Rating: G? PG?
Pairing: Grissom/Catherine
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.
Summary: Grissom's thoughts on Catherine. Forgive me if it doesn't make sense in places... It's one in the morning and I wrote it in like 10 minutes.

"He had his price." Grissom said to the others in the room.

"We all do." Catherine replied and then smiled at Grissom who returned the infectious smile. No matter what the subject matter if she smiled he felt compelled to smile. Everything about her was impressive. Of all the things that had gone on in her life she was on top and holding all the cards.

~~~~

"Gris?" She asked with a soft chuckle. When he looked up at her, she chuckled, "It usually helps if you. you know. turn the car on."

Turning the *car* on seemed to be a problem he was not currently having, as he turned the key in the ignition and heard the purr of the engine he heard her laugh again. He felt his cheeks get warmed by a blush.

Her social ease. Grissom found his thoughts back on the strawberry blonde. She was comfortable with anyone and anything and was just objective enough to be effective. She could look at the evidence and see the human influence. Grissom wished that he could see that side of it, but having distanced himself from people for so long he found it hard to get back into the habit.

Her fluid beauty. They way she moved her body had a flow to it that lit any room she entered. He looked forward to just to watch her walk into the room and stand there. Her presence was awe-inducing. He couldn't help but be drawn to her aura.

She had an intense personality you didn't want to mess with and at the same time she was the most caring and sympathetic person he knew. He loved the way that he could tell her things and he knew she would never judge him. Though he didn't allow her much insight into himself, he had occasional moments of sharing that penetrated deep into his self and it was relieving. He'd talked to psychiatrists before but he couldn't connect with any of them enough to feel comfortable sharing his secrets with them. Catherine, she would not only be supportive but she'd embrace it. She'd take his problems and make them her own because she sympathized with him, empathized with him really.

Grissom was always afraid that she didn't realize how much she really meant to him. When he had his surgery he was deeply touched by the gesture of her wishing him good luck. He had been so reluctant to let her go. He had had a quick twinge of worry, thinking if he let her go now, he might never get her back. He squeezed her gently before letting go and walking down the hall. Walking away from her he could feel her smile behind him and felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

That's why they made such a great team. He had a handle on the business end of their occupation and she had the skills to deal with the people, the living ones. If it hadn't been for Catherine the lab would've surely lost Sara, though Sara might already be lost to herself. Not that he had any personal interest in Sara but he did recognize that every member of his team was a contributing member and missing a member would off-set the delicate balance. Catherine had gotten him out of jams more often than he'd like to admit, as his macho side takes over. However the other side of him swoons in adoration as he infers her feelings of warmth and empathy for him.

He'd like to think that she felt for him even a quarter of what he felt for her. It would be enough. Of course if she returned none of his feelings it wouldn't matter. He was so deeply in love with her the thought of ever falling out of love seemed an absurd notion.

"Hey Gris?" Catherine asked, "What are you thinking about?"

He looked over at her, smiling warmly and taking in her face. A face which had been etched in his memory for over 15 years. A face so devastatingly beautiful it appeared in his dreams and was all he felt that he'd ever need. He opens his mouth, poised for words and closes it again.

After a long pause he replied, "Nothing."

la fin