Categories > TV > CSI
Alone Together
1 reviewWarrick thinks about his work relationship with Catherine, spoilers for "No Humans Involved"
2Insightful
Author's Note: very nearly post-ep "No Humans Involved" spoilered, be warned! As well, this is my very first Yobling fic, heck my very first CSI fic period! LOL Please be gentle ;) Thanks to Raimm for beta'ing!
*****
Warrick chuckled quietly at Greg's joke and Nick's quick retort as the three of them sat around the break room, sharing a bag of pretzels around the table. As Warrick turned his head, he noticed someone standing in the hallway and his amused smile faded as he realized it was Catherine standing alone between the panes of glass. Warrick carefully schooled his expression from betraying his irritation as he recalled how Catherine had treated him earlier, acting all prim and superior.
"Grissom let a lot of things slide around here that I won't."
Warrick could still hear her reprimand in his mind, as if she had any right to tell him off for putting some tight-ass jailcop punk in his place. She was pretty uppity for someone who didn't even have her new office unpacked. He raised his chin slightly in rebellion and prepared to give Catherine his best "you don't wanna mess with me" look, only to realize she wasn't looking at him.
Maybe she had been a moment ago; she was looking down at the floor in a way that was familiar to Warrick. He was used to seeing it on suspects he was grilling, as they thought about something that worried them, that they didn't want to think about.
And there Catherine stood, a troubled expression on her face as she stood stock-still in the empty hallway. As he watched her stare into places only she could see, in her mind, Warrick was struck by just how small she looked. How uncertain.
It didn't make sense; Warrick knew she had been chomping at the bit for years for this promotion, even if it wasn't the exact shift time she wanted. Catherine had been pushing and nagging and coaxing Grissom forever to be exactly where she was now and her earlier powertrip had left Warrick certain that she wasn't about to stop gloating about her success anytime soon.
But maybe Catherine was right about his need to not let emotions cloud his judgement. He and Catherine had known each other a long time and while she could occasionally gloat with the best of them, about being right about a case, being unfair and petty just wasn't her style. And Warrick's mind was trained to pay attention to the slightest detail, either from the evidence itself or the people they interviewed. As he let himself fall into a more objective recall of their argument, something became clear to Warrick that he had ignored or missed in the heat of the moment: the look on Catherine's face as he had walked in the room. Not the one she had worn while she was putting her foot down, which was confident and a bit on the arrogant side, as she made it clear where things lay with her. Instead, Warrick remembered her expression as he had wandered into her too-sparse office; it was one of hesitancy.
Warrick started to feel the sinking pull of guilt as he realized how unfair he had been to her when Catherine had tried to talk to him, comparing her actions to Grissom's. Catherine would never be an exact copy of Grissom as a supervisor because Grissom had a freedom that Catherine didn't. Grissom had always been a mentor to Warrick; even though Grissom treated Warrick as an equal, they would always have that subconscious role of teacher and student. Catherine, on the other hand, was one of his peers, at least she had been. He gave Grissom unspoken permission to tell him what to do in terms of doing his job in a way he did not allow anyone else, because he knew Grissom's rules ultimately made Warrick a better CSI. And Grissom could tell Warrick things that might upset Warrick or make him angry and it wouldn't bother Grissom to do so because they weren't really friends. He definitely considered Catherine to be one of his friends.
Warrick exhaled a small sigh, the sound lost among the chatter of Nick and Greg who hadn't yet noticed their fellow CSI staring out of the room or Catherine's presence outside it.
What was he supposed to do? Warrick knew that Catherine was as competitive as he was; her promotion was more an inevitability than a big shock, yet he didn't regret making her something more than just another coworker. Sure, right now it was awkward but Warrick couldn't even imagine an alternative, like switching to a different shift (even if he could, given Ecklie's recent tyranny and smug obstinance) and being limited to seeing Catherine only by chance in a break room.
He didn't want to be out in the field and have it never be with Catherine anymore, because Warrick knew that he and Catherine worked so well together. She was the perfect partner both on the field and back in the lab, mixing protocol with humour in a way that was distinctively Catherine Willows.
Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that they had been exchanging wry remarks about the stupidity of surfing the sewers of Las Vegas? She had been right there beside him, slogging away in those ridiculous hip-waders, they had been so big on her that she had looked almost like a little kid at play as they wadded together. Yet she was all business as they carefully combed every possible source for the bones they had found, undaunted by smells and sights of Vegas' watery underbelly. He respected that about Catherine, that she could take on anything and often took most things straight by the balls, with no apology.
