"Catherine" Grissom began slowly, a little uncomfortable with breaking the silence in his office.

He tilted his head to the side and patiently waited until his co-worker looked up from the stack of paperwork they'd both been working on for the last two hours. Filling out forms wasn't exactly their favorite way to pass time, but it was something that needed to be done. "What's your...take on Valentines Day?"

Catherine arched an eyebrow at his question. It wasn't that she wasn't used to him asking weird questions, but that he found it necessary to ask her about Valentines Day, of all days, while they were finishing up on several cases. " My....take?"

"Yes" Grissom said, leaning back in his chair and removing his glasses. He slowly began to polish them as he stared at the ceiling.

Catherine shook her head and shrugged. "I ....don't know. It's not like Friday the 14th is my favorite day of the entire year, but I don't hate it either"

"Hm hmm" He responded.

"Why?" She turned in her chair so she could face him, although he still was focussing all of his attention on the ceiling.

Grissom didn't answer immediately but did return his attention back to Catherine. He continued to watch her silently for a couple of seconds, then said, "I was just thinking of last year's Valentines Day" A small, knowing smile crossed his features.

"Why? What happened last year?" she asked, chewing on her pen.

"You don't remember" He stated.

"I remember it being my first Valentines Day without Eddie. Which means my first Valentines Day without a box of cheap chocolates, some cheap red wine and me looking ever `cheaper' in something that he bought me." Catherine huffed.

Grissom smiled again and tried to force the images of Catherine in something that had Eddie had bought for her, out of his mind. "Last year, a grand total of 6 murders in one shift"

"Ah, how could I forget" Catherine called out mockingly.

"And after we solved all of them, you and I went to that restaurant"

Suddenly, Catherine's eyes lit up and Grissom knew she remembered. "Ooh right! That Mexican place were the waiter kept calling me Mrs Grissom"

"Did he really?" He replied in fake surprise.

She pointed her pen at him accusingly, "You know he did, Gil. I'm not making this up"

"I really don't recall him calling you Mrs Grissom, Cath. If he had, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered."

The teasing tone of his voice and his sparkling blue eyes told Catherine a different story and laughing, she leaned in to slap him on the shoulder. "Quit that. I'm the tease, not you"

He chuckled and held up his hands in defence. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Why not? I thought you liked a little pain every now and then"

Grissom literally gasped for air at her comment, knowing very well she meant his fascination for Lady Heather, a dominatrix.

Catherine laughed at his burnings cheeks and widened eyes. "Come on. Don't look so shocked! It was so obvious that you liked her"

Grissom scraped his throat, finding himself in the familiar situation, once again. He didn't know what to say because of a sharp comment made by Catherine, so he had to remain silent.

She chuckled and shook her head at him. "Hey, its fine by me. I don't mind your attraction to the dark side. Who am I to judge, right?"

He nodded softly, frowning. Catherine rolled her eyes and returned her attention back to the paperwork. Obviously, he couldn't handle jokes about his `thing' with Lady Heather.

"Ever wondered why I...........like Lady Heather ?"

Catherine looked up and grinned. "Maybe because she has a whip and wears tight, black outfits?"

"No!"

"Then I'm clueless"

Grissom stared at her intensely. "She's smart, beautiful, strong, independent..." he said softly. "Remind you of anyone?"

"Me, myself and I actually" Catherine joked and winked at him playfully.

"Exactly" He replied slowly, already impatient for her reaction.

Catherine's head snapped up. "......What?"

"Exactly"

"Gil, I heard what you said...but...."

"You think it's strange that I find you smart, strong, independent and beautiful?"

Catherine pulled up her brows. "Yes. No. I just..."

"You are all of the above...and much more" He interjected.

"I think you're under the influence of the Valentines Day hype, aren't you? The teddy bears, the chocolates, the `roses are red' cards.....it must have gone to your head"

"Why would you say that?" Grissom asked frowning.

"We've just established the fact that you like Lady Heather. And the reasons why you like her.......and now, you're trying to tell me.. she reminds you of me?"

"I hate to repeat myself, but `Exactly'."

Catherine just stared at him, finally putting 2 and 2 together. "So last year. The restaurant, getting a table last minute. That was planned? And the waiter insisting on calling me `Mrs Grissom'. And the roses I got that day from a secret admirer.............you?

"Well.........yes." Grissom admitted.

Catherine began to laugh. "Well, I'm glad you're such a subtle Casanova, Gil, because it only took me a year to find out"

He chuckled and saw his chance, "What do you have planned for Friday?"

"I have a date, actually" she admitted, carefully.

He nodded, trying to hide his disappointment from her while he felt his heart sink. "May I ask who the lucky guy is?"

"My husband"

Grissom stared at her confused. "You mean your....ex- husband?" He was afraid to ask and terrified of the answer. He needed to know though, if Eddie was back in her life.

"No" Catherine said with a smirk.

He couldn't believe she found this amusing. "Then what are you talking about Catherine?"

"I tried to be as subtle as you" She said, getting up from her chair and heading for the door.

"You're not eve married!" He tried, rising from his chair.

Catherine had already opened the door and looked over her shoulder. "According to a certain Mexican waiter I am."

With that said and a teasing look that made the man's heart flutter, Catherine closed the door and left the office, leaving behind a very relieved and smiling Grissom.

The End