Catherine Willows stood up from her seat and stretched her now numb body. She has finally finished her paperwork, and could finally go home. She grabbed her purse, closed the lights and shut her office door behind her. She then headed to get some coffee before leaving, and as she was on her way to the break room she saw her former supervisor's office door slightly open. It has been a little over a week since she has seen him and so she decided to say hi, she knocked lightly and peeked her head on the door, "Hey!"

Gil Grissom looked up from what he was reading to meet the strawberry blonde's, blue eyes. "Hi." he greeted her with a smile, Catherine sauntered towards him and settled herself on the opposite chair.

"Why aren't you in the field?" she asked with all curiosity, Grissom raised his hand to gesture towards all the paper works he has to finish.

She sighs and nods understandingly, "So, what are you wearing tomorrow night?" she asks slickly changing the subject.

"Tomorrow night?"

"The Valentines party, all of us is invited."

"Oh. The masquerade ball."

"Yes. The masquerade ball. It's been a long time since I've been in one."

"Really?" he asks whilst leaning down on his chair.

"Yea. Did you know that I once met this guy on one of those masquerade parties, he is so amazing."

"Tell me about it."

~*~

It's a beautiful night, most especially for those people who are about to attend the most talked about party of the night. Roxanne Welst, the only daughter of a wealthy businessman just experienced a third degree burn from her love life, and so she has decided that tonight ­ on the fourteenth of February ­ Valentines Day, she would be hosting an open party for all singles in her mansion. This party is for the loveless ­ but is very different from those singles party that are being held for desperate purposes of finding a love life, for this is for those people who doesn't want commitment, for those who are single ­ by choice.

For people who are single, those who are looking for love, for those who are just looking for companion, for those who want to have fun with someone BUT is not ready for any commitment. Ms. Welst has decided to host a masquerade party.

`ONE NIGHT STAND'

That's the theme of the party. No strings, no attachments, and as to add more fun no faces to remember ­ nothing but voices and masks.

Everybody moved towards the dance floor dancing and chatting with people they don't know, everybody but a woman dressed as a fairy whose face if covered by a mask big enough to cover her face and make it unrecognizable.

The fairy silently watched as her girl friends danced the groove in the dance floor, she looked around and found herself greatly amused with people's extraordinary costumes, it's a shame that she can't see their faces, but then again that's the main reason it's a masquerade party isn't it? Her girlfriends are the one who has insisted that she come with them, she wasn't really in the mood on attending the party, or any party for that matter. A few weeks ago, she has found herself banning men from her life. And now she's here on a masquerade ball wishing she were with someone.

She glanced through out the room and her blue eyes met another. From the other end of the room, another pair of blue eyes is darting back at her, they held each other's gaze for a few moments and then he was gone. Her eyes surveyed the room in search of those eyes but she couldn't see them.

She then sighed and stood up from her seat and headed towards the bathroom. Once there, she looked at herself in the mirror, wearing a long baby blue and white ensemble gown with a wand in hand. Wearing a mask, the only part of her face that's showing is her eyes and lips. A minute later she headed back to her table, once again she's alone, she was already thinking of going home when a pair of blue eyes caught her eye once more.

"May I have this dance my beautiful fairy?"

A smile tugged on the fairy's lips. "Who am I to refuse?"

And so the prince took the fairy's hands and swept her to the dance floor, as soon as they arrived the buoyant music stopped.

"This next song is for all those out there who are looking for love … it will come on its time … Love will come on its own time."

With those last words the DJ started playing a slow music. Nostalgic music filled the air, and strangers whose identities are hidden behind masks stood on their feet to dance with other strangers whose name they don't know.

The fairy's eyes are focused on the prince's.

"I like your eyes."

"I like yours too."

Two strangers with their hands tangled on each other swayed their hips and moved their feet as they felt the rhythm of the music. Their eyes are locked, never once blinking nor slipping away.

"Tell me something about you." the prince asked.

"If I wanted to talk about myself, I wouldn't be hiding underneath this mask."

And of course the fairy is right. The main point on going to this party is to enjoy the night without having to have any kind of attachment towards the other person. This is a gathering for those who want to have a companion for the night, for those who wants to feel warmth, for those who want to feel a connection with someone even for just one night.

It's a party to all those who wants nothing more than just a one nightstand bond.

"If we don't talk about you, and we don't talk about me, what do we talk about?" the prince asked

"We talk about everything else." The ever so wise fairy replied. And so they did as the wise fairy has suggested, they talked about everything else except about themselves.

"Why don't we go to somewhere a little bit more quiet?"

"Okay."

The prince and the fairy retreated from the dance floor, the prince led the fairy towards a sliding glass door, and he opened in for her, ever such a gentleman. As the door opens it led the way to the garden.

"How did you know this was here?" the fairy asked inquisitively

"Well, I'm not much of a party person, my friends nagged me here and I got a little bored so I decided to roam around and I found this place. I was actually about to head home when I saw you."

"Why didn't you leave?"

"Because I saw you."

As they walk through the pathway in the garden the fairy suddenly trip, "Whoa!"

Lucky for her the prince is right there to catch her. "Are you okay?"

She straightened herself, and sighed, "I broke my heels!" staring frustrated at her shoes for a moment, she heard the prince suppress his grin which made her giggle until the two of them burst into laughing.

"There's a bench." The prince pointed towards the wooden bench a few meters away.

"How do you suggest I get there?"

In an instant he swept her off her feet and carried her towards the bench. The fairy was too stunned to react, when the prince finally settled her down to the bench she tried to get composed once again and found herself blushing.

The prince picked a rose from the bush near the bench and handed it to the fairy.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

There was a moment of silence, the fairy stared up towards the sky, she smiled as she started forming constellations.

"What are you looking at?" the prince asked

"There. The big dipper."

