"Hey Cath, you solved the case, congrats." Gil Grissom walked up to colleague of over a decade and gave her a huge smile.

"Thanks." Catherine turned to Gil with a puzzled look on her face. "Remind me again, when did our job become to look up horny fifteen year olds?"

"Catherine." They stopped walking right in front of the lab and Catherine could see Greg checking her out for the 10th time that day.

"Gil, the girl he went after could have been Linds. Same age, same looks. For a moment there ..." She was shaking with just the idea that what happened to young Megan could happen to her own girl.

"I know, I wanted to kill that asshole, son of a .. too." A few tears left her eyes and she looked at him.

"I don't know why I'm so emotional about this." She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest.

"You can't help it. Emotional is just who you are Cath." She jerked away from him and looked at him with a confused look.

"Grissom!" She was shocked. Appalled! How could he say such a thing?

"What I mean is, you wouldn't be the Catherine Willows I watched grow from a drop dead gorgeous wild-child who was as lost as lost can be, to the beautiful butterfly that you are today, if you didn't feel something." *Phu* Saved my own ass there. But it was true. She was a beautiful butterfly to him.

"Aww Gil, I didn't know you had such a way with words." Her 300 watt smile was back on her gorgeous face.

"I have many hidden talents my dear." He winked at her and flashed her his "Cath" smile. He saw her mind disappear into the gutter as he prepared himself for her response.

"I know, and I got to know about six of them last night." She let her fingers softly, slowly touch his sides, tickling him.

"Willows!" The voice came from behind them. God she hated that voice.

"Urgh Ecklie." Her distaste for the man was obvious and dripping off her tounge. She turned with a fake smile on her face. "Conny!"

"Huh?" Conrad Ecklie, not exactly the smartest or most lovable guy in the world. But he did like Catherine Willows, and hated that she was always hanging around that doofus Gil Grissom.

"Icklie, Ecklie!" Damn, she though, you don't need to get fired right now.

"You're looking particulary beautiful today Willows." Gil wanted to wipe that silly, phony grin off his face. He hated when Ecklie looked at Catherine.

"What do you want Ecklie?" She let her head fall to the side awaiting his usual response.

"Supervisor. Dayshift. You. You up?"

"For the billionth time, no!" She let the ooo drag out a little bit.

"Catherine and mine's situation is perfect the way it is Conrad." He put his hand on Catherine's back and started leading her towards the break room. Ecklie's voice stopped them.

"Oh I bet it is Grissom." There was that phony grin again.

"What's that tone supposed to mean?" The usual puzzled Grissom look.

"That Catherine wasen't doing half your job, you'd be in the unemployment line for screwing someone under you. Litterally." He walked towards his office again.

"You don't get fired for ... Damn, read the work agreement Ecklie." He led Catherine towards his own office and closed the door.

"You know, he partially right. You could get in trouble if people knew you were my ... boyfriend." She didn't know if that was the right word for this conversation, but what the heck.

"Is that what I am? Aren't I a little too old for ... 'boyfriend'?" He sat down in his work chair.

"You don't consider me your girlfriend?" She sat in front of him on her usual spot on his desk.

"Of course. But you're young, sexy and hip. I'm just a boring old man with a beard and lines." He threw in a fake pout to give the right affect.

"And I love every single line in this face." She put her hands on his handsome face and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Glad to hear it. See you at home?" He gently caressed her thigh and watched her jump off and walk towards the door.

"I'll bring the movie, you bring Lindsey and your cute little self." She stopped dead in her tracks and turned mouthing to him.

"Cu..."

"Sexy... Sexy little self" He immidiatly corrected himself. She hated being called cute. A dog was cute, a cat maybe, not her. Catherine Willows was not 'cute'.

"Love you bugman." She winked at him as she closed the door to her new office.

"Love you too grasshopper." He knew at that moment that he was the luckiest guy on the planet.