Ooo, you make me live
Whatever this world can give to me

Gil smiled, she had that affect on him. It had become almost an automatic reaction when he caught sight of her, the sides of his mouth turned up, a smile appearing on his features.

They'd been married almost a year, yet this reaction had not abated with time. He owed her so much yet she never made him feel as if he was indebted to her. She'd always had a life, a vibrancy about her, it had, as he'd discovered, been infectious. He seemed lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from him through sharing her presence. The tension that had seemed to cloud his daily life had been banished under her ministrations. He'd heard people talk of love, of being in love; he'd never contemplated such great rewards. She'd made him strive for life.

He watched her as she talked to Greg, discussing the details of a case they were working, but knowing her full attention wasn't with the young CSI. She'd chance a quick look towards him, for a brief second their eyes would meet, a surge of something, he did not know what would pass between them, filling him with contentment, restoring his love for all over again, not that it really needed restoring.

It's you, you're all I see
Ooo, you make me live now honey
Ooo, you make me live

She knew he was watching her. She could feel it. Catherine smiled to herself; he was different from other men she'd been with. She never tired of his gaze, nor felt uncomfortable under its examination. Instead, he generated a warmth within her, a feeling of being valued. A rarity of reaction for her to experience, but one she treasured.

Knowing his gaze was fixed on her, she managed to continue to review the case file with Greg. It was unusual for her to do so in the corridor, but Greg had caught her on her way from the locker room. She'd been on her way to the morgue to meet with him, but eager, as ever, to try to solve the case, he'd sought her out, catching up with her outside Gil's office.

So she stood, pretending to give him her full attention, but finding it impossible with Gil's gaze upon her. So she resorted to stealing looks in his direction. Each time their eyes met, she felt a surge of love directed towards her. It took all of her self-discipline to not leave Greg standing alone and seek comfort in Gil's arms. But she knew that was impossible. They'd agreed when embarking on their relationship that it was to remain separate from the lab. Both all to aware of how the pressures they faced daily could serve to fracture what they had.

When they'd committed themselves to marriage, they'd fought to maintain the balance of the team. They did not want to have old jealousies arise which would only serve to annihilate the strongest team in the department. So they'd made a conscious decision to refrain from obvious acts of affection. They both knew that one cause to suspect they were being less than professional in their work relationship would lead to dismissal and their careers in tatters. It did not mean that during their work hours they did not crave each other's touch, it was something they'd learnt to control, savouring the moments when they could touch, hold and kiss.

Catherine chanced another couple of glances in her husband's direction, aware that his gaze was causing her to blush, her mind to lose what little concentration she had on the meticulous details Greg was explaining. She chastised her foolishness, turning her attention back to Greg, and resisting the urge to meet her husband's gaze, which she knew was still directed towards her.

As Greg finished his summary, with a plan for their next approach to solve their case, she smiled at him, agreeing to meet him in five minutes in the parking lot to go and interview the victim's business partner again, with the aid of Detective Vega.

Having stolen a few minutes from her day, her intent was to share them with her husband. She smiled again, not for the first time wondering at how life had changed for her since she'd married him. If anything she seemed to have grown, through his gentle support, she'd learnt to take a chance on life. She'd always considered herself as willing to take a risk, but those risks she did take were tempered by the constraints of being just one person. With him beside her, she'd become free of much of that, able to express her true feelings, her hopes, dreams and fears, without fear of them being used to attack her. She had in all senses begun, with his help, to live life to the fullest, confident that the love he shared with her would see them through the trials put in their path.

"Hey, you were watching me again."

He held his hands up in defence. "Guilty as charged. But I plead extenuating circumstances."

"Oh? And what would they be?"

"I'm in love with the object of my fascination."

"Gil!" She hissed, "Not here, you know we agreed!"

"But…" He pouted. "You… you…"

"Hold that thought, ok. A couple of hours and then we have a few days off. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come in here."

"It's okay, Cath, honey. I should be apologizing, I could see the effect my gaze was having I should have stopped. Later I promise, I'll make it up to you."

"I'll hold you to it. A whole year…" She smiled losing herself in the memories of the last year, sharing her life with Gil.

You're the best friend
That I ever had

Catherine had found it hard to admit, but she was concerned that her marriage to Gil would lead to her losing her best friend. It was silly in retrospect, but in the first few weeks of their marriage, that fear had grown at the back of her mind.

