Series Title: The Bryan Adams Series

Title: One Night Love Affair

Author: ANNE (the insane one)

Rating: PG

Summary: Gil tries to work out why things seem so strange.

Disclaimer: Characters et al belong to the people that make CSI. "One Night Love Affair" belongs to Bryan Adams

You're the silent type
And you caught my eye
But I never thought that I'd be touchin' you
How was I to know
I'd let my feelin's go
And that I'd be yours before the night was through

I hate paperwork.

I also hate that I'm doing paperwork alone.

I never realised before how quiet this lab gets when Catherine's not around.

Actually, that's a lie.

I've always known how quiet this lab gets when Catherine's not around.

That's why I rarely send her out of town on conferences. Or I sent her away when I know I'm going to be away too. Or I leave her here and I go.

Either way, I don't like it when Catherine's not around.

One night love affair
Tryin' to make like we don't care
We were both reachin' out for somethin'
One night love affair
Pretendin' it ain't there
Oh - and now we're left with nothin'

The lab gets this sort of quietness about it, that even Greg's enthusiastic demeanor and his crazy antics can't break.

When Catherine's not around, I sit and do my paperwork, and she doesn't walk in the door, bringing me food for meals I've forgotten, or coffee to keep me awake.

I don't care what she brings, as long as it's herself.

When the mornin' breaks
We go our separate ways
If the night was made for love it ain't for keeps
But I lose control
As I watch you go
All my senses say I'm in this much too deep
Now you're outa reach

I was trying to be unselfish, trying to show that I care. A national conference on blood spatter…the minute I saw the information, I knew Catherine had to attend.

It's the sort of thing she loves. The more she knows, she can solve more puzzles, which means more families with piece of mind.

But what about my piece of mind? What about how I worry about her when she's not here?

I wonder if she's enjoying herself, or if she's sitting in her hotel room, moping about Lindsey, her friends, the lab…maybe even me.

That's ridiculous.

I sincerely doubt Catherine's ever moped in her life.

One night love affair
Tryin' to make like we don't care
We were both reachin' out for somethin'
One night love affair
Pretendin' we don't care
Oh - and now we're left with nothin'

Sometimes I wonder if she enjoys these trips. She doesn't take many holidays, and I wonder if to her, these are her holidays.

Sometimes I wish I were a blood spatter expert just so I could go with her.

Now I'm being ridiculous and acting like a child.

But I miss her.

Solo
One night love affair
Trying' to make like we don't care
We were both reachin' out for somethin'

When she returns, we have some talking to do.

Something has been simmering beneath the surface, and although I'm afraid that when one of us opens it, it will blow up, I also wonder if it will turn into a lovely gourmet delicacy instead.

I've been watching too much of the Cooking Channel.

So now, I'll just sit here, finishing my paperwork.

I will stop looking up at the door, expecting Catherine to sashay into the room, a beautiful smile on her face and a teasing glint in her eye.

I will stop glancing at the phone, wondering if I should pick up and see if she's there safely, or if it will suddenly ring, and her voice will come through, telling me what she's been doing.

I will even stop sifting through my mail, wondering if she sent me a touristy postcard, telling me some truly horrifying case statistic, just to see if the postmen really DO read postcards.

Instead I will finish my paperwork.

And I will wait for Catherine to come home.

One night love affair
Sometimes life ain't fair
Oh - and now we're left with nothin'

FINIS