Stand by me - repost part one - three

Stand by me

Author: Michelcz
Disclaimer: CSI doesn´t belong to me but to Anthony E. Zuicker. Everything else is mine.
Rating: CSI-2
Characters: Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Horatio Caine
Spoiler: Weeping Willows



Catherine was shocked. She was standing in the middle of the hall in the lab. She has been looking at how her ‘best friend’ was going away from her. She was feeling like she was suddenly frozen. She could have known that Grissom would be so mad with her but she had hoped that it will not be so much bad.
She could hear his comment "I guess that‘s why I don‘t go out" in her mind again and again. After all it was his fault what had happened between them. He was the one who called her cause he was without his team. He need her help. It wasn´t her. He tried to be her judge one more time. He was trying to show her she shouldn’t have any personal life but she ought to be with Lindsey and her mom at home. The man who hadn’t have his own life and who had been living all time in the lab. The man who didn’t do anything about his co-worker silly crush. No, he was one who was supporting it and he was trying to use for himself. He was suddenly so selfish.
She has been thinking she knows him more than anyone else but she found that it isn´t true anymore. They’ d so much distance between them in that moment. They could talk with each other but it was only about their work now when they sometime met each other. Their strong friendship was irretrievable after last two years. He was also reason why the former team was split up. She had tried to be fair to him although he was so cold to her and he loved to make sick comments about her father whom she didn´t want. All the same, she tried to be happy but it wasn´t allowed. She was feeling that she’ s starting to loose in their common past. That all must end. It was time to cut it off and try to start again.
She came back from her frozen form. She decided that the time of her vacation was here. She‘ s got a lot of time which she could use to have it. She turned back to the corridor which she came with Grissom only a few minutes ago. She needed to go to find Ecklie and handled him her request for immediate leave.


When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see

She found him in his office after a moment of her looking up for him. She knocked on the doorframe of the office and waited for his reaction on her presence here. She hadn’t to wait for long time. After several second she could see how he raised his head from the paperwork which he was doing.
“Catherine, can I do something for you?” he asked her with raised eyebrow. “I though that everything around the case was cleared up.”
“Yes, it was Conrad. I’m here because I need to ask you for permission about my immediate vacation,” she told him firmly.
“Catherine, is it really necessary? You know that you´re one of ours supervisors and your team will be short handed. I though that everything was all right after our talk.”
“Conrad, I was thinking it too but I found that I need to have some time from the lab and some distance from everything what had happened last night,” she explained him patiently.
“Ok, Catherine, you´ve got all time you need. But can I ask you where I can find you if it will be necessary?” he told her after few moments of thinking.
“Of course, I will not turn my cellular phone off and if you need to know where I will be you need to remember Miami,” she answered him and turned away how she was heading out of his office. He stopped her with his last question.
“By the way, Catherine, who want you have as your substitute?“
“Warrick Brown.” And with this answer she went away.

When she was heading out of the building she must meet Grissom one more time. She ran in to him literally.
“Catherine, why are you still here? I though that you were somewhere on your way to visit some club. Or can I think that it´s one of the evening when you will be home with your daughter?” he asked her sarcastically.
“Grissom, you will have one answer after another. First, I’m still here cause I needed to have solved something with Ecklie. Second, no, I’m not going to some club so I can have a fun. Third, yes, I’m going to home so I can be with my daughter, Lindsey. We have a lot before us this evening. I need book plane tickets for us and go to pack my luggage. Yeah, I am taking some time away from the lab. So, please, you must excuse me because I have a lot of things which I need to have settled before me,” she said sharply him and went quickly out of his presence.
Grissom was suddenly in same situation as was Catherine before. He was only able to said.
“Catherine….”

