Just thirty more minutes and the shift would finally end. They are all gathered in the break room having nothing else to do. Nick and Warrick has found yet another amusing time in playing video games, Sara sat quietly eating an apple as she engaged herself with her newly subscribed Forensics magazine, Grissom sat by the end of the table answering yet another advanced level crossword puzzle but somehow he can't keep his focus on the puzzle he is working on for instead his eyes would always seek and stare the strawberry blonde seated opposite him busily applying make-up.

Catherine finally got tired of her friend staring her and she's starting to feel uncomfortable about it, "Grissom, stop staring at me."

Sara lifted her eyes from the magazine; she tried to stifle her chuckle with a cough as she saw her boss' flushed cheeks. Grissom's embarrassment did not go unnoticed by Catherine as well so she decided to give him a hand and make things easier for him, "If your not comfortable with me doing my make up here, just tell me I can go to the locker room instead."

"No, no. Um. It's okay."

Catherine applied the finishing touches on her lipstick and smiled at herself in the hand mirror.

Sara closed her magazine and looked at Catherine.

"So where is he taking you? What's he's name again?"

"Larry."

"Larry? I thought it's something with a R"

"Oh you mean Raynold!"

"So this is a new guy?"

"Its a different guy, yes."

"Why do you have so many boyfriends?"

"Sara, they are not boyfriend, I'm just dating this guys"

Catherine corrected her.

"I don't see the point of dating."

The two women turned to look at their the man who just gave he's opinion as he kept his concentration on the crossword puzzle not knowing that all eyes in the room are on him.

Nick and Warrick has stopped playing, their attention was caught when the man spoke, they've never heard Grissom say anything with regards to dating before.

"What do you mean?" Catherine questioned. Grissom placed the crossword puzzle down and faced her, "Well, what's the point of dating anyway?"

"Well it's eventually how you get to know your potential partner. How else will you know the person?"

The three younger CSIs decided to just watch the senior CSI's discussion of dating.

"I don't know about you, but me, I've always had this gut feeling."

"Gut feeling?" Nick wondered out loud.

Grissom turned to face the three younger CSIs and then back to Catherine, "Yea, when I meet someone or even at one sight, I have an instinctive feeling of what could be ahead" Grissom stated plainly.

Everybody in the room were all surprised, their boss has never shared his personal life that openly before.

"Terri Miller?"

Catherine asked with a quirked eyebrow. Grissom was aware that there were other people in the room and he would not have wanted to go to the road where Catherine is taking it under other circumstances but the way she looked at him was in some form of a challenge.

"I was attracted to her"

"What did you thought at the first sight of her?"

"I am definitely going to see her."

Catherine rolled her eyes on her friend's cockiness, Sara and Warrick chuckled but Nick was left confused, "You dated her?!"

"A word of advice. Try not to let it so obvious that you have totally no idea of the things happening around here." Sara mocked which earned her a glare from him.

"Lady Heather?" Catherine asked challengingly

"Notable love interest." Grissom sighed.

"Okay what about, when you met Warrick?"

"I thought we're talking about dates here, how did I become included?" Warrick protested

"Well Grissom says he has an instinctive feeling when he meets someone, so technically that would mean everybody he's met." Catherine reasoned and then turned her attention to the man being questioned, "Someone I can trust." He answered plainly.

"Nick?"

"Determined man."

"Sara?"

"Sharp and incorrigible, she would be great in the team"

As far as Catherine could see, Grissom's `gut feelings' all turns out to be right. "Greg?"

Grissom sighed and massaged his temple for a brief moment, "With just one sight I knew that kid would give me a headache."

"Obviously all your gut impressions are impressively accurate."

There was cheeky grin in Grissom's face, "But I think he has great potential." He then added, and Catherine nodded in agreement, true Greg Sanders maybe one of the most peculiar person in the lab but he is undeniably good.

Seeing that nobody remembered to ask, Sara stepped forward in asking, "And Catherine?"

"Yea Griss, what did you though after I berated you?" Catherine was eye to eye to her supervisor

*****Flashback 20 years and 2 weeks ago******

It was a beautiful morning in Las Vegas. Catherine and Stephanie walked in the streets of Las Vegas with poise. Catherine was feeling more confident than normal, she knew how beautiful she looked that day, she was wearing the most expensive top she has, she saved her four months salary for it and every time how perfectly it fit her she knew the clothe deserved the price she needed to pay for it.

