**this would take place at any point when they might be in Grissom's townhouse*

She kissed him gently, as if afraid any added pressure would ultimately frighten him away from what she'd been wanting to attempt for hours, now...and had finally dared to.

"Catherine, you're..."

"No, I'm not." She let her hand fall from his arm and leaned back, the kitchen counter an island to separate the two CSI's. "Gil, I'm perfectly sober...and it's not because I had a hard night."

"Then what is it?" His response was controlled, calm- the voice he used to often when dealing with overexcitable suspects. Also used when he was elbow deep in the science he loved so much. He had difficulty with being politic, as Catherine so correctly pointed out, and although she had begun to tolerate his downfall, and even work in conjunction with it, Grissom wondered if it might later prove to be impossible.

"I have feelings for you, Gil." She sighed heavily and sunk onto a bar stool, bare toes curling around the lower rungs. "I can't present you with a file and hard case evidence...but I do have a hypothesis...and that's all I can give."

He didn't know what to say to that. Typically, he would have said nothing, would have somehow found a way to brush it into a corner and let Catherine deal with it on her own. However, she wasn't going anywhere in her present condition...and when presented with the option of calling her a cab, Grissom found that, oddly...he didn't want to. Grissom leaned back and observed Catherine Willows, wings of strawberry hair framing her undeniably beautiful features. She was an asset to his team, without question, and he couldn't have argued that, day after day, it was impossible to not look at her and see her in anything other than an attractive light. He had come to appreciate beauty in science- and despite the beliefs of his colleagues, he appreciated beauty in life.

"Well, Catherine..." Pulling an empty water glass away from her, Grissom leaned forward to cradle her chin in his right hand before adding, softly, "Haven't I told you to let the evidence speak for itself?"