A Christmas Misunderstanding
Disclaimer: Don't own them just borrowing
Rating: CSI 2
Spoilers: None
Author's Notes: Part of the 12 days of Christmas Challenge 2007.
Summary: When Catherine overhears Gil tell Nick what he has planned for Christmas her heart is broken. However, she may be in for a Christmas surprise. Very happily ever after Christmas movie-like!
A Christmas Misunderstanding
Catherine walked into her house and saw the soft light from the decorated Christmas tree coming from the living room. She smiled finally feeling a sense of calmness sweeping over her. Christmas was in two days and she didn't have to back at work for another four and she was glad. She thought back to the conversation she had overheard at the lab today and felt tears spring to her eyes. She willed herself to keep them at bay and took a deep breath to calm herself down as she walked through the living room. She was almost by the stairs when a noise startled her.
"Mom?"
Lindsey sat up. She had been sleeping on the couch.
"Linds honey, what are you doing down here?" Catherine quickly walked over and sat down on the couch reaching over to stroke Lindsey's hair.
"Just felt like sleeping here by the Christmas tree. Remember when I was small and you let me fall asleep down here the night before Christmas?" Lindsey said, stretching before she sat up.
Catherine laughed softly feeling the sadness from before turn into all consuming love for her daughter. She remembered how Lindsey always wanted to stay awake so she could thank Santa for her gifts. Catherine would let her stay up late and then carry her to bed when she'd fallen asleep. It had been years since Lindsey had slept on the couch before Christmas though. Catherine pulled Lindsey into a hug and they sat there for a while without speaking.
"Mom did you ask uncle Gil to come over for Christmas?" Lindsey asked pulling back to watch as her mother's smile faltered.
"Honey, I'm so sorry but uncle Gil already made plans for Christmas" Catherine told Lindsey feeling her heart break when Lindsey teared up.
"But why? Mom, uncle Gil always spends Christmas here, what happened, did you guys have a fight?" At that moment Catherine was ready to force Gil to join them for Christmas. The disappointment Lindsey showed was too much for her.
"Linds, I'm really sorry. I guess I just waited to long to ask him this year, but don't worry we'll have a great Christmas just you and me okay?" Catherine prayed Lindsey couldn't tell how disappointed she herself really was.
"I guess we will" Lindsey said her voice sounding anything but sure. She got up and walked past Catherine.
"I'm gonna go to bed" she said and walked upstairs leaving Catherine in the living room by the lit tree. Catherine lay down on the couch and starred at the tree. Her thoughts went back to earlier that night in the lab.
She had overheard a conversation between Gil and Nick. Nick had been talking about his family and how he was excited about going home to see them for Christmas. Catherine had smiled, knowing how Nick loved all of his nieces and nephews. Her smile disappeared when she heard Gil's answer to Nick's question about his plans for Christmas. She had been meaning to ask Gil to join them for Christmas as he had the last many years but for some reason things had gotten in the way. She never really doubted it would be a problem until now. Gil told Nick he had plans; he had been invited to spend Christmas at a friend's house. At Nick's teasing question about the nature of this friend Gil laughed a little, while telling Nick it was none of his business. Catherine had felt her heart drop. Gil was spending Christmas with a friend someone who was so special he told Nick to mind his own business and what was even worse, she had no idea Gil was seeing someone. Catherine quickly left the lab heading home, feeling both stupid and depressed. Nothing was ever going to happen between them.
Catherine felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She got up from the couch and went upstairs. She undressed and got under the covers but couldn't sleep. She kept returning to the conversation Nick and Gil had at the lab. As she thought more and more about it, Gil had seemed happier in the last couple of weeks. The thought alone made her nauseous. In two days he would be somewhere else celebrating Christmas and having a great time and she would be by herself with Lindsey. She had to make this a great Christmas for Lindsey. She cursed Gil silently for disappointing Lindsey like this. But then again he was not her father, or her boyfriend, and she had waited forever to ask him over for Christmas. She couldn't help it tears were falling again. Eventually, she fell asleep.