His shift just ended, he could not remember the last time he caught a good sleep and now all he wants is to have his coffee and go to sleep.

Catherine and Stephanie rounded the corner making their way to the coffee shop.

Grissom was on his way out with a coffee at one hand, while the other opened the door, the newspaper he was trying to hold between his arms fell, and he squatted to reach for it.

Catherine opened the door to the coffee shop.

As Grissom stood up and turn around he did not notice that there was someone there, his delicious hot coffee found its mark on Catherine's valuable pink top.

"What the hell!!!!" Catherine exclaimed as she felt the hot wet liquid on her top

"Oh, I'm sorry miss. I'm so sorry" Grissom apologized

"Are you blind?! Look at what you did!!" she yelled at him, not caring if they were in a public place

"I am really sorry." Grissom grabbed his handkerchief and tried to wipe some of the coffee off of the woman's arms.

"Don't touch me you dope! Look at what you did!!"

"I am really sorry"

"You ruined it!"

"I'll just pay for it"

"Pay for it?! This! This was the last piece, I could never get another one of this again, do you realize that you asshole!"

"Hey! I said I was sorry!"

"Well that won't take this coffee stain on my shirt would it?"

Stephanie finally decided to cut in, she knew her friend would not stop screaming at the man, she also noticed that the owner of the coffee shop is already on his way on their direction, "Catherine, Catherine, come on let's go." Stephanie led her out the coffee shop.

*****End of flashback*****

The three younger CSIs burst into laughter as the story telling ended.

"So Gil, what did you think of me then?"

"I thought you were the most unbelievably harsh woman"

"Wait a minute, I thought you guys met in a case?" Warrick asked

"Well we didn't really MET at that incident, I had no idea of his name all I could remember was that he ruined my top, anyways we did met again a week later in a case, with a little more politeness."

"And a little less coffee." Grissom added.

Finally it was the end of the shift, Nick was the first out of the room who was soon followed by Warrick and Sara, which left the two senior CSIs alone.

"I thought you have a date?" Grissom asked noticing that Catherine has yet made a move on leaving. Catherine turned to face him; there was sadness and disappointment in her eyes which was very noticeable by Grissom.

"So, Um. Gil."

"Hmm?"

"That's what you really thought the first time you saw me?"

The lightness and cheerful mood they had upon the reminiscing their meeting has now changed, obviously Catherine was deeply bothered of the fact that Grissom's `gut feeling' of her was that she was harsh.

"No." he answered plainly, there was puzzlement shown in all of Catherine's features.

"But you said – "

"You asked me of what I thought when you berated me."

Catherine cocked an eyebrow.

"That wasn't the first time I saw you."

"It wasn't?"

"No."

Before Catherine could ask anymore questions, Grissom stood up and headed to his office, Catherine was left all alone in the break room thinking hard as to where she could have possibly met or seen Grissom for the first time if not in that coffee shop.

Ten minutes later, Catherine gave up and decided to just ask him, she walked her way to the all to familiar path to her friend's office, as she reached it she found the door slightly opened, she walked inside and saw Grissom fully concentrated on his paperwork that he has not given her presence any acknowledgement.

"Gil."

Grissom looked up to see her walking towards him, he placed the folder he was working on down as Catherine sat by his side on the edge of the table.

"Refresh my memory."

"Your memory to what?"

"To where EXACTLY we first saw each other."

"Well, the coffee shop story as I know you can recall perfectly"

"But I thought you said that wasn't the first time you saw me."

"I said that."

"I'm not following."

"I saw you before that but you didn't see me."

"Oh."

There was silence in the room, Grissom knew what was coming and frankly he fears for it, he could and would never dare to tell her what his GUT FEELING was the first time he saw her.

"Tell me."

"No Catherine."

"Gil!" she whined with a pout

"I'm entitled to my privacy." He said as he stood up and walked to the drawer of files on the other end of the room.

"You must really think of me that badly huh" Catherine said as her gaze followed Grissom.

"That's not true." He replied as he turned around to face her again.

"Yea right! You don't want to tell me coz your afraid you'd hurt me, that's how badly you have thought of me!"

