Lindsey listens quietly outside her Mother's bedroom door, the gentle sobs pull at her heartstrings and tears fill her own eyes. Slowly she pushes the door open and finds Catherine sitting cross legged on the bed, clutching a small photo in her hands. Her daughter's entrance startles her a little causing her to quickly slip the photo under her pillow.

"Mom?"

"Yes baby?"

"Are you ok? You don't seem happy."

"I'm ok Linds but I'd be even better if you could promise me something."

"Aww Mom you can't make me promise to keep my room tidy or anything like that, you know I can't."

Catherine laughs slightly at her daughter.

"It's nothing like that sweetie. I just want you to promise me you will make a better life for yourself than what I've made for you. I've messed up honey, probably worse than ever before and I don't think I can make things right."

"Oh come on Mom it's not like you killed someone."

Silence

"Mom, you didn't kill someone did you?"

"No of course not but I think I've just broken Warrick's heart."

"He told you?" Lindsey asks excitedly.

"He told me but it's too late baby, we could never be happy."

"I don't understand Mom, I thought you loved him."

"I do, more than anything but I did something stupid and I couldn't be with him, well not without telling him."

"Omg then Mom just tell him, you adults confuse me sometimes."

"I wish it was that simple, he'd hate me for sure."

"He could never hate you Mom."

The honk of a horn interrupts and Lindsey kisses her Mom's cheek lightly before running out the door to meet her Auntie and cousin for her lift to school. Catherine wipes her tears away and walks to the window to watch her pride and joy getting into the familiar car.

"If only I could have been a little stronger" Catherine sighs to the empty room, allowing her mind to drift back to the same place it always drifts back to……back to him.

"I don't understand this, what did I do? Where did I go wrong?"

Warrick falls heavily into the old armchair in his living room, it always brought him comfort after a hard case, after a rejection from Catherine and many a time after a long day. But there was something about last nights events that even the comfort of his favorite chair couldn't make right.

He'd been in love with Catherine Willows for the last 6, no 7 years of his life but he'd always been too scared to show it. He was scared of rejection but most of all scared of acceptance, it seems a strange thing to be scared of but he knew she was a hard woman and living with her could be the hardest thing he'd ever done. So he didn't tell her, he married someone he never really loved, that wasn't the intention, he thought he could learn to love her. He wanted to move on, settle down, start a family but every night she invaded his dreams, in fact she was taking over his life, every single thought was of her and there was nothing he could do about.

His married was doomed from the get go and it had fallen apart several months before, he waited for the divorce before making his move. He'd had confidence that this time would go well, this time there would be nothing standing in his way but somehow, someway there was still an obstacle there.

Slowly he picks up the phone and dials Nick's number, he'd already spoken to him the night before but suddenly he finds himself with a lot more to say.

"Maybe I didn't say it right, you know maybe I sounded a little too desperate, a little too undermining. Maybe she thought I was putting her down with those words…I had it all planned you know but in that moment it all got lost."

"Maybe you did everything right, Maybe there's just something that she's holding back on."

"Like what? I thought I meant something to her."

"Warrick, you mean everything to her but maybe she's not ok with the way your marriage ended. Do you not think it's possible she blames herself."

"I guess I never thought of it like that…it's possible, very possible."

"Just talk to her dude, what do you have to lose?"

"Nothing….nothing at all."

Warrick puts down the receiver and sighs to the empty room, allowing his mind to drift back to the same place it always drifts back to…..back to her.