disclaimers: not mine. the song belongs to dolly parton.

Gil found Catherine in the morgue looking at the body of the boy from the party.

"What happened?" Her eyes never left the boy's body.

"Unsupervised party in Henderson. The PD rolled on a noise complaint. Found him floating in the pool after they got things under control." He stood beside her, his hand on her back for support.

"She was in the pool." It wasn't a question.

"At some point."

"That's why she's wearing a jumpsuit?" Catherine had noticed the jumpsuit the second she saw her daughter. It was not something Lindsey would willingly wear.

"No. When I got there she wasn't wearing any pants. I thought it would be better for her to wear the jumpsuit than run around the lab in her shirt and panties."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." She had not moved from her place over the boy's body. "Have his parents been contacted?"

"Yes. Nick took care of it."

"I want to talk with them."

"Catherine, you really shouldn't be in here." She continued staring at the body, the grief and fear she felt overwhelming her. Emotionally she was a wreck. Anger, fear, joy, pain and grief were all fighting for dominance.

"Lindsey. This could have been Lindsey." She brushed back an errant lock of hair from the boy's face.

"But it isn't. She's fine except for a hangover."

Catherine's body started to shake. Gil knew she was crying. He wanted to reach out to her to comfort her but her held back. He always held back. The door to the morgue opened and Al Robbins entered the room.

"I need to start my autopsy." He looked at Gil apologetically as he walked towards the table.

"Al, give us five minutes." Robbins nodded in agreement as he walked out of the room. Catherine still had not moved.

"We need to leave." He tried to turn her towards him.

"No. His parents will be…" Catherine couldn't bring herself to leave the boy. He was so young.

"Nick will be with them."

"Nick doesn't understand what…"

"Catherine, we're leaving."

"No." It was a repeat of Lindsey in the break room as she began to sob uncontrollably. Before he realized what he was doing he had pulled her into his arms and stroking the back of her head.

"She's fine. She's in the break room. Shh, everything is going to be fine." Her arms griped tightly around him. "Shh, I've got you. It's going to be OK." He was still stroking her head as her sobbing continued. He pulled her with him towards the door, locking it before pulling them both to Al's desk. He sat down holding her in his lap all the while speaking soothing words and stroking her head.

His mind flashed back to the last time he had seen her this upset. Lindsey was barely three years old. Catherine was late coming in and no one had heard from her. Brass had paged her. Gil had tried calling her at home but there was no answer. Gil asked Brass to pair the two of the up so that he could swing by her house to check on her. He pulled up in her driveway and cut his engine. The moment he opened his door he heard them. Eddie and Catherine were both screaming at the top of their lungs. He hurried to the door, knocking loudly. Either they didn't hear him or just chose to ignore him because no one came to the door and the yelling continued. Gil turned the knob to find it was unlocked so he walked on in.

"Is that the only thing you can yell about?" It was Eddie.

"The only thing? Eddie she was in our bed." Catherine was up in his face.

"Because you weren't." Eddie went to walk away but Catherine grab him with her arm

"Don't try and blame this on me."

"Oh I forgot. You are the injured party here. Never mind the fact hat you neglect your husband and your daughter." He shoved her arm off of him.

"That's bullshit Eddie and you know it."

"You're never home."

"Because I'm working. One of us has to and we both know that you won't."

"Work my ass. No one works that much overtime." It was at that point Eddie noticed Gil was in his house. "You think I'm stupid?" I know you two are fucking each other." He pointed in Gil's direction causing Catherine to turn around only momentarily."

"Eddie that's bullshit and you know it."

"Turn about is fair play, Catherine."

"Fuck you!"

"You wouldn't let me, remember. That's what started this." He was right in her face again.

"What started this was your bitch in our bed."

Gil saw Lindsey standing in the hallway holding her teddy bear. While Ed and Catherine continued to yell he walked over to the girl, picking her up and carrying her back to her bedroom.

"Hey butterfly. Did all that noise wake you?"

Lindsey shook her head yes.

"What do you say we put you back in bed?"

"No." She pulled her bear in close to her.

"How about I hold you and sing you a song?" Lindsey crawled into his lap dragging her bear behind her. She put her hands on his face and kissed him, then snuggled back into his arms. When he didn't start singing she reached her arm up to his mouth. He nibbled her fingers and she smiled.

"There's that beautiful smile I love." He tickled her belly and she giggled.

"Butterfly!"

"You want me to sing the butterfly song?"

"Yes!"

Gil hummed softly for a few beats and then started singing while the yelling continued in the other room.

"Love is like a butterfly/As soft and gentle as a sigh/The multicolored moods of love are like its satin wings/Love makes your heart feel strange inside/It flutters like soft wings in flight/Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing …" Lindsey began to fall asleep in his arms. He continued to hum for a good ten minutes after she fell asleep, only stopping when he saw Catherine standing in the door.