"No!" Grissom protested.

Catherine looked the other way, "Catherine." She didn't look at him; her arms are crossed in front of her chest, she then stood up and left the room without a word.

Grissom just sighed and closed his eyes, if he told her of the truth he knew it could mean the end of their friendship.

**********

Catherine entered Grissom's office to hand him her report on a case, she placed it on his desk along with the other pile of paperwork laid there without a word, Grissom looked up at Catherine's retreating form. "Catherine" he called out.

It has been three days since the little talk they had about his gut feeling, and until now Catherine is still giving him a cold hand, he knew that Catherine would eventually get over it but its taking too long for her to get over it and he can't take it anymore. She's been acting like he doesn't exist, she looks at him coldly and whenever he tries to have a conversation with her, she manages to find herself an excuse to leave.

Catherine halted.

"You really want to know?"

She turned to face him, "Are you going to tell me?"

"Only if you promise we'd stay friends, and that you won't slap, hit or inflict any kind of pain on me."

"You're being ridiculous! It must really be that bad"

"It really depends on how you'll look at it."

"Is it true?"

"It's the only inaccurate one sight, gut feeling I've ever had."

"Oookay. So tell me, I want the whole story."

"It was a week before the coffee incident… "

*****Flash back 20 years and 3 weeks ago*****

His shift just ended, on his way home he remembered that his kitchen has been empty for a while now and so he decided to have a short trip to the grocery store.

As he got a cart, he walked his way first towards the fruit and vegetable section, when he got their he froze and stared at the woman standing there surveying vegetables. A tug of smile came on his lips, and not knowing any explanation as to why but there was only one thing that came in his mind: That is the woman that I'm going to marry.

With that one sight he unintentionally came to only one conclusion.

He started walking towards her but then she turned and left, he was about to follow her when he saw another man came to her and lean in for a kiss – the man he later learned as Eddie Willows.

********End of Flash back********

"Say that again please?"

"Say what?"

"Your first thought when you saw me"

"I already told you!"

"Please!"

Grissom sighed, his cheeks are flushed and he has totally no idea of where this is going.

"I want the exact words"

"NO!!"

"Please! Please, please! I promise I won't bug you about it ever again!"

He knew that if he doesn't give in now she wouldn't stop till he does.

"Fine!"

Catherine grinned.

"That is the woman that I'm going to marry."

Catherine just looked at him with a genuine smile and Grissom didn't know how to react, he gulped hardly and nervously. "Soo.. you're not mad?"

"I can't be mad at you for having THAT KIND of first impre - oh sorry, GUT FEELING on me!"

"You do know that my gut feeling never changes"

Catherine quirked an eyebrow

"But that doesn't mean I'm always right, I mean, what I've just told you is a proof that my gut feelings are not 100 percent accurate."

Catherine stood up from her position on Grissom's desk. "What are you saying?"

Grissom's pager went off and he secretly thanked God for saving him. "It's Brass, I have a 419" he said quickly but Catherine would not just let the subject drop. She blocked his way and looked at him squarely in the eye.

"Gil. Please. No more secrets."

The mood has suddenly become sentimental, and both of them knew that now that they've entered this line of discussion there is no point in going back.

"We're friends Cath. Best of friends, and well, that gut feeling that I had, I would always hope for it though I know it'll not happen."

"You will stop hoping"

"I can't. I know it won't come true, but I can't, and it's okay."

"No it's not okay."

"I'm sorry but I can't stop myself Catherine."

Catherine walked closer to him, his head is bowed down feeling ashamed, feeling exposed.

"I can." Catherine lifted his chin with her hands, she then smiled to him and brought him closer to her, he leaned in to her and their lips finally met.

Their lips brushed ever so gently, she then whispered with her lips only a few inches from him, "You don't have to hope for something if it already comes true."

"Catherine I .."

He was still having a hard time on saying it, he's just not used to voicing out his feelings. Catherine knowing him as much just smiled at him, "I know Gil. And I love you too."

Again their lips met this time the kiss was passionate, and deeper. It was more loving and longing.

As the kiss ended, he smirked at him and said, "Looks like I'm keeping my impressive gut feeling a hundred percent accurate."

"Yea, I guess you will."

=END