right?
I've realised
There's no end in sight
Yet still I wait
For you to see the light
I'm the one who really loves you, baby
I can't take it any more*
Catherine had always known Grissom had a soft spot for her. They were best friends, after all, and had been almost from the first time they met. They were the definition of 'opposites attract' and they had been through so much together already. And it was no secret that Catherine had a crush on Grissom when they were younger, and even now she remained very fond of him.
At least, she thought it hadn't been a secret. But if the song was Grissom's way of voicing his thoughts, he obviously hadn't known how she felt about him.
*You are the only one I've ever known
That makes me feel this way
Couldn't on my own
I want to be with you until we're old
You've got the love you need right in front of you
Please come home
As long as I'm living, I'll be waiting
As long as I'm breathing, I'll be there
Whenever you call me, I'll be waiting
Whenever you need me, I'll be there*
The song ended and for a while Catherine just sat in silence, dimly aware that there was only that song on the CD. She had never thought about the song being from anyone's point of view, but now she could see how Grissom would have viewed her relationship and subsequent split with Eddie.
Catherine was stunned, though she didn't know why. Grissom had always been there for her, whether she needed to yell at someone or just wanted a hug, and he never asked anything in return. To her, he had always been the perfect friend; the *best* friend. And even though she thought she was in love with him half the time, she never made a move because she didn't think he felt the same way.
Making her way slowly to the bedroom, Catherine sat down carefully on the edge of the bed, one hand lingering near Grissom's face. She wanted to touch him, but she didn't want to wake him up.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked quietly. "Were you afraid I didn't feel the same way? Were you afraid to lose our friendship?" Catherine shook her head. "How much time have we wasted because we were both too stupid to speak up?"
"Does it batter?" Grissom murmured without opening his eyes.
"Of course it matters," Catherine snapped back. "I wasted all that time with Eddie because I thought you weren't interested!"
Grissom opened one eye, his face the picture of calmness. "Dot if dumfin dappens? Dot if we dooze our fwiendthip?"
Catherine couldn't help but smile as him and she reached out to run her fingers down his cheek. "Be a rebel, Bug Man. Take a risk." She leant over him.
"I'm dill," Grissom said.
Catherine laughed. "I like dill," she replied. "I wonder if you taste like it?"
Grissom stared at her and when she didn't move, he said, "I'm dot going do thop oo."
"Good." Catherine leant further in.
"But don't bwame be if oo det thick."
That deserved punishment. Catherine kept moving like she was going to kiss him, but instead of putting her lips to his, she kissed his nose. At the same time, her hands found their way under the covers of the bed and onto his ribs.
"Aahh!" Grissom yelled in a very undignified manner. "Theat!"
"Your point is?" Catherine asked innocently.
"Thut up dand diss be," he said. "Before I thange by bind."
"You're such a romantic."
"I'm thick."
Catherine looked at him seriously. "You said it," she told him before she started laughing helplessly.
Grissom rolled his eyes and decided to take matters into his own hands. Cupping her cheek, he brought his lips up to meet hers, silencing her straight away. But after a few seconds, he broke away.
"Dan't bweath," he said.
Catherine smiled. "You'll just have to make up for it when you're better."
"Rweawy?"
She nodded. "I'll be waiting for you. Until then, rest." She kissed his forehead. "I'm not going anywhere."
Grissom smiled sleepily. "Good."
FIN