Table Stakes, Revisited

TABLE STAKES, REVISITED

~~CH. 4: RIGHT UNDER THEIR NOSES~~

Rating: PG for the conclusion :) Sorry, guys.
Summary: Fourth and final installment in the series, following "Nothing But Skin." A tender, unguarded moment finally brings everything out between Catherine and Gil.


*****

"Jim..."

Catherine and Gil walked up behind Brass in one of Vegas' finer restaurants, Le Cirque, Catherine briefly glancing down to check her watch before looking back up at the captain. He nodded his acknowledgement to both of them. "We've got the whole place clocked," he explained, nodding toward a table in the center of the room, "Keeping an eye on the Haynes couple. Sheriff doesn't want 'em skipping town."

"Yeah, neither do we," Gil replied. "We have a strong suspicion that Portia Richmond is dead."

Brass furrowed his brow, glancing between the pair, the way they were standing slightly disconcerting. In all the years he'd known both Gil and Catherine, he'd never seen them standing more than an inch or so apart. Tonight was different, however... as if they were deliberately trying to put space between them. Memories of their actions from the previous morning flitted through his mind, and he almost wanted to ask what was going on. But instead, he turned his attention back to the Haynes couple, Gil and Catherine following suit seconds later.

They watched as the pair rose from their table, Amanda laying her coat over the back of another table's chair, draping it over an exquisite fur coat. Patrick came up behind her and kissed her briefly on the lips, placing his hand on her waist while she leaned down to pick up her coat... taking the fur along with it.

"Did you see that?" Catherine whispered.

Gil's head snapped to look at her. "They're on the grift."

She nodded. "She took that fur from right under their noses."

When they noticed the pair drawing closer, Catherine shifted her weight from one foot to the other, drawing her body back closer to Gil. Gil, in turn, got a face full of her hair for a brief moment before he tipped his head down, eyes slipping shut for a few seconds as he discreetly inhaled the scent of her shampoo.

Catherine tensed, noticing this, and tossed a glance over her shoulder in her peripheral vision. Did he just smell her hair? Or was she imagining it? She wanted to turn around so desperately and finally ask him just what was happening between them, but his voice, greeting the Haynes couple, stopped her cold...

"Hi!" He nodded toward the two coats in Amanda's arms. "May we check your coats?" he asked with a smug smile.

Patrick and Amanda exchanged a defeated look, and Brass gestured toward the door. "Come on," he said, "Let's go for a little ride." With that, he escorted them outside, leaving Gil and Catherine on their own.

Catherine seized the opportunity. "Gil..." Then, suddenly, she didn't know what to say. After so many times of being ready to talk about this, she was suddenly at a loss for words.

As he stared down into her eyes, he immediately understood where her struggle lied. "I know..." he whispered. "We need to talk about it."

"Yes, we do," she replied, "And we need to ACTUALLY talk about it this time."

He glimpsed quick at the front door of the restaurant. "We're supposed to be following Brass back to headquarters for questioning."

She shook her head, closing her eyes. "Gil, this can't wait any longer." When she openhem,hem, she found him staring at her, a concerned look playing across his features. "Ever since we first had that little 'moment' lastnight, there have been things between us needing to be said. They can't be pushed to the back burner any longer."

He sighed. "You're right..." He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. "I suppose I just keep thinking that if we continue to fall into bed together without really talking about it, everything will just work out on its own."

Catherine couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, that would be the ideal way to go about this," she admitted, "But... that can't happen. We've gotta stop dancing around it." Pausing briefly to gather her strength, she lifted her eyes once more to his. "Gil... beyond the sex... beyond the electricity..." She narrowed her eyes just slightly as her eyes searched his, her voice coming out small and meek... almost fearful. "How do you feel about me?"

"Catherine... how I feel about you has always gone beyond the electricity. Beyond the sex," he replied. "You and I have the most incredible connection... on every possible level that two people can be connected. We've had that for the last fifteen years. So... with that in mind... I think it's safe to say, that..." He shrugged. "I love you."

She smiled broadly. "I love you too, Gil," she replied in a whisper, leaning in to kiss him.

They kissed passionately, but lovingly, savoring the admission of their mutual feelings for one another. When they pulled away, she added, "And I agree with everything you just said. I've never felt such a strong connection to someone on so many levels either."

He grinned. "Good." He paused. "So I assume you'll be wanting me to stick around for awhile longer, huh?"

She laughed, tugging on his jacket as she led him back to the Tahoe. "Forever," she sighed, and leaned back against the car as she tugged on the lapels of his suede jacket, bringing his lips to hers.

He hummed against them, his thumb stroking her cheek before his fingers became lost in her hair... and after a moment, he pulled away... their foreheads coming together immediately afterward. "We goget get back to the station," he whispered, squeezing her hips gently. "Otherwise WE'LL be the ones that Brass is interrogating."

She threw her head back and her crystalline laugh filled the air around them. Then, leaning in to kiss Gil once more on the lips, she pushed him away, snatching his keys from his jacket pocket as she did so. "Fine," she reluctantly agreed. "And I'm driving, by the way."

He rolled his eyes, smirking at her. "Yes, dear."


*****

After it had been revealed that the Haynes couple were in fact brother and sister... and that they had killed Portia Richmond in a plot to get her fortune... the case was quickly closed, and both were arrested. Gil and Catherine headed down the hall of the crime lab together, on their way to pick up a new case... and as they exchanged a loving smile, they didn't even notice the eyes that were following them.

"Grissom..."

Gil spun at the sound of his name, meeting the amused glances of Warrick, Nick, Sara, and Greg. "Yes?" he replied to Nick, who had been the one to call to him.

"Just thought I should warn you... your office has been ransacked."

He furrowed his brow. "What?"

He and Catherine headed for his office with the team in hot pursuit, everyone gathering around the door while the two senior CSIs took a look around. Papers lay everywhere, scattered haphazardly across the floor. A stapler lay open in the corner behind the desk, looking slightly dented from hitting the wall.... a black gouge in the wall evidence of the contact. The phone lay face down on the floor on the other side of the desk, still beeping from being left off the hook.

When they realized what the fuss was about, Grissom and Catherine shared another secret smile. "Maaan, Grissom, did a tornado rip through here or something?" Warrick asked, arms folded across his chest as his eyes scanned the room.

"A sex tornado, maybe," Greg chimed in with a smirk... everyone turning to look at him as he stood behind them, looking over their shoulders.

"What?" Gil feigned ignorance, while Catherine turned away to hide her smile.

Greg cocked his head, giving him an 'I'm-not-an-idiot' look. "Yeah. Next time you guys wanna have a little tryst, just remember that there's a wall between your office and my DNA lab," he replied dryly. "And while they're thick walls, they are most definitely NOT d-prd-proof."

The three junior CSIs all exchanged stunned looks, Sara and Nick's jaws dropped while Warrick just wore a huge grin. Greg nodded in response to their looks, while Grissom and Catherine looked a mixture of sheepish and smug. "Yeah... and hey, Grissom?"

"Yes Greg?" he replied, attempting to keep his tone neutral... though the slight amusement in his voice seeped through anyways.

A Cheshire cat grin suddenly spread across Greg's face. "Congratulations on tng Cng Cath into a walking jello mold!" he exclaimed, then turned and ran away, laughing all the way back to the lab.

~FINIS~

~*~This fic brought to you by a member of "Kiss My G/C Shipper Ass" Productions' Smut Royalty~*~