"You look blue, Gil."

"Catherine, I was thinking. Sitting, peacefully in my office, thinking. You could knock, you know."

"I could, but I never have."

"Hmm. I'm shall have to engage in a learned behaviour experiment."

"Too late for that. Stop trying to change the subject, we were discussing that you look blue..."

No, you were commenting on my apparent blueness, I was suggesting that I was thinking."

"Right. Seriously, what's wrong?" You've been different lately. You seem... I don't know. That's why I'm asking, why are you blue?"

"Nothing is wrong mom, I'm tired. I'm just tired."

"No, I don't think that's it. You need some fun."

"I have plenty of fun, Cath."

"You need to get out into the world. You're off tonight, right? You should go out - enter the world of dating."

"Let me stop you right there."

"No. Listen. You need to get out of that place of yours."

"Cath, I might already have plans for the evening. You don't know everything about me, maybe I have date."

"I would know, Gil. And you don't, so stop arguing. Listen, I have a suggestion."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"No, this is a good one. Speed dating."

"And I'm supposed to know what that means because?"

"Because it's the latest thing. You turn up to the venue and you spend ten minutes with each of your 'dates'. And you pick the one you want."

"Sounds a little tragic, Cath. I don't need a dating agency."

"No, this isn't like that. It's supposed to be really good. It's an hour of your life, you talk to six interesting women for ten minutes and decide if you want to meet any of them again."

"No."

"It'll be fun."

"No."

"I'll arrange it all for you, all you need to do is turn up tonight."

"NO."

"Look if you try to have one word conversations with the women tonight you'll go home on your own. Say it with me, 'yes Catherine'."

"No Catherine. I don't know much about the world, but I do know you have to have crossed a certain line to need an agency to get you dates."

"Gil, this really isn't like that. It's for professional people who don't have time to date as much as they might want to."

"I'm not doing it Catherine."

"Oh, please? Then I'll find out if it works."

"No, and you can't make me."

"Excellent, I'll book you in now and give you the details as soon as I've got them."

I'm a sucker. A sucker for a beautiful smile. A sucker for Caths' smile. Why else would I be in this restaurant waiting to 'date' six women. I can't believe I'm doing this. The humiliation. Catherine is getting every crappy case for the rest of her career. Why did I let her bully me into this?

Well that's a stupid question. I would do anything for her, though I admit dating another woman is a weird way to proclaim my devotion... When she brought up the subject of my mood this morning I should have admitted my problem then. I should have admitted I was blue (am blue), because I miss Catherine. Not that there is anything to miss, we are now as we always were. We're friends, the best of friends, but nothing more. What I miss, what I yearn for, is the life I will never have. A life with Catherine. A romantic life with her, a shared life with her. The events of today confirmed to me that Cath could never, would never, share my hopes.

So my friend has set me up. My friend is trying to take care of me and is giving me a push out into the world. And I'm here. Not caring about the women I am about to meet, all I care about is Cath. That she cared enough to do this must mean something. It means I am her friend, so I will see this through for my friend. It's only an hour after all. My life won't change forever in an hour.

I feel ridiculous. What on earth do you say to a stranger which will convince them you should have a future together, in ten minutes? Anyway...

"Hi."

"Hi. How are you? I'm Louise. Louise Shields."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Gil Grissom."

"Well, Gil, you get bonus points already. You know you're the first guy in the room who has actually stood up to greet me. Nice to know there are some gentlemen left in the world. So, we should start. I'm Louise, but I told you that already, I work in human resources. I'm a good communicator, I enjoy meeting new people. I collect Barbie dolls, pink is my signature colour, as you can see. What else, I like to dance, I like meeting new people, did I mention that already? Look honey, we don't have much time. I'm here to find a husband, cause I want to have a baby in the next eighteen months."

Now, I have to confess, it was at that particular moment I started to tune out everything Louise was saying. I'm sure Cath promised me normal people came on these dates. Not desperate mad women, who wear Barbie t-shirts in a public place. Number two, at the very least, has got to be an improvement. I hope...

"Hi. I'm Gil."

"Glad to meet you Gil, I'm Amanda."

"Amanda, I have to confess this is my first time 'speed dating', I'm not sure what we should be discussing."

"Oh, don't worry honey. I've been here before, let me lead. What is it you do for a living?"

"Well. I'm a scientist. Actually, I... Well I'm a crime scene investigator here in Vegas."

"You mean you work on real crimes. Murders, dead bodies...?"

"Well that's part of what we do, but what..."

"Oh my goodness, I've read about you people. I think I might have watched you on the news. You see dead bodies at work, don't you? Wait, don't answer that. I'm sorry Mr Grissom, it was nice to meet you, and I'm sure you're very nice... But I couldn't have anyone touch me that touches dead people."

Very nice. I'm in the weirdo category this time. Women don't even want to spend ten minutes with me. Cath will pay for this. Number three better not look at me with that frightened expression in her eyes.

"Hi. I'm Susan. I'm a lawyer. I enjoy philosophy, tennis and baseball. There, I've just defined myself for you in a few seconds, could you do the same please."

Okay. Let's play.

"I'm Gil. I'm a waiter. I enjoy the novels of Jackie Collins. My favourite food is beer and I have twenty tattoos on my upper body."

"Interesting. But I'll stop you there Gil. You say you're a waiter, is that in one of the hotels here?"

"No, at a little diner on the highway, about..."

"Again, I'll stop you there. Gil, you have nice eyes, but I'm afraid there is no point in continuing this. I'm a lawyer, you're a waiter, we would not work. I need to meet a professional man. Sorry."

Well, I may as well have some fun if I'm to be prodded and poked for signs of my eligibility. May try out a career in snake charming for the entertainment of number four.

"Hi, I'm Catherine."

"Cath. What are you doing here? I have such a bone to pick with you. This is not going well, I thought you said these were..."

"Gil, you get ten minutes with me and that's the best you can do?"

"You're here doing this too?"

"I am. So, I'm Cath, and you are?"

"Annoyed with you. Why did I have to suffer if you were already planning on coming along to meet cute guys."

"'Cute guys'? Please don't say those words in a sentence. Really, it's too weird. I came along tonight to try and meet someone, but he seems to be insisting on arguing with me."

"You came to meet me?"

"I came for you."

"You look beautiful tonight Catherine."

"See. You can do it when you try. Thank you. You look good too."

"What is this, Cath?"

"I don't know, but I want to find out. What do you say?"

"I'm not sure Cath, I just met a really nice woman who collects dolls."

"Gil, don't play with me here. You've got about sixty seconds to convince me to leave here with you."

So I'll convince her. I lean across the table and I kiss her. But she does not respond, so I pull back to find my answer.

"Was that the wrong thing to do Cath?"

"No. It was a good start. Try again."

This time we both half rise out of our seats and the kiss is more frantic than I anticipated. Her lips are as wonderful as I've always imagined, soft and insistent. I can't believe I'm doing this.

"Can we leave here Gil? We're getting looks."

"Cath, I've got two more women to see before I leave."

"Gil, you know those are not words to win my heart, and if you want to..."

"I do, Cath. You know I do. Let's go."

And we rise together and begin to move through the restaurant, my hand rests on the small of her back as I meet the bemused looks. I know what they're thinking, I'm thinking the same thing. What on earth could a woman like Cath want with me? And I don't know, I can't believe I'm leaving with her either. I can't believe she has pursued me like this. But she has, and I am. And it feels like a beginning.

THE END