The next day she woke when Lindsey entered her bedroom with a small tray. Catherine sat up and patted on the bed for Lindsey to join her.
"You made me breakfast in bed?" she asked leaning over to kiss Lindsey on the cheek.
"I thought you needed a little something to cheer you up," Lindsey answered.
"Why would I need that?" Catherine asked sipping a bit of the hot coffee.
"I heard you crying last night. I know uncle Gil hurt you when he told you he made other plans," Lindsey said matter-a-factly. Catherine immediately felt bad. Lindsey shouldn't suffer because her mother had a broken heart. Lindsey had suffered plenty in her life.
"Linds, I promise we'll have a great Christmas, and don't worry about me and uncle Gil, things will be fine," she said hoping in heart that both things would come true.
After they had finished breakfast in bed, the day went by pretty fast. They went shopping for the last food items, stopped for ice cream on the way back and sang along with the Christmas songs on the car radio. Catherine actually began to feel better sometime during the ice cream and sing along, but the good mood was ruined when they returned home. A folded white piece of paper was left in the crack of the front door. Catherine reached over and pulled it out. She opened it and read it feeling her heart drop like it had yesterday at the lab.
'Missed you. Hopefully you and Lindsey were out having fun. Give me a call sometime. Gil'
She quickly folded the paper again, so Lindsey wouldn't see what was written on it. They went into the house and while Lindsey was upstairs getting ready for their traditional the night before Christmas movie night Catherine was in the kitchen preparing some snacks. She pulled the note from her pocket and reread it before she tore it to pieces and threw it in the trash.
Lindsey joined her in the living room. Usually the two of them loved scary horror-movies but the night before Christmas was dedicated to romantic Christmas movies. Catherine sighed, hoping Lindsey would fall asleep soon, so she wouldn't have to sit through movie after movie with basically the same message: happily ever after.
After 'A holiday to remember' where a recently divorced mother and her daughter return to her hometown and runs into her then boyfriend, who she left at the alter, only to find she still loves him, Catherine had already had enough of the sappy-romance. Usually she loved this one night a year where she let herself dream about the perfect Christmas holiday, but every single minute of the movie reminded her of Gil and his special friend.
"Mom can we watch another one?" Lindsey eyed her mother intensely. She knew something is definitely not okay. Her mother was still upset about uncle Gil blowing them off for someone else on Christmas. Lindsey felt herself grow angry with him. How dare he hurt her mother like that.
"Lindsey let's watch another one before we go to bed?" Catherine asked, not wanting her own lousy mood to ruin the traditional movie night.
"Okay" Lindsey said hesitantly.
"What about 'Love Actually'" Catherine said picking up the movie from the big pile in front of them.
A smile appeared on Lindsey's face, she loved that movie. They begin watching and as the movie progressed Catherine had to admit the simple message in the movie got to her. Love is all around. Just not for her. As the movie ended they were both in tears. Catherine would never admit it, but hers were for the relationship she thought was forming between her and Gil. Lindsey got up and turned off the TV.
"Mom I'm really tired, I'll go to bed ok?" she kissed Catherine on the cheek and went upstairs. Catherine began to tidy the living room, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She went back to the living room and sat down. Her hands reached out and flipped through the different movies on the coffee table.
She left them on the table and went upstairs. When she was retrieving a top and pair of sweat pants her eyes fell on a small bag. It was the gift she had bought for Gil almost two months ago. It was a watch, one she had seen in a store a long time ago and always reminded her of him. She had finally worked up the courage to get him a very personal gift instead of the book or clothing item she and Lindsey usually gave him. Now the gift was only a reminder of her own stupidity.
She washed up and went to bed. An hour later she was still awake. She got up and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. On her way back she thought she heard Lindsey talking in her room. She walked to the door and sure enough it was Lindsey's voice. Sounded like she was on the phone with someone. She was about to open the door when she caught the last of a sentence.