No, I won't be afraid
No, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you
standStand by me




It was two day after the conversation with Grissom which was so crucial in her decision about some time out of the lab. Lindsey and she was in the airport where they were waiting on their flight to Miami. Catherine went back in her memories at the evening after her depart from work. She was so happy when she could see how Lindsey was suddenly glowing up over the thoughts about their vacation in Miami. She was still smiling over memory how Lindsey had been jumping in the air for awhile and after that she quickly ran into her room so she can have all prepared soon. She was so excited that she couldn´t asleep during the night.
Catherine was so glad that she made this decision and she had prepared all for it. When she could hear how her daughter was dancing around her room, she must laugh loudly. She was suddenly without bad feelings which were in her after ugly talk with her former best friend.
She was suddenly whipped out from her memories. Someone was trying to get her attention. She has been looked around her when she saw who was her attacker. No one than her daughter.
“Hey Linds, what´s up?“ she said.
“Mom, they´re just calling that our plane is ready. Come on, come on, please!!“ she was telling her anxiously.
“Ok, ok, I am coming,“ she told her with laugh, “you don´t have to be nervouse cause it´s first call and we‘ll be on the board at the time.“

It was two day after the conversation with Grissom which was so crucial in her decision about some time out of the lab. Lindsey and she was in the airport where they were waiting on their flight to Miami. Catherine went back in her memories at the evening after her depart from work. She was so happy when she could see how Lindsey was suddenly glowing up over the thoughts about their vacation in Miami. She was still smiling over memory how Lindsey had been jumping in the air for awhile and after that she quickly ran into her room so she can have all prepared soon. She was so excited that she couldn´t asleep during the night.
Catherine was so glad that she made this decision and she had prepared all for it. When she could hear how her daughter was dancing around her room, she must laugh loudly. She was suddenly without bad feelings which were in her after ugly talk with her former best friend.
She was suddenly whipped out from her memories. Someone was trying to get her attention. She has been looked around her when she saw who was her attacker. No one than her daughter.
“Hey Linds, what´s up?“ she said.
“Mom, they´re just calling that our plane is ready. Come on, come on, please!!“ she was telling her anxiously.
“Ok, ok, I am coming,“ she told her with laugh, “you don´t have to be nervouse cause it´s first call and we‘ll be on the board at the time.“
So darling, darling, stand by me,oh, stand by me oh, stand,stand by me stand by me
When they landed in Miami, the sun was high in the sky and the weather was pleasurably hot. She was waited that they are going to be tired from the travel but it wasn’t true. They were full of energy. She assumed that it’s an effect of their depart from they ‘old life in Las Vegas’. As if they lost some weight from theirs hearts. As if they were in the place of the peace. The place which they needed to find.
She could assume it from the reaction of Lindsey cause she was like a someone else. She wasn´t a girl who she knew home and gave her so much worries in the last few years. She wasn’t suddenly same pig-head as her grandfather and mother. She was full of the peace.

Catherine was uncertain what she’s going to do now. Her former plan was that they would be going to check in some good hotel but suddenly she felt something what was saying her. ‘Go to find Horatio, now.’
She was suddenly a few years back. She was in the times when she had believed that Gil and her has got some future someday. She was back and she had to think about her farewell with Horatio Caine.

+++Flashback+++

She was back in the plane once more time. She has saw how Horatio Caine exited the plane before her and she had followed his example. He was waiting for her and they were starting to walk out some distance away from the plane where they had stopped and had small talk.
“I'm going to, uh ... I'm going to book this guy. You want to go with?” said Horatio.
“Nah, you got it. I'll have my D.A. call your D.A.”
“He he,” he chuckled.
“Sounds good. Sounds good.”
“Uh ... thank you for your help on this.”
“Thanks for yours, actually,” she told him grinning at him
“Right.”
She smiled at him widely.
“You take care of yourself.”
“I always do“, she answered him and returned him his smile.
They shook hands.

