"Remember, I'll pick you and Lindsey up at 6:30," Gil told Catherine as he left to run some last minute errands and go to his place to dress. He had a bounce in his step that she hadn't seen in a very long time. After they woke up, he had been happy and playful, showing a side of himself that had been missing for several years. She smiled as she watched him leave; it was good to see that in him again.

Lindsey came home from school and was disappointed that he had left. When Catherine told her that they were having a special dinner together that night, Lindsey perked up until her mother informed her that it was a 'dressy' evening.

"Mom," she whined. "I don't want to get all dressed up."

"Hey kiddo, you are lucky that I am letting you go on this date. I wanted Gil all to myself tonight. And he wants to take us someplace special, which means we dress up." Sighing in defeat, Lindsey went to her room to select an outfit. Catherine had no trouble selecting her dress. She knew exactly what she would wear.

Promptly at 6:30 Gil stood a t Catherine's door. She greeted him warmly with admiring eyes and a passionate kiss. He smiled gently at her but she noticed a nervousness about him His thumb was rubbing his fingertips as he stood in her living room, waiting. Catherine wasn't sure what was going through his mind, but it was definitely in overdrive.

Finally Lindsey entered the room dressed in a blue tea dress that she had worn to a school party a few months earlier. His eyes lit as she walked in, a small smile forming on his mouth. He held his breath as he realized that this beautiful young creature was his daughter. "Wow," was all he could manage to say.

"Hey, wait a minute," Catherine sputtered. "You had nothing to say to me and she gets a Wow!" Then she laughed.

Gil's eyes travelled from his daughter to her mother. "The sight of you, my love, left me speechless," he teased.

Lindsey giggled. "He's got you there, Mom."

Catherine smiled demurely at him before her signature smile broke out. "God, you are full of it," she retorted.

"Where are we going?" asked Lindsey as they pulled out of the drive.

Gil glanced at her in the rear view mirror. "I'm not telling."

Lindsey rolled her eyes. Catherine looked across at Grissom, a little surprised by his playfulness. Usually when he was nervous he became edgy…and quiet. But he was trying very hard to be charming. His effort wasn't lost on her; he was up to something.

She realized where they were going as they approached the Stratosphere. The valet opened the door for the ladies and Gil walked around to meet them. Taking one on each arm, he walked them inside. Catherine smiled. "Really Gil, the Top of the World?"

"It's the way I feel…being here with the two of you," he said simply, sincerely.

Lindsey looked across and saw the look in her mother's eyes. As happy as she had been that the two were finally getting together, the look in her mother's eyes and Gil's responsive look convinced her that this was right. They belonged together. Renewing her determination to accept him as her father, she smiled as she watched them watching each other.

Catherine was amused once they were seated. Gil took control of the situation, ordering the Six Course Tasting Menus and appropriate beverages; the menu wine flight for the adults and tea and water for Lindsey. Lindsey was disappointed when she realized she wouldn't get any wine.

They enjoyed each course. The conversation was light and playful at times and generally easy. Catherine marveled at how much talking Gil was actually doing. His disquiet had disappeared as he listened to Lindsey talking about school and he even asked questions. His interest was genuine.

After the cheese course, Gil told the waiter that they were ready for the dessert course and ordered the Godiva Chocolate Coffee to go with it. Catherine noticed his uneasiness coming back.

The waiter brought dessert, the Chocolate Stratosphere Tower with mousse filling. They watched as he garnished them with vanilla sauce. Catherine saw the waiter hesitate and surreptitiously glance at Gil who nodded. Carefully the waiter simultaneously placed the dessert plates in front of Catherine and Lindsey. Two sets of blue eyes grew huge as they saw what else was on the plate. Lindsey's had a diamond heart pendant. The waiter slipped a small envelope next to Catherine's plate, which held a sparkling one caret diamond ring in a Tiffany setting. Catherine blinked and looked up at Gil with tear filled eyes. Wearing the tenderest expression she had ever seen on him, he nodded toward the envelope. Shyly, she lifted and opened it.

And in Life's noisiest hour,

There whispers still the ceaseless Love of Thee,
The heart's Self-solace and soliloquy.

You mould my Hopes, you fashion me within ;
And to the leading Love-throb in the Heart
Thro' all my Being, thro' my pulses beat ;
You lie in all my many Thoughts, like Light,
Like the fair light of Dawn, or summer Eve
On rippling Stream, or cloud-reflecting Lake.

And looking to the Heaven, that bends above you,
How oft I bless the Lot, that made me love you.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Please say yes and allow me love you completely…and eternally.

Tearful blue eyes looked up into anxious, expectant ones. "Yes," she said fervently. He picked up the ring and slipped it on her finger, gently kissing her hand and wanting to do so much more. Lindsey watched in awe as her parents sat, eyes locked and existing in their own world.

After a few electric moments, they became aware of their surroundings and looked at Lindsey, who was smiling at them. "Do you like your necklace, honey?" Gil was looking at the untouched item on the plate as he spoke.

"It…it's beautiful. I just….just was watching you, the two of you."

"Why don't you put it on, Linds?" asked Catherine.

Lindsey picked it up and began to fidget with the clasp. Catherine helped her with it and Lindsey put her hand over it, feeling it against her skin.

Gil looked intently at it around her neck, happy with his selection. "The stones in your necklace are from the chips left when the jeweler cut the stone for your mother's ring," he explained. "I thought…just as you are a part of her…my love for her, those stones are a part of the larger diamond." Catherine's eyes glistened as she listened to him explaining the pendant. "And of course," he continued, "you are a part of my heart."

Lindsey stood and stepped over to him, hugging him. "Thank you," she whispered.

Later that night, after Lindsey was asleep, Catherine lay contentedly in his arms. She held up her hand, admiring her ring in the light that shone through the window. "The evening…your proposal, it was so perfect, Gil"

His hand ran lightly along her arm and held her hand so that he could see the ring on it. "You said 'yes'. That makes it perfect for me."

"I loved the note …the poem. Did you really mean all of that…how I mold and hold all of your hopes…how I am a light?"

"My darling," he said just a little smugly, "there hasn't been a poem written that truly expresses how deeply I love you, but I thought that one came close. "She felt a tremor run through his body as he hugged her closer and spoke his next words. "I love you Catherine, with everything that I am."

She nuzzled into him, settling into his warm embrace and drifting to sleep. Gil lay there awhile longer, contemplating the day. Lindsey had called him Dad and Catherine had said yes. It was, he thought, the best day of his life. He remembered the letters he had put in his book on the bedside table. Tomorrow he would pull them out and destroy them. There was only one note that he wanted to keep now. He smiled as he recited it in his mind. "Happy Valentine's Day, Dad. With love, your daughter." Happy Valentine's Day, indeed. Finally his life had meaning beyond his job. From now on when he left work, he would truly be going home.

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I've really appreciated all of your wonderful reviews. I hope the story ended good for you. Let me know, I always want to know:-)