But this was something completely new from collecting evidence, solving a crime and doing your job. That look on Catherine's face that was so familiar to Warrick; it was the look people got, despite their original convictions of the rightness of their actions, when the consequences of those actions began to catch up with them, often in the form of unmistakable and blunt photography of the people they had destroyed. In Catherine's case, the reality of the choices she had made were only now becoming clear and her whole body was stiff from the unexpected shock.
Catherine suddenly raised her head and her eyes met Warrick's pensive gaze, and she subtly straightened her spine and regained that poised look of competence that Catherine was known for. So assured did she look now that Warrick might have believed that he had imagined her inner turmoil, if he hadn't caught the brief shiny look in her deep blue eyes. It had been one of undisguised loneliness as she held her arms, looking so cold and isolated. He saw yearning for the companionship she had taken for granted from her fellow CSI's, saw her frustration at not knowing where new lines had to be drawn between herself and them. And he saw her uncertainty whether she would be welcomed if she just tried to include herself in their relaxation. Catherine was no Grissom, desiring to use her position as supervisor in order to remain happily apart from everyone else.
Warrick tried to put this realization into unspoken words, keeping Catherine's gaze and giving her a slight up-nod through the glass that separated them. He hoped his eyes held the reassurance he wanted her to know, that he wasn't sure what to say or do about their new problems but that he wouldn't let her be alone in figuring it out. It wasn't a proper apology by any means, yet Catherine's mouth quirked ever so slightly into a smile and the both of them relaxed minutely without being aware of doing so. She didn't join them in the room, but her walk out of sight was energetic enough to satisfy Warrick that she'd be alright.
"What are you looking at, man?" Nick's softly-drawled voice brought Warrick's contemplation to an abrupt halt, and he turned his head slightly to find Nick looking in the same direction through the glass. The hallway was now completely empty and Nick turned back to give Warrick a puzzled look.
"I was just watching Catherine walk by, she looked like she might have something new for us but it looks like I was wrong." Warrick replied casually, shifting in his seat and reaching for the pretzel bag. Nick chuckled and handed it over.
"What do you think, is she gonna end up driving us crazy? Are we gonna see the 'real' Catherine now?" Nick joked, grinning easily. Warrick shook his head and smiled one of his rare smiles that radiated amusement and gentleness in equal parts.
"Nah, I think we "married up", my friend." Warrick lightly remarked, causing Greg to smirk and snicker to himself. "We'll manage alright."
fin.
14.1.05
*****
Warrick chuckled quietly at Greg's joke and Nick's quick retort as the three of them sat around the break room, sharing a bag of pretzels around the table. As Warrick turned his head, he noticed someone standing in the hallway and his amused smile faded as he realized it was Catherine standing alone between the panes of glass. Warrick carefully schooled his expression from betraying his irritation as he recalled how Catherine had treated him earlier, acting all prim and superior.
"Grissom let a lot of things slide around here that I won't."
Warrick could still hear her reprimand in his mind, as if she had any right to tell him off for putting some tight-ass jailcop punk in his place. She was pretty uppity for someone who didn't even have her new office unpacked. He raised his chin slightly in rebellion and prepared to give Catherine his best "you don't wanna mess with me" look, only to realize she wasn't looking at him.
Maybe she had been a moment ago; she was looking down at the floor in a way that was familiar to Warrick. He was used to seeing it on suspects he was grilling, as they thought about something that worried them, that they didn't want to think about.
And there Catherine stood, a troubled expression on her face as she stood stock-still in the empty hallway. As he watched her stare into places only she could see, in her mind, Warrick was struck by just how small she looked. How uncertain.
It didn't make sense; Warrick knew she had been chomping at the bit for years for this promotion, even if it wasn't the exact shift time she wanted. Catherine had been pushing and nagging and coaxing Grissom forever to be exactly where she was now and her earlier powertrip had left Warrick certain that she wasn't about to stop gloating about her success anytime soon.
But maybe Catherine was right about his need to not let emotions cloud his judgement. He and Catherine had known each other a long time and while she could occasionally gloat with the best of them, about being right about a case, being unfair and petty just wasn't her style. And Warrick's mind was trained to pay attention to the slightest detail, either from the evidence itself or the people they interviewed. As he let himself fall into a more objective recall of their argument, something became clear to Warrick that he had ignored or missed in the heat of the moment: the look on Catherine's face as he had walked in the room. Not the one she had worn while she was putting her foot down, which was confident and a bit on the arrogant side, as she made it clear where things lay with her. Instead, Warrick remembered her expression as he had wandered into her too-sparse office; it was one of hesitancy.