+++end of flashback+++




When she saw how her daughter was happy, she had found her all strength and went to take a cab which would take her towards the headquarter of Miami Dade police department. She was on her way to the cab when she suddenly realized that something was missing. She missed silent steps which had been going to behind her. So she turned around and saw that Lindsey who stand in front of the airport, and she didn’t look like she is going to make another step until she will know what will happen in the next moment. Where will be their next stop.
“Hey Lindsey, come. We need to make some stop before we will head into hotel,” she yelled into distance at her.
“Mom, what do you mean by the term ‘stop’? I hope that this vacation isn´t about work if it is I can´t tell you what I am thinking about it,” Lindsey jumped into the conclusion.
“Lindsey, this isn´t about work although it may seem it to you. We are going to stop in the headquarter of Miami Dade police department cause I would like to said hello one old friend,” she told her and without anything more she went straight in the cab which was waiting for them why they were arguing with each other.

Catherine was ignoring her stubborn daughter during the ride of a cab towards the headquarters. When they have been starting to get nearer and nearer the building where she worked once in her life, she was suddenly hit with the feelings if she made a right decision. She didn´t know if he hasn´t been married now. She saw sparks between his ballistic specialist and him. She could see another Gil and Catherine in them. She didn´t want intrude abruptly into his life. She wanted turn back and went to find some hotel. However, she could hear some constantly buzzing in her head, it was something which was saying her that she´s doing right thing.


If the sky that we look upon
should tumble and fall
or the mountains should crumble in the sea

Catherine has been walking to the reception of the lab with her pissed daughter behind her. When she came to her destination, the reception desk, she asked a young woman if she can give a call to Lieutenant Caine that he has got a visitors in the reception.

“Lieutenant Caine, can you please come in the reception? You‘ve got a visit here,“ she called him immediately.
“OK, sir, I will tell them that you will be there in few moments,” she repeated loudly his answer so that Catherine could it hear. She can see how she nodded that she heard it. Catherine went to sit next to Linds who was annoyed from the place where they were.

She has been watching the rush of the lab when they were sitting. She was suddenly back in Las Vegas with Grissom. She had been waiting when she would see him how he´s going to walk from behind corner and how he would her greeted with smile on his face and shy greeting. She could heard how his steps were sounding near to her. But when she looked up she didn´t see Gil Grissom but Horatio Caine who talked with a receptionist where he can find his visit. She saw how he was turned in the way that a young woman had showed him.
“Catherine Willows,” he said with smile in the face, “what a surprise. What do I owe the pleasure to have you here, Catherine?”
She just must smiled at the picture of the man before her. She saw absolute perfect gentleman who was standing in front of her. The man who was so different from Grissom. Unlike him you could see Horatio Caine in some silk suit every time you met him. He was one of the guys who was so natural when it came to a fashion and mode. She didn´t miss to look at his hands when he was toying with his always present sunglasses.
“Is it work which had been bring in Miami?” he added.
She has had to laugh at his question.
“No, not this time Lt. Caine,” she told him playfully while she was standing and went to stand next to him.
“I came to visit Miami cause I need a vacation and I thought that Miami is the best place for it. Do you know perhaps better place?” she said.
“Of course, not. You can find better place which hot sand on the beach at this time of a year. By the way, this is also only one place where you can swim in the ocean,” he told her with wink.
“Catherine, by the way, who´s the young lady who is sitting behind you?” he asked.
“Oh sorry, I totally forgot. It´s my daughter, Lindsey.” She turned a bit her head and called her.
“Lindsey, please, come here. I would like to introduce you to someone.”

She turned her attention back to Horatio. They were just looking and smiling at each other. They could hear how Lindsey was groaning when she heard her command.
“Lindsey, this´s Lieutenant Horatio Caine who I worked on a case here several years ago,” she told her while she was smiling at Horatio.
“Nice… Nice to meet you, Mr. Caine,” she said through the teeth.
“Nice to meet you too, Miss Willows,” he answered.
“Ladies, what will you say if we all are going to my office now and we can continue in our conversation,” he invited them.
Cath and Lindsey had looked at each other and told him yes in unison.

I won't cry, I won't cry,
No, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me