Grissom peered over the top of his sunglasses, watching with thinly veiled interest the activity at the other end of the pool. He was lying back on his chaise lounge smiling slightly at the scampering group, equal parts children and adults. Currently Nick had a child over each shoulder and was running around, albeit carefully. He was chasing Greg, who had suffered enough razzing from the youngsters to last him a lifetime. They had made fun of and messed with his hair, tickled him mercilessly, and were now trying to shove him into the water. When they finally succeeded, the melodic laughter from beside him pulled his attention from the sputtering lab tech.

Catherine smiled at Greg as he bobbed in the water with the children, then turned when she felt someone watching her. She looked to her right and there was Gil, looking intently at her. At least she thought he was; his sunglasses hid where his actual gaze lay.

"Gil?"

When his head didn't move, just a single eyebrow that quirked above the frame of his glasses, she knew he had been looking at her.

"Yes?"

"Everything okay?"

He smiled, and she felt her heart skip a beat like a swooning schoolgirl. He gave a little shrug, then swiveled his gaze back to rest on the antics in the water.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about how lucky Lindsey is."

Catherine took a calming breath and nodded, even though he couldn't see it.

"Yes she is. She's got great friends, kid and adult."

"I was actually referring to her wonderful mother."

She blushed furiously, and of course he chose this moment to turn and look at her again. Seeing her flush, he grinned even wider, but didn't say anything. Instead he watched as Nick walked up to them, shaking his head like a dog. The water sprinkled on Cath and Gil, causing all three of them to laugh.

"Hey! Watch it, Nicky!"

Nick returned the good-natured smile, plopping rather ungracefully in the chair next to Catherine.

"It's a pool party, Gris! You didn't honestly expect to stay dry, did you?"

Before he could answer, Nick cut him off.

"And speaking of, what is up with you just sitting here? It's hotter `n hell out here, and the water feels great."

Once again Grissom was prevented from responding, this time by Lindsey who ran up and jumped on his legs. Straddling his knees, she dripped water all over him.

"Nicky, watch your language in front of my friends!"

He smiled sheepishly, raising his hands in acquiesce, but she had already moved on.

"He's right, Uncle Gil, you have to swim with us! All my friends want to hear about your bugs, but they want to stay in the pool, so you have to come with me. Come on!"

She started pulling at his shirt, trying to manipulate the fabric over his head. Feeling more than a little uncomfortable about being undressed by a 10 year-old, Gil stilled her hands with his own.

"Okay, okay Lindsey. Why don't you go back to your friends, and I'll be right there, okay?"

Content with his idea, she pulled her hands from beneath his to brace them on his chest as she leaned up to place a quick kiss on his mouth. Scrambling back off his lap, she jumped in the pool and doggy-paddled to her friends who were currently draping over Warrick as he tried desperately to keep his head above the water. Grissom sighed, running a now wet hand through his hair. He removed his sunglasses, but seemed hesitant to do much else. Catherine noticed this, and leaned in to speak to him without Nick hearing.

"What's wrong, Gil?"

He couldn't come up with a feasible lie, so he just told her as much as he felt comfortable with.

"You know how I am in social situations Cath. And a pool party? C'mon, you have to know how...weird...this is for me."

Of course, she knew the heart of the issue. Yes it was his insecurity, but it had nothing to do with his social skills, or lack thereof. Shaking her head, she pushed her sunglasses on top of her head, and stood.

"Stand up."

He looked up at her in surprise. She rolled her eyes, this time gesturing sharply to make her point.

"Stand up."

He complied, and before he could ask why, she had grabbed the hem of his shirt and forced it roughly over his head, throwing it on his chair. His arms had been pushed above his head with the force of her action, fallen limply at his sides, then quickly found their place crossed over his chest. Nick watched in shock, as did Grissom, who was also bright red from embarrassment.

"Jesus, Catherine, what the hell?!"

She gave him a sharp look for using coarse language in front of the kids, but they hadn't noticed.

"You were uncomfortable about having to take your shirt off in front of everyone, so I did it for you."

The expression on his face was as clear as if he had voiced the thought himself. Busted. He looked at the cement under his feet, but her arms cut into his view as she reached over to pull his arms away from his chest. She kept a hold of his hands and squeezed them comfortingly, not caring how this looked to the people who were watching.