She'd gained a husband, but did not want to lose a friend in the process. Their friendship had been precious to her, something she'd fought to keep alive, even when they'd been on the point of breaking that bond, she'd managed to nurture it, to keep it alive.

He was a constant in her life, someone she could rely on to support her even when she'd done wrong. She worried that should she cause some harm to him, or hurt through her life with him, she would no longer have him as a confidante to rely on.

She had been more than a little surprised when he'd sat her down one day, when Lindsey had been safely sent to school, leaving them alone.

"Catherine, before you deny it, I know something is worrying you. Tell me please. Let me ease your burden?"

Her eyes had widened at his enquiry, she'd been taken by surprise so that there was no time to hide the truth, instead it came tumbling from her lips. "I love you Gil with all my heart, honestly. It's not that I don't trust you or think you will harm me; I'm scared. I don't want to lose my best friend in this quest for our love."

He'd pulled her into his arms. "Don't be afraid. You will always have me as your friend. We've been through so much, invested greatly in this friendship of ours to throw it all away. We've had times when we've needed our space, we've argued, fought, been stubborn, but we've always come back to each other. No doubt we will disagree from time to time, argue even, but you will always have my friendship, just as you have my heart."

She'd kissed him, needing to feel the pressure of his lips on hers as he finished speaking. As she pulled back, she looked at him quizzically. "How did you know?"

"How? Oh that's easy, I know you, I love you, that's how."

Their lips joined once more in a kiss, as his explanation buried itself within her heart.

I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine

"It's been a good year. Thank you." Gil smiled at her. "I know Greg's waiting, I'll hold that thought until later."

He was greeted with one of her big grins that seemed to say so much, yet silently.

Watching her leave, he sighed; he'd come so close to losing her, this new life. He'd known her, been friends with her, loved her for so long, it had become part of who he was, yet he, like so many others, had failed to realize the true effect she was having. It had taken the wrench of almost losing her to bring him to the reality that he loved her.

She owned his heart; he'd gladly surrendered it to her, knowing that in so doing it would be in safe hands. She had a gentleness that she hid well in her daily life, but when hidden away in the confines of their home it would surface. It amazed him sometimes to consider that during her journey through life, she'd secreted this talent away, only allowing it to appear when she felt safe. He understood why, she'd been hurt, as well as doing her fair share of hurting; such a gift of gentleness in some eyes would be seen as weakness.

Not to him. To him the tenderness she showed him, the care and consideration were a rare gift he felt privileged to be offered by her. He knew that with it came her heart. She'd felt secure enough in his love to be able to share that quality she felt made her vulnerable; this was a priceless gift.

She was always the one in his life to cast light over the dark shadows that threatened to envelop him. She could see the smallest of glimmers of hope in the most traumatic of days. She enabled him to remain focused on his work, helping those without a voice gain justice and forgetting the petty politics that threatened to swallow him whole. He knew the statistics for burnout suggested he was a prime candidate, but with her beside him, that weight, that fear of being crushed was lightened.

He still had days he'd rather forget. Every day at the lab was not ideal, but she made it bearable, made him want to continue to strive for justice.

And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
You're my best friend
Ooo, you make me live

Greg smiled as Catherine climbed into the Denali beside him. "Soooo… Is Grissom ok?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, before narrowing her eyes to try and spear him with a look. "What?"

Greg smiled at her again. "Honestly Cath, you think I didn't see the battle of the looks earlier?"

"I…I was…"

"So what was in my report?"

She chuckled. "Ok." She gently raised then lowered her hands in defeat. "You caught me. I'm sorry, it's just…"

"No need to apologise. I'm happy for you, the both of you. I saw him slowly break your heart. I, no, we all knew." He paused giving her a grin. "We knew the two of you should be together. We were talking intervention you know." At her shocked look he continued. "On your behalf, Warrick, Nick and I, even Hodges, but don't tell him I told you. We stood by and watched as Gil slowly sucked the life out of you, we had to hold Warrick back on several occasions as he nearly lost it. But eventually the two of you got there. I'm happy for you. We all are. A year already, it's flown."

Catherine couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, I think." Without warning, she leant across and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for looking out of me. You are like the little brother I never had."

Greg beamed, then put the Denali in gear and slowly left the lab parking lot.

