Good enough

By Clara

Summary: ~ I don’t understand, you deserve so much more than this. ~

Disclaimer: They’re not mine. Song used is ‘Good enough’ by Sarah McLachlan

Set: Before the show starts.

Rating: PG-13

Category:  Angst, C/G friendship.

Archive: Working Love and my site pink-martini.net. Anywhere else, please ask first.

Author’s notes: I couldn’t get this scene of Gil and Catherine dancing out of my head, not sure how it morphed into this though! I’ve taken some liberties with their past but I’ve only seen a few eps and none have covered it. Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve totally screwed up the characterisation here, so feedback would be helpful!

Dedication: To Shinara, who doubted I could get though a whole CSI fic with no smut.

***

“Dance with me.”

It had started as a simple game of truth or dare. Something ultimately childish but they were in need of something to pass the time and the game had been the only thing Catherine could come up with at such short notice, now I Spy was starting to seem much more appealing.

Sighing softly she took the hand that he extended to her and let him pull her close to him, one hand still wrapped in his, rested against his chest, the other on his arm.

Slowly, she began to relax into his embrace and let the music rush over her. She hadn’t even noticed that he’d turned the radio on until that moment.

They swayed together for what felt to Catherine like an eternity, even though she knew it couldn’t have been longer than a few minutes as the song had yet to change.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

She lifted her head off of his shoulder and looked up into Gil’s eyes. “Tell you what?”

He was the first to break eye contact and glance down at the bruises on her arm, her shirt having rolled down far enough to make it visible.

She tried not to feel guilty at the look of pain in his eyes. “I didn’t want you to be involved… it’s my problem.”

“He’s hurting you. I could have helped.”

The flash of anger in her eyes startled Gil as she yanked her hand from his. “And what would you have done? Told me to leave him?”

“I would have protected you; you and Lins could have stayed here until he was gone!”

Catherine felt the fight leave her then and sank back onto his couch behind her. “It doesn’t happen often, only when he’s had too much to drink.”

Slowly he sat down next to her and took her hand in his again. “It’s not good enough.”

“I know.” Sighing she glanced across at him and smiled slightly, trying not to let the tears fall. She stumbled over her next words. “If…if I did leave him, could we still stay with you?”

“Of course you could.”

Her eyes fell away from his and settled on their clasped hands. “I do want to leave, I just don’t know if I can.” He could hear how much the revelation hurt her. Catherine wasn’t a woman who liked asking for help, preferring to work things though on her own. The helplessness in her voice scared him.

“I’ll help you, I’m not gonna leave you Catherine, you should know that by now.”

She couldn’t help the smile that fought its way though at that. “I do.”  Gently, she let him pull her into his embrace again and buried her head into the crook of his neck and breathed in deeply before speaking again. “Eddie’s out of town for a few days… I could go collect my things now and be gone before he gets back.”

Nodding Gil pulled back and smiled at her. “When do you need to pick Linsey up from school?”

“A few hours. It shouldn’t take that long to get everything together.”  It seemed so simple now, having his support and knowing that she really did need to do this, for her daughter’s sake as well as hers.

Standing, Gil tugged on their still joint hands, pulling her to her feet. Lifting his other hand to her face he wiped away the few tears that had fallen before reaching over and turning the radio off. “Come on, let’s go.”

She wouldn’t be alone again.

~ So don’t tell me why,

He’s never been good to you,

Don’t tell me why,

He’s never been there for you,

Don’t you know why,

Is simply not good enough,

Oh so just let me try,

And I will be good to you,

Just let me try,

And I will be there for you,

I’ll show you why,

It’s so much more than good enough ~