"Let's go." She turned and walked away without saying another word. He stood slowly so as not to wake Lindsey. He laid her in her bed, tucking her in tightly before kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Goodnight Butterfly. Sweet dreams." He walked through the living room to see Ed glaring at him, drink in hand. Nothing was said between the two men as he left the house. Catherine was waiting in his car.

"Shut up and drive." She didn't look at him, instead looking out the passenger window.

Gil drove them to their assignment. Brass was waiting for them when they arrived. Catherine barely acknowledged him, choosing instead to start processing evidence.

"What happened?" Brass' eyes trailed behind her.

"Ed was being his normal self." Gil didn't feel the need to go into details. It was Catherine's business. If she wanted Brass to know Eddie was cheating she'd tell him herself.

The processed the scene quickly then headed back to the lab. She had not said a word to him since they left her house.

"Wanna grab something to eat?" Gil's stomach growled to emphasize his question. She didn't answer.

"OK. Well, I'm starving. Hope you're in the mood for Chinese." He pulled into the parking lot of China Palace. He was half way across the parking lot when he realized she hadn't left the vehicle. Gil walked back to his car, opening the door for her. Catherine made no attempt to move other than to turn her head away from him. He reached in with his right hand and turned her head to face him. Her eyes were red and puffy from the silent tears falling down her face. She slapped his hand away.

"Why?" The word was barely a whisper.

"I don't know Catherine. Because he's Eddie."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gil knew what she meant.

"It wasn't my place."

"You catch my husband cheating on me, you don't tell me. Instead I find him in our bed with another woman and all you can say is "it wasn't my place?"" She sat rigidly in her spot looking through the windshield at nothing in particular.

"What would you have done if I'd told you?"

"I would have confronted him."

"Bullshit."

"What?"

"Bullshit. You wouldn't have believed me."

"It wasn't your decision to make." Her voice was loud enough that the people at the restaurant turned in their direction.

"This isn't about me and you know it."

"I thought you were hungry." It wasn't concern but annoyance in her voice. She wanted to be alone.

"I am." He didn't budge.

"Nobody's stopping you."

"I know."

"Damn it Grissom." She grabbed her purse and slammed the door behind her, storming to the restaurant by herself. They sat in silence. Gil eating while Catherine was digging trenches in her rice with her fork. After what seemed like an eternity she spoke.

"Thank you." This was not what he was expecting her to say.

"Huh?"

"Lindsey. Putting her back to bed."

"It was nothing." Her tears started falling again surprising Gil because Catherine wasn't the kind of person to cry in front of a group of people.

"C'mon." He quickly laid $30 on the table and escorted Catherine back to the car. They stood outside the passenger door, Catherine leaning face first into the car while she cried. Gil stood closely by but didn't reach to comfort her.

"I'm a horrible mother." She spoke into the car. "I let my daughter see me fighting with my husband who I can't keep at home. I don't even go to comfort her. My partner does. I just left."

"Catherine."

"I swore I'd never do her the way my mother did me. She and Dad would fight all the time. Sam would come and hold me till I calmed down and went back to sleep."

"Sam?"

"Sam Braun. One of my mother's friends."

"The Sam Braun? The one who owns the Tangiers?"

"Yeah. Treated me like I was his daughter, more so than Dad ever did. I used to fantasize Sam and my Mom would get married. She was happy when he was around. All she and Dad ever did was fight. I was so glad when they divorced."

"I didn't know."

"I don't want to put Lindsey through that. But I don't want to give up on my marriage either." She turned to look at Gil. Her face was red and puffy but the tears had stopped, replaced by a hollowness in her eyes. Gil's arm moved towards her to comfort her but he realized what he was doing and grabbed the door handle instead.

"We need to get back to the lab."

"The lab. Right." Her voice was laced with resentment as she got in, slamming the door behind her. Those were the last non-work related words she said to him for two weeks.

Gil's thoughts returned to the present. He wouldn't let her deal with this by herself this time. Even if she didn't want his support she was going to have it. He held her tightly to him as her sobbing became heavier and heavier. The door to the morgue turned but he didn't move. If it were Al he would know they needed more time. If it was anyone else he really didn't care. Whoever it was finally got the hint and left.

"Hey you." He placed his hand on her chin and pulled her head towards him. He gently wiped the tears from her face.

"Listen to me. You are a good mother. You are one of the best mothers I've ever known. Whatever happened to that kid is not your fault." He nodded his head in the direction of the body on the table.

"Lindsey. Well, Lindsey is like you --- stubborn and strong willed. Even if you had been home she would have found a way to go out if her mind was set on it." It was the truth and they both knew it.

"She was doing so good. A new school. Better grades. New Friends." The guilt of this somehow being her fault was eating at Catherine.

"I know." He pushed a stray hair from her cheek. "I know."

"She was acting so much like the old Lindsey. Smiling, laughing. I thought we were past this."

"I know."

"I just don't know what to do."

"We'll figure it out together." He pulled her head to his chest and held her. Catherine wasn't sure what he meant. Right now, his arms around her comforting her was enough.