Catherine was bent over in her kitchen, checking on the lasagna that was bubbling in the oven. She was expecting the CSI gang over for dinner in a few minutes and was running late. Luckily for her, the lasagna looked to be about done. Placing the garlic bread on a baking sheet, she put it in the upper oven.

Team A of the nightshift CSI tried to get together about once a month for dinner and drinks. It was a time to relax and unwind, away from the pressures of work. They took turns hosting the dinner and tonight it was her turn. Over the last few years, for various reasons, they'd become each other's family. One of them being that no one had any blood relatives in Las Vegas. They'd discovered quite a lot about each other during the course of these dinners and the few drinks that went with them.

Walking over to the refrigerator, Catherine began reviewing the menu for the evening. "Lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and wine for who wants it," she mused.

"Talking to yourself again?" The voice came from behind her and she whirled around, emitting a startled squeak.

"God, you scared me!" Catherine placed one hand on her chest and held the other out to Gil, as if to ward him off. "Don't do that again."

Gil chuckled as he set the grocery sacks on the counter. "I think I've got everything. Plus a bonus." He tossed her a can of whipped cream.

Catherine caught the can in mid-air and looked at him confused, one eyebrow raised. "What's this for?"

Gil snorted, "Don't tell me you've forgotten already."

"I'd uh, I had forgotten about that," Catherine said slightly embarrassed and turned to put the can in the refrigerator.

Amused to see her flustered, Gil continued to empty the sacks. It wasn't often that he saw her in that state and it made him chuckle.

Walking over to him, she attempted to make her voice stern. "Keep it up, Bugman and the whipped cream stays in the fridge."

Raising his hands in mock surrender he exclaimed, "No! Please, anything but that. Besides you promised me, if I was good…" his voice trailed off.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she reached up and placed a kiss on his mouth. "I was drunk, I deny everything."

Catherine deepened the kiss and let her tongue tangle with his. Her hands wandered lower and rested on his rear, pulling him closer to her. She didn't think she would ever get tired of the feel of his body against hers. Pulling back a bit, she said softly, "Tonight's the big night. Are you ready"

Gil took a deep breath and nodded. They'd been dating for a few months, if that is what you wanted to call it. In all actuality, they had been out on an official date very few times. Most of their time had been spent at either her place or his and most of the time in the company of Lindsey. He didn't mind; he loved the little girl who sometimes seemed too mature for her years. They had managed to keep their personal lives from their coworkers, but tonight had decided to go public. Gil was surprised that no one had approached them about it before. The sex between them was incredible, and they could hardly keep their hands off of each other. They did observe some decorum when Lindsey was around, but after she was in bed asleep or over at Eddie's, all bets were off. Catherine joked once that they were like horny teenagers. He'd all but moved into her house; the length of their friendship had made the transition from friends to lovers incredibly easy. Lindsey seemed to love having him around, although she did wrinkle her nose in disgust if she caught them kissing.

"Are we sure about this?" Gil asked her.

"Well, we don't need to put a banner over the front door announcing that we're having sex, but it'll come out somehow." Catherine shrugged her slim shoulders. "Plus you know Lindsey, she's bound to say something. Besides, I don't want to spend the whole night devising a way for us to sneak off and steal some kisses." She hopped up onto the counter, her favorite spot to sit and watch while he cooked dinner. She grasped his hand and pulled him over to her. "We still have a few minutes before the doorbell rings. What do you say we spend it making out? Maybe it'll tide us over for a few hours." She waggled her eyebrows at him suggestively.

Gil ran his hands up the outside of her thighs to her waist, nibbling along her neck. "More than likely it will leave me hungry for more. And I'll be the one trying to hide the hard-on in my pants." He moved his mouth to hers, tugging gently on her bottom lip. "Who's idea was this dinner anyway?" he muttered, raising his hands to her head, tangling in her hair and pulling her closer.