He waits.

He watches.

He knows that his vigil is almost at an end, that finally he can be with her. But not yet. He has to be sure. It has to be perfect.

But he knows he can't spend forever like this, the temptation is beginning to overwhelm him. The temptation to touch, to take, to taste.

He can't remember when she became his obsession, but he knows he must have her. The other women, the ones from his past, they've been nothing compared to her. And he must change that, she is not his obsession. She is his love.

She will be. Soon.

She is different from the others, he can tell. The others held so much promise he thought, it still cuts him that he was so wrong. The first, Laura, she was so perfect. He had believed she was so perfect. But she ran from him, and that was unacceptable. And it caused him trouble, it shocked him. But she served her purpose, the practise was worthwhile. He hadn't realised there would be so much blood, that her body would fight him even in death. But he had won that time, and then the next time, and the next. And he had the taste now, and he was getting better. He was becoming an expert at his game. But his mistakes, the reason he was becoming so powerful, were just wrong choices. His power had been perfected for her, his match.

Catherine Willows.

Sometimes he sits here, watching her window, and he chants her name over and over. He knows that it is making her his. Knows that he is pulling her towards him. Sometimes she comes to the window, he knows it is for him. She is looking for him. She is waiting for him too.

So that is why he has plans to finalise now, he has a home to find for them. She'll need a fine home, somewhere the two of them can be alone. Somewhere they can be together. Somewhere they will not be disturbed. He was almost disturbed the last time, and failure with Catherine will not be acceptable.

It is failure with this woman he fears now. He has wanted her, known that she was meant for him, since that first time he saw her picture. The perfection of her face, bathed in the lights from the crime scene. He knew she was waiting for him out there. Knew she was waiting for him to finish her journey. Her journey to him and their destiny.

She is the first woman to accept him for what he is, for what they will become together.

She has started to leave him gifts. She was shy at first, perhaps uncertain as to whether he wanted her has he does. But she knows now, she leaves little tokens for him. He appreciates her thinking of him like this.

Today she left the best one yet. She teased him with it, hiding her gift at the bottom of her garbage. It took so many long minutes for him to find his prize. And then there it was, one of her hair bands. Her hair was still entwined with the strained elastic, so much of her left for him. He bagged her gift carefully, frightened that he might destroy the evidence of her love. It's waiting to be opened when he returns home, he will spend the day with her present. Inhaling her scent, learning the secrets of her body that she is leaving for him. He is impatient to learn all of her secrets.

He knows that he will learn everything, he knows that he has done everything right this time, and that she will be worth the wait. He knows she will not run from him, she wants him as much as he does her. She is waiting behind her wall, waiting for him to set her free.

He knows that he must prepare a home for her, but before she will come to live with him, enjoy their new life, he must end the life she is forced to live through now. She will thank him for her release

He needs to decide which one of the obstacles he should rid her of first.

The child should pose no problem. He will deal with her with ease, he has had enough practise now. He will take no pleasure from this, but it is necessary and it should be done soon.

The man might be more difficult. This man that is spending more and more time with his Catherine. The man she is replacing him with, the man he must erase. She is inside with him now, and if the pattern of the last few weeks is true, he will not leave until the child arrives home. She is spending time with the wrong man, taking what she can until they can be together.

It's his job now to bring them together. He has made his choice, so he will wait until the guy leaves. This Mr Grissom. He will follow him home, and he will remove the problem. Then he will move on to the next one.

He knows that his vigil is almost at an end, that finally he will be with her. So he waits...