Warrick started to feel the sinking pull of guilt as he realized how unfair he had been to her when Catherine had tried to talk to him, comparing her actions to Grissom's. Catherine would never be an exact copy of Grissom as a supervisor because Grissom had a freedom that Catherine didn't. Grissom had always been a mentor to Warrick; even though Grissom treated Warrick as an equal, they would always have that subconscious role of teacher and student. Catherine, on the other hand, was one of his peers, at least she had been. He gave Grissom unspoken permission to tell him what to do in terms of doing his job in a way he did not allow anyone else, because he knew Grissom's rules ultimately made Warrick a better CSI. And Grissom could tell Warrick things that might upset Warrick or make him angry and it wouldn't bother Grissom to do so because they weren't really friends. He definitely considered Catherine to be one of his friends.
Warrick exhaled a small sigh, the sound lost among the chatter of Nick and Greg who hadn't yet noticed their fellow CSI staring out of the room or Catherine's presence outside it.
What was he supposed to do? Warrick knew that Catherine was as competitive as he was; her promotion was more an inevitability than a big shock, yet he didn't regret making her something more than just another coworker. Sure, right now it was awkward but Warrick couldn't even imagine an alternative, like switching to a different shift (even if he could, given Ecklie's recent tyranny and smug obstinance) and being limited to seeing Catherine only by chance in a break room.
He didn't want to be out in the field and have it never be with Catherine anymore, because Warrick knew that he and Catherine worked so well together. She was the perfect partner both on the field and back in the lab, mixing protocol with humour in a way that was distinctively Catherine Willows.
Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that they had been exchanging wry remarks about the stupidity of surfing the sewers of Las Vegas? She had been right there beside him, slogging away in those ridiculous hip-waders, they had been so big on her that she had looked almost like a little kid at play as they wadded together. Yet she was all business as they carefully combed every possible source for the bones they had found, undaunted by smells and sights of Vegas' watery underbelly. He respected that about Catherine, that she could take on anything and often took most things straight by the balls, with no apology.
But this was something completely new from collecting evidence, solving a crime and doing your job. That look on Catherine's face that was so familiar to Warrick; it was the look people got, despite their original convictions of the rightness of their actions, when the consequences of those actions began to catch up with them, often in the form of unmistakable and blunt photography of the people they had destroyed. In Catherine's case, the reality of the choices she had made were only now becoming clear and her whole body was stiff from the unexpected shock.
Catherine suddenly raised her head and her eyes met Warrick's pensive gaze, and she subtly straightened her spine and regained that poised look of competence that Catherine was known for. So assured did she look now that Warrick might have believed that he had imagined her inner turmoil, if he hadn't caught the brief shiny look in her deep blue eyes. It had been one of undisguised loneliness as she held her arms, looking so cold and isolated. He saw yearning for the companionship she had taken for granted from her fellow CSI's, saw her frustration at not knowing where new lines had to be drawn between herself and them. And he saw her uncertainty whether she would be welcomed if she just tried to include herself in their relaxation. Catherine was no Grissom, desiring to use her position as supervisor in order to remain happily apart from everyone else.
Warrick tried to put this realization into unspoken words, keeping Catherine's gaze and giving her a slight up-nod through the glass that separated them. He hoped his eyes held the reassurance he wanted her to know, that he wasn't sure what to say or do about their new problems but that he wouldn't let her be alone in figuring it out. It wasn't a proper apology by any means, yet Catherine's mouth quirked ever so slightly into a smile and the both of them relaxed minutely without being aware of doing so. She didn't join them in the room, but her walk out of sight was energetic enough to satisfy Warrick that she'd be alright.
"What are you looking at, man?" Nick's softly-drawled voice brought Warrick's contemplation to an abrupt halt, and he turned his head slightly to find Nick looking in the same direction through the glass. The hallway was now completely empty and Nick turned back to give Warrick a puzzled look.
"I was just watching Catherine walk by, she looked like she might have something new for us but it looks like I was wrong." Warrick replied casually, shifting in his seat and reaching for the pretzel bag. Nick chuckled and handed it over.
"What do you think, is she gonna end up driving us crazy? Are we gonna see the 'real' Catherine now?" Nick joked, grinning easily. Warrick shook his head and smiled one of his rare smiles that radiated amusement and gentleness in equal parts.
"Nah, I think we "married up", my friend." Warrick lightly remarked, causing Greg to smirk and snicker to himself. "We'll manage alright."
fin.
14.1.05
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