"Gil, these people are you friends. They're not judging how you look, and even if they were, there's nothing negative for them to think."

He could actually feel his ears burning, and he was sure they as red as a stop sign.

"Cath, I'm not...."

"Hey, you've got nothing to be ashamed about, okay? I'm not just saying this because I'm your friend."

What she wasn't saying was that as soon as he stood in front of her in just his swimming trunks, she almost couldn't stop herself from reaching out and running her hands along his torso. He wasn't as buff or toned as Nick and Warrick, nor was he scrawny like Greg. He was solid. Not heavy, he just filled out his frame. Nicely. His stomach wasn't toned, but he definitely did not have a `gut' like most middle-aged men. She was sure that had she seen him 10 or 15 years ago, he could've given Nick a run for his money.

"Look Gil, I hate to break it to you, but these guys...they're about 15 years younger than you. You're not going to have a body like they do; it's just a fact of life. But believe me, I have seen guys your age, and you look just fine."

All the compliments were starting to give him a sort of heady high, but he couldn't help grumbling a little more.

"Yeah, but...I mean, look at Nick. He's all...smooth and shiny...and...."

"Been checkin' Nicky out?"

He rolled his eyes, and shook his head in frustration.

"No! God! But, I mean..."

She laughed, then turned to look at Nick over her shoulder. He had been watching with interest, and had that distinct feeling of being caught when she made eye contact. That feeling turned into one discomfort, when he watched her eyes rake up and down his body.

"What?"

Catherine laughed, happy to see someone else squirming for the moment.

"So...what's going on there, Nicky? Did you shave for the party, or...?"

He rubbed a hand over his chin, but froze when she raised an eyebrow and once again let her gaze slide down his body.

"What?! No! No!! I didn't shave my chest, if that's what you're asking! Or my stomach, or anything else in the...middle section. I don't know, I just don't have hair...there."

She turned back to see Grissom's reaction, and he looked like he believed himself to be an ogre or something equally hideous. Never taking her eyes off his down-turned face, Catherine smiled.

"That's too bad. Guys with a little bit of hair on their chests are sexy."

At that Grissom's head snapped up, mirroring Nick's reaction. Neither of the older CSI's noticed Nicky, though, because both were focusing solely on each other. Letting one corner of his mouth quirk up ever so slightly, Gil probed Catherine's eyes with his own, hunting for her thoughts.

"Really?"

"Really. Not a lot, mind you. Not like Alec Baldwin hairy, or something. But just a little on the chest...and down on the stomach."

She smiled, glad to see him coming out of his funk. She placed her hand on his chest, her body blocking Nick's view of her actions. Lightly she traced her fingers down his torso, fingernails scraping.

"Yep, it definitely gives a guy a very masculine quality. I wouldn't call it rugged, just...male."

When her nail rasped over his navel he nearly gasped aloud. He tried frantically to keep the small children in mind to prevent himself from getting too stimulated by her actions. After all, the last thing he wanted was for Lindsey and her friends, not to mention their coworkers, to see him in what he and his fellow scientists would call an "agitated state." She smiled impishly at the effect she was having on him, and dragged her fingers back up his body before she could reach the top of his shorts. She finally rested her hand directly over his heart, feeling the fierce pounding beneath her palm. Taking a deep breath, his heart rate slowed back to normal, and he reached up to wrap his fingers around her hand still against his skin. Behind her, Nick rambled off some sort of excuse, before fleeing in a state of complete bewilderment and unease.

"I should probably go tell Lindsey's friends about my bugs."

Catherine grinned, stepping back to try to quell some of the feelings thundering through her body. He kept her hand in his, bringing it up to press a brief kiss to her palm. He turned to go meet up with the children, but turned almost immediately back around to face Cath.

"Lindsey's spending the weekend with her grandparents, right?"

She nodded, confused by why he was bringing this up.

"Yeah, Ed's parents are picking her up in a couple hours, why?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe you and I could have a private pool party."

He gave her his typical mischievous raised eyebrow to which she responded with her own knowing smile.

"Sounds like a good idea, but where? We can't exactly stay here, I don't think Warrick would appreciate us hanging around his apartment complex pool."

He started walking away, but not before tossing her a quick reply over his shoulder.

"I hear the Marriot down on Rampart Boulevard has a very nice pool. Nice rooms, too."