"Hey." He heard footsteps coming closer to him but he didn't have to turn to know who was now by his side. "What are you doing?"

He pointed at the bloody shirt on the table. "Testing."

"I can see that..." She answered slowly.

He knew she was probably giving him a suspicious look but he wasn't about to give her the pleasure of figuring him out. Not yet, anyway. "Did you need something?" He asked calmly as he squeezed a few drops of liquid onto the test swab.

She didn't answer for a while. He figured she had found something else to lavish her attention on so he took a chance and looked up, only to find her still looking at him. It caught him off-guard so he quickly looked back at the bloody shirt and swab in his hand. "Gil?"

Shit. She never used his first name unless she was 'serious'. He didn't want to be serious right now. Not here. "Hmm?" He answered innocently.

"Are you ok?"

His hand went up to the covered bruise on his neck. "I'm fine."

"I wasn't talking about your neck."

"Oh." That was all he offered as he turned away from her, fiddling with one of the high-tech machines in the room.

"Is this about Sam's check?" She continued head-on, despite his lack of involvement with the conversation.

He stopped for a moment. He hadn't considered the possibility that she would bring that up again. "No." He shook his head slightly, then quickly added, "Nothing's wrong, Catherine."

"Right." She nodded, not completely convinced.

The air began to get stuffy, or maybe he was starting to flush because of the scarf he had kept around his neck to hide his bruise. Either way, it was too hot for his liking. "Catherine, go home."

"Trying to get rid of me?" She asked, not too amused.

"I'm trying to make sure you don't have an excuse next time to accuse of me never giving you any nights off early. Go home." He repeated.

She gave him one last suspicious look before she zipped up her jacket and left. He waited a few minutes, making sure she had really left, before putting down everything and closing his eyes. He inhaled deeply, feeling the warmth leave him. He was glad she had left but a little disappointed she had done so, so quickly. She probably had a date. With her new friend.

He shook his head, picking up a new cotton swab. What did he expect? For her to stick around to figure out his riddles when she had found something else -- somebody else -- more amusing?

Can't bring in the new without getting rid of the old, Grissom.

He glanced at the empty space beside him before continuing to swab the bloody shirt. It was going to be another long night.

*THE END*