As the fairy started noting each constellation she finds, the price quoted Shakespeare for her.

"The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite."

"So tell me my kind sir, how many women have you had swooning over your Shakespearian attribute?"

"I don't need to quote Shakespeare to have women swooning over me." The prince cockily replied which made the fairy laugh, "No, but seriously, I've been quoting Shakespeare for a long time, it's been normal for me."

"Really?"

"Yea."

"You know it's weird coz I actually believe you."

It is so true. She didn't know why, but she feels at ease with him, probably because of the masks, such irony that with the help of the masks they get to show whom they really are. She could also feel herself believing and trusting him for unknown reasons, she was never the one to trust ever so quickly, but she also couldn't deny the connection that she has with him.

"I'm telling the truth."

"I said I believed you, didn't I?"

"Yea. Well." The prince sighed, and smiled, then he spoke as he faced her, "I feel really comfortable around you."

"Good to know coz I feel the same way. Do you think, it's just because of the mask?"

"I hope not."

"Why not?"

"I've never been this comfortable to anyone that I've just met."

"I see. So, you were drag here by your friends too huh?"

"Yes, I was. I'm not really a people person…"

With this line of conversation, they started discussing their philosophy on life, "We only get one life, I say we live it to the fullest."

On love, "Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essense"

"I am so definite that that one isn't Shakespeare."

"Vincent van Gogh."

After a few minutes the subject changed and he started cracking jokes, As corny as any one of those jokes may have sounded he was still able to make her laugh. A part of him was thinking that she was just laughing to not humiliate him, but as his eyes stare at hers every time she laughs, he could see the laughter there. Once again there was a moment of silence until they started hearing the music from inside. "Would you like to dance?"

"I broke my shoes remember."

"So what?"

The prince stood up and asked for her to join him, she looked at him and then stood up. Taking her hand, the prince placed his hand around her waist and let her feet stand on his.

"Are you sure your okay?" she asked concerned with their current position.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm dancing with a very beautiful lady."

"You haven't even seen my face."

"I don't need to."

With a smile he bent down and she lent up, his lips met hers and they shared a soft sweet kiss. She grinned, and lent up once again to capture his lips, the kiss was again so soft. It was sensual yet so gentle.

She sighed and rested her head against his chest as they both danced under the moonlight.

There was silence, both appreciating the warmth from each other's embrace, until she finally spoke up, "If you are to give me a name, what name do you think suits me best?"

The prince held her face in his hands; he let his fingers tips run gently on her hair, chin and lips. He then smiled, "I think I'll name you, Lindsey."

"Lindsey huh?"

"Yea. You look like a Lindsey to me."

The fairy giggled and they started dancing again. Neither of them ever felt so comfortable and joyful than those moments that they share.

"It's so weird. I feel a great connection with you."

"I feel that too."

"And yet we don't know each other's name."

"It's not really that important, right?"

And so, they moved on to the next topic. They were talking about the pain and beauty of life, something either of them ever talked about to anyone, then they moved to the latest television shows, the coolest gadgets there is. They talked about everything, but there were moments that night when they talk of nothing and just savor the moment of being with each other.

They were dancing the night away in the outdoors when the rain started pouring, the prince carried the fairy off her feet and ran back to the mansion while she carried her shoes. As soon as they arrived back to safety, they found themselves bursting into laughter.

Then somewhere between the laughs, the mood changed. The doors are closed though they could hear the chattering from inside the house, they were under the shed of the roof yet they were still alone, it's just the two of them and the pouring rain.

He walked towards her and once again his finger tips traveled ever so lightly against her hair and skin. "I want to see you."

She lifted her hands and let her finger tips run down his hair and lips, then she smiled, "I would like to see you too."

The prince was about to take the fairy's mask off when.

"We have to go" a woman in a gothic costume yelled, interrupting the two.

"Why?" the fairy asked

"Stephanie called, Jenny is in the delivery room right now and her no-good husband is nowhere to be found."

"I'll meet you outside."

The fairy's friend left, and the fairy met the prince's eyes. "I have to go."

As she turned to leave, he got a hold of her hand, "I want to know your name."

The fairy just looked at him, and so the prince continued, "I want to see you again."

"Why?"

"I never felt this strongly about anyone before."

"Do you believe in destiny?"

"I told you about an hour ago of my stand on that."

"And I also told you that I believe in that."

"Yes, you did."

The fairy removed her charm bracelet with a royal blue butterfly pendant; she placed it on the prince's hand. "If we are meant to be anything at all, if this is meant anything, then we'll find each other again."

"You know I don't believe in such things."

"If you ever want to know my name, you better start believing."

The fairy made her way out and the prince stared at her retreating form with a charm bracelet on his hand.

~*~

"What happened then?"

Catherine smirked. "I never saw the prince again."

"Oh."

"And I never got my charm bracelet back. It's a gift from my grandma before she passed away."

"Why did you give it away then?"

"I believed in destiny. I was so sure, we'd meet again."

"I never thought you were the type to believe on such things."

"Well I don't anymore. So anyways, I have to go home and get some rest. You are coming to the party right?"

"Of course I am."

"Good."

She smiled at him with that radiant smile of hers that sent shivers up his spine. She turned to leave, and his eyes followed her, "How did you ever talk me into loving you this much?" he asked as he watched her retreating figure.

He opened his drawer and opened a small box, he ran his fingers gently on the royal blue butterfly pendant of the charm bracelet, "How did you ever talk me into believing in destiny?"

He closed the box and placed it in his pocket. He stood up and turned all the lights off. As he walked out of his office he couldn't suppress the genuine smile he has on his face, for tomorrow night, Catherine would have her grandmother's bracelet back, and tomorrow night he knew that she would believe in destiny once again.

=END=