Desayuno

by kyrdwyn

Robert had up on trying to figure out which dishes were food and which were science experiments in Gil's fridge. Instead, he'd gone down to the local grocery store to pick up what he needed. Now he was cooking breakfast in Gil's kitchen. Robert wanted to do something special for Gil, whom he knew was having a bad night at work. The other man had called earlier, saying he was going to be home late, there was a bad case. Robert, having been a police officer his entire adult life, understood. But he had heard the currents in his lover's voice, the frustration and anger and exhaustion. So now Robert trying to surprise him by having breakfast waiting - something he knew didn't happen in Gil's isolated world. And making extra, so that Gil would have leftovers when Robert left.

As he stirred the mixture in the saucepan, he heard the front door open. Wiping his hands on the towel tossed over his shoulder, he turned to call out a greeting, and realized that Gil wasn't alone. Deciding that discretion was called for, Robert repressed the natural teasing comment he would have made. He didn't know if it would be appropriate. Instead, he waited to be introduced to the woman Gil was talking to. And smiled when Gil disappeared into his bedroom, saying something about being out in ten minutes.

Robert looked at the woman and shrugged as she gave him a quizzical expression. "Robert Delgado," he said, holding out his hand.

"Catherine Willows," she replied, shaking it. "I take it you’re a friend of Grissom's?"

Robert heard the myriad questions that lay beneath the one. "Former colleague. I'm with the Los Angeles Police department. Decided to look Gil up while I was in Vegas on vacation."

"I see," she said, taking in the stove and pans. Robert could see Catherine's mind ticking over the possibilities. Why was a former colleague in Gil's house this early in the morning making breakfast?

"Ah, Robert, I see you've met Catherine." Gil came out of the bedroom in fresh clothing. "Robert and I worked together in Los Angeles."

"So he said."

Robert had turned back to the stove to make sure breakfast didn't burn. "I'm shamelessly using Gil for free housing while I'm here. Didn't want to pay hotel rates. Decided I ought to at least make breakfast." He turned around. "Do you have time to eat, or should I put this in the fridge for another time?"

Gil checked his watch. Catherine noticed. "We've got time for breakfast, Gris."

Gil looked at her, shaking his head. "Brass is waiting."

"Come on, your friend obviously went to a lot of trouble to make breakfast, we shouldn't let it go to waste." With that remark Catherine sauntered over to the counter and picked up a plate. "So, what's on the menu?"

"Huevos rancheros," Robert replied, sliding one onto Catherine's plate. He slid two more onto plates and handed one over to Gil. Their eyes met, a glance of understanding. Gil didn't know how Catherine would react, so he hadn't contradicted Robert's story. Robert didn't want to cause problems for his lover, so he had fabricated a logical explanation for his presence. They'd both encountered hostility from co-workers before.

Neither man realized that Catherine had seen the loaded glance between them. In that instant, it clicked for her. Robert Delgado was more than just an old colleague to Gil. He wasn't staying at Gil's house to avoid the price of a hotel. He was staying at Gil's house because the two men were lovers.

Sitting down at the table, Catherine and the two men ate quickly and quietly. She'd never have figured Gil to be homosexual, but the speaking glances and unspoken gestures between Robert and Gil told of a relationship that went beyond mere friends. She felt like she was intruding into something private, intimate, between these two men. Catherine hadn't been able to pass up the chance to learn more about Gil, which was why she'd forced the breakfast issue. Now, she was wondering if this had been a good idea. Maybe Gil's secrets were best left alone.

Catherine hoped Gil stayed as quiet about this part of his life as he did about every other aspect. Despite Las Vegas' reputation as Sin City, some people were still narrow-minded when it came to two men being in love with each other. For Catherine could see it clearly, now that she knew to look for it. Then again, being in this house, even with her around, probably dropped guards the two of them would have in place in public. But for Gil's sake, for the sake of his career and Robert's, Catherine hoped that no one else would notice.

Robert gestured for the two of them to leave when breakfast was done. "I'll take care of the dishes, you have a case to solve."

Catherine thanked Robert for breakfast and walked to the doorway. "I'll meet you in the car," she told Grissom. She opened and shut the front door, but didn't leave. Instead, she peeked around the corner from the hallway. Gil and Robert were talking softly, standing closer than they had been when she left them. As she covertly observed them, they reached out and grasped each other's hand for a long moment as they looked at each other and smiled, then parted. Gil turned toward her, and Catherine quietly slipped out the front door. Somehow, that one gesture had been more intimate than if they had kissed. It was something Catherine had seen in other long time couples. The complete knowledge that they loved and were loved ran so deep that lavish displays of affection were no longer needed. To them, a simple look and handclasp said everything.

On the way back to the lab, Gil was quieter than usual. He wasn't given to filling up silence with inane chatter, but there was a difference in his silence. Like he was struggling with something. Catherine finally couldn't stand it.

"How long have you two been dating?"

Gil nearly drove off the road, then managed to get the Tahoe back between the lines. "Catherine…"

"No, Gil, let me finish. I saw the way you two looked at each other…he's not just a colleague from Los Angeles, is he? If he even is from Los Angeles."

"He's from Los Angeles." Gil didn't give away anything else. Catherine knew Gil was trying to protect the man, not knowing where Catherine was going with this or what she would do. It hurt Catherine to think that Gil thought so little of her that she would blab something like this around the lab. Gossip about personal lives was best left to the other three CSIs. She'd known Gil long enough to know that he liked his privacy. Didn't Gil know her better? Or was it that Robert was more important to him than anything else?

"So…how long have you two known each other?"

"About twenty three years."

Catherine was startled. "Wow. You've been dating that long?"

Gil didn't answer. Catherine got mad. "Pull over."

That got him to look at her. "What?"

"Pull over. Here." She gestured to the deserted parking lot of a fast food place. Reluctantly, Gil pulled into the lot. Putting the SUV in park, he turned to her.

"Catherine, what the…"

She held up her hand, cutting him off. "Gil, I'm not blind. We've worked together for ten years. You've rarely dated, and you seem to miss the signals some of the women in the lab have been giving you. I always thought it was because you were so dedicated to your job. But it wasn't that, was it? It was Robert." Gil was still silent, staring at her in shock. She smiled at him. "Look, I don't care. Personally, I think it's great that you've got someone else in your life. But you know how others in CSI might view it."

He nodded. "I know. But…"

Catherine saw the look on Gil's face in the light of rising sun. Her heart went out to her long time friend. She couldn't begin to understand what he was going through, to love someone and not be able to share it with the world. Eddie may have been slime, but the world didn't condemn her for falling in love with him. Gil, on the other hand, was going to be brutally ostracized for following his heart.

"You love him." It was a simple statement. Gil nodded in response. Catherine reached out to take his hand. "I'm sorry, Gil." And she was. Sorry for whatever he and Robert had gone through in the past, and for what they would go through if their love were revealed.

"We haven't looked beyond now, Catherine. It…may not work out for us this time. He still works in Los Angeles, and my job is here."

Catherine nodded. She didn't know the whole story behind Gil and Robert's relationship, and doubted she ever would. Gil didn't trust many people inside his emotional walls. She wondered if Robert knew how lucky he was to be allowed in.

"I'm here for you, Gil. If you ever want to talk, I'm here." He nodded at her, and she saw the relief in his eyes. He had been worried about her reaction, she realized. What she thought really mattered to him. She smiled reassuringly. "I think Robert's a great guy," she said.

"Yeah, me too," Gil said with a one sided smile as he started the car again.

end