"Catherine? Are you-"

"Look, just leave me alone right now before I say something I'll regret"

"You're mad at me" It was more an obvious statement than a question.

"Mad, furious, annoyed and a little angry"

"Then tell me why I was so wrong in my decision"

"Gil, just....leave me alone right now. That's all I ask of you"

"You're being unreasonable, Cath"

"Don't you start lecturing me about being unreasonable, Gil Grissom" was her harsh reply.

Grissom cringed. When Catherine used his first and last name like that, it meant trouble.

He just stood there in the break room doorway, hands in his pockets, watching his beloved friend and co-worker try her best to ignore and hate him.

"Cath?" he tried again, trying to meet her gaze. He hated to see her like this, especially if he was the cause of her anger and pain.

She didn't respond but instead stared at the break room table and shifted a little bit in her chair.

Against his better judgement, because he knew Catherine was lethal when she was mad, Grissom joined her at the break room table.

"What part of `leave-me-alone' don't you understand?" she muttered under her breath.

He sighed in despair, knowing the storm was far from being over. "I guess I must not have heard you" he quipped, tapping his ears, trying to bring a smile on her face.

She didn't smile however but her eyes softened as she looked up."You pulled rank on me, took me off the case.....A case I was this close to cracking!"

The anger started to boil up inside of her again.

Grissom frowned. "I didn't mean to pull rank on you like that, not in front of everybody but..." He started. "The four children. You were too involved and I-"

"I've been a CSI for a decade! You can't just throw me off a case like that"

"I can and I did" He said sternly, now more sure of himself. "I'm not going to apologize for this, Cath. I am your supervisor and if you have a problem with my authority, I-"

"I don't have a problem with you being my supervisor, Gil! How can you even think that?" Catherine spat, raising her voice. "God, why don't you understand: you found it necessary to explain to me exactly why you were taking me off the case in front of all my co-workers! A case.....my case. I had him, right there. He has to pay for what he did to those kids"

Grissom leaned back, a little intimidated by her anger. "I am sorry about the others being there to witness it" he muttered, finding it hard to look at her. "But I hope you understand that I had no choice but to take you off that case. If it were Sara, Nick or Warrick, I would have done the same " He saw her wince at that and immediately regretted saying it.

Everyone in the CrimeLab knew Grissom was always cutting Catherine more slack, not because she was his best CSI but his best friend as well. And perhaps even more, some suspected.

"Cath, You were getting too emotionally involved. I was afraid you were going to deck that guy in the interrogation room."

Catherine arched an eyebrow. "I sure as hell was ready to....but you know me, I wouldn't have. You of all people Gil.....you should have had more faith in me" She looked at him sadly.

"I consider you my equal, Cath. Not just as friends but on the job as well. And in a lot of things, you are my superior. This was a very hard decision for me to make but I had to protect you from yourself and this case"

She nodded but didn't respond to his statement.

"Now, I have to get back to the interrogation. We'll talk later, my house?" He said, then asked softly. "Are you gonna be okay?" When she didn't react he covered her hand with his.

Catherine looked up and nodded. "Yeah,......go get that guy"

"All right. I'll keep you informed" Grissom said, relieved that Catherine had calmed down.

He got up and with a last reassuring smile at her, he left the break room.

Grissom was already in the hallway when he heard Catherine call after him, "But next time you want to save me from myself, Gil,....don't!!"

He shook his head and couldn't help but smile. "She just had to say it"