'...and that's why I hate you uncle Gil' she opened the door and ran into the room.
"Lindsey what are you doing," she scrolled her daughter, who had just hung up the phone.
"I wanted uncle Gil to understand how much he hurt you, and that we would have the best Christmas ever without him. I'm sorry mom, but I just hate it when you're sad, please don't be mad at me," she said tears rolling down her cheeks. Catherine immediately walked over and pulled her into her arms.
"Oh Lindsey, honey, I'm not mad," Catherine felt tears gathering in her own eyes. They sat there for a while until Catherine felt Lindsey's breathing even out. She gently lay her back down on the bed and was almost back in her bedroom when someone rang the doorbell. She cursed under her breath hoping Lindsey wouldn't wake up.
"This better be important" she told herself as she rushed through the house to prevent the person on the doorstep from ringing the bell again.
She yanked the door open and found herself face to face with Gil Grissom. He immediately stepped into the foyer and drew her into his arms. She was so surprised she led herself lean into him for minute before she suddenly struggled to pull away.
"Catherine, what happened, what's wrong? I came over as soon as Lindsey called me" he told her eyeing her carefully. He was totally confused. He was just about to go to bed when his phone rang. Seeing it was Catherine's number he felt warmth spread throughout his body. He had gone by her house earlier because he wanted to see her. When he picked up he heard someone sniffle on the other end. He was instantly worried. It turned out to be Lindsey. And he was totally taken aback by her angry response to his initial worry. She was crying and accused him of hurting her mother, making her cry and letting them down. He felt his heart tighten at the accusations, and with her last spiteful words his heart broke. He rushed to his car, knowing something was seriously wrong; he needed to go to her and sort out this whole mess.
Catherine looked at Gil with anger, but also felt a tiny bit sorry for him. He might have hurt them both, but he had a right to chose, and Lindsey shouldn't have called him like that.
"Look, I apologize for Lindsey's phone call, it won't happen again. Now, please I'm very tired so if we could..." he cut her off.
"Cath, wow, slow down, you're loosing me here. Lindsey said some pretty disturbing things to me on the phone, I think I deserve an explanation," he told her, noticing how she avoided his eyes.
"Catherine look at me, please tell me what I did," he walked over and gently tilted her head up to meet his look.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered.
"Tell you what?" he was totally clueless. For days, even weeks he had been looking forward to spending Christmas with her and Lindsey. Usually, she asked him but this year she never asked him. And funnily enough it made him very happy; because he was sure it meant it was something they both just took for granted. Standing here now he wasn't so sure.
"That you already made plans for Christmas," she told him.
"But...I...I thought," he began but she interrupted him.
"I heard you talking to Nick, I know you were invited to spend Christmas with someone else. And before you say anything I want you to know it's okay, I mean it's not like we're married or something, so you have every right in the world to see someone outside of work, I just wish you'd told me about her, because..."
"Catherine what are you talking about, I'm not seeing someone else. I'm...I'm seeing you" he grabbed her arms and held her in front of him as he spoke his voice dropping in the end.
"What...but I... you said, I just..." Catherine didn't know what to say, the words he had just said manifesting themselves throughout her body.
"Catherine don't you know I'm crazy about you. I've been looking forward to spending Christmas with you and Lindsey for months now. I even came by today to tell you how much I was looking forward to it. When Nick asked me I about my plans I just told him I was invited over, I really didn't think more of it. I'm so sorry if I gave you another impression," he told her.
"So you want to spend Christmas with us?" Catherine asked still not believing him.
"By now I hope you've realized that I wouldn't want to spend it anywhere else," he told her.
Catherine looked into his eyes and saw nothing but love. He leaned down and their lips met in a soft gentle kiss. As they pulled back Catherine felt her heart grow when she knew this Christmas she would be able to keep both of the promises she had made to Lindsey. It would be the best Christmas ever and she and Gil would be just fine.