Catherine felt momentarily overwhelmed. She'd known that Warrick had become a little more protective towards her; when Gil and Sara had started their relationship, but had mistaken this for feelings of care, love even. She knew he was married, but also knew that this wasn't the easiest of unions for either Warrick or Tina. Warrick and her had been on the brink of something more than friendship a few times, but one or the other of them had always pulled back before things went too far, so she'd naturally assumed this was another of those times when he was reaching out for her. To know now that it was to protect her in some way from further hurt ensured he now held a special place in heart along with Nick and Greg, they were truly like family to her now.

She sighed, it had been a good year, a very good year. She was grateful for all of the love that Gil had showered on her. And was secure that he knew just how much she loved him. Maybe they were destined to be together, as it was in the midst of shattering what little friendship they had left that they'd found love.

On that morning when her confession of love had come tumbling from her lips, she'd first felt humiliated, stupid, to have such feelings for a man whose heart lay elsewhere. But as it brought forth his own confession of love, that feeling changed. Over the past year their feelings had deepened if anything. She took delight in doing the slightest things to please him, show him he was loved, from cooking his favourite breakfast, or sitting through a silent movie to losing herself in making love to him, no act was too small or too large to ensure he knew of her love.

Their friendship had strengthened too. Her initial fears about losing her confidant, her best friend had been unfounded. They had, as he'd predicted, disagreements, but they'd always found a way through them, just as he'd envisaged they would. Now that their feelings of love had been shared too, they had nothing hidden, no invisible line that could not be crossed, it gave them an intensity a deepening of their respect and trust in one another. A new level of friendship.

I've been wandering round
But I still come back to you
In rain or shine
You've stood by me girl

Gil smiled as he saw her return to the lab, a beaming smile on her face as she caught sight of him. To think he'd almost lost her, he didn't know how he would have survived if she had of left. She was a constant in his life, always there, always willing to support him when others were trying to nail him to the wall.

She was also a perpetual presence in his private life too. He could face the yearly functions the department demanded of his position, knowing she would be there beside him. He knew she would be the one to encourage him in life. Teaching him how to interact with a world he often found alien, too diverse from the certainties of the scientific world he liked to ensconce himself within.

When his attempts at finding a loving relationship had soured, he knew he'd find a welcome at her door, a restoration of his self worth in her company. She would start to heal the wounds that had been inflicted, enabling him to once more venture out.

Why hadn't he acknowledged his love for her earlier? He did not know. He was just relieved that he'd finally managed to voice his feelings before it was too late.

I'm happy, happy at home
You're my best friend.
You're the first one
When things turn out bad
You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one
And I love
The things that you do

As Catherine and Gil left the lab that morning, their contentment could barely be hidden. They waited until they were safe inside the Denali, before sharing their first kiss of the morning. As their lips joined and the tongues dueled, they drank in each other's presence. Breaking apart, they sighed.

"Thank you Gil." She smiled at her husband.

"For the kiss?"

She grinned, "No, for loving me, making me complete. This year as your wife, knowing we were together as one, has been wonderful. Thank you."

He took hold of her left hand; bringing it to his lips he kissed her ring finger. "Thank you. Thank you for loving me, for being my wife, my lover, and my best friend. With you by my side I will never be lost, you have taught me about love, given me a home, a reason to live. I love you."

"I love you." She grinned back at him. "Let's go home…hmm… three days, no cases, no morgue, no Ecklie. Just you and me."

He grinned back at her. His smile widening as her hand rested on his thigh. She turned her body so she was curled in her seat able to watch him as he drove them home.

As they entered the house, Gil sighed. "I never thought it would be so quiet here."

"So you don't like the place to ourselves? I can't call Lindsey back from her field trip, but I'm sure Nancy would let mom come home if I asked her." She raised her eyebrow at him.

Catching her look he launched his attack. Quickly grabbing hold of her, tickling her until she was squirming against him, begging him to stop. Without warning, he lifted her up carrying her to their bedroom, before gently laying her on the bed. "I didn't say I didn't like the place to ourselves. You can call your mother if you like, but that'll mean we won't be alone. I won't be able to show you in the safety, silence and security of our home how much I love you."

She reached up and kissed him. "I love my mom, but I love you more. I'm sure she's happy with Nancy."

"Good answer. I love you sweetheart."

"I love you too."

Yes it had been a very good year, and as later that morning they lay together, they were both secure in the knowledge that there would be many more just like it in their futures; as they had learnt that through loving someone and sharing that love, life only became sweeter.

You're my best friend
Ooo, you make me live.
I'm happy, happy at home
You're my best friend
You're my best friend
Ooo, you make me live
You, you're my best friend.

The End