February 17th 2003: It's early afternoon and she's still exhausted from the few days before. She's laying on her couch half asleep when the bell rings. She sighs in disgust at the way she knows she must look. She answers the door, and finds a tall, handsome man on the other side, holding a take out bag.

"Thought you might be hungry," he smiles at her.

"Not really," she admits.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm ok I guess."

"Rough night?"

"The roughest," she answers.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course," she welcomes him in.

"Where do you want this?" he questions.

"Just sit it on the counter in the kitchen."

"Ok," he agrees.

When he returns to the living room she's still standing in the same spot.

"Where's Lindsey?" he asks her.

"She insisted on going to school."

"You know I'm always here for you. No matter what."

"Thanks, I needed to hear that."

"You're not alone," he reminds her.

"I know," she sighs making the realization.

"You're never alone. I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks," she brushes a stray hair out of her face.

He smiles at her.

"What are you smiling at?" she asks defensively.

"You," he answers softly.

"Me? Why?"

He chuckles.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Really? It didn't sound like nothing."

"It's just that you're beautiful," he answers.

"Thank you?"

"You are, even looking like that you're still beautiful."

She stands there looking at him wearing a pair of grey sweat pants, a grey t-shirt, no make-up and barely brushed hair. She smiles at him and tells him, "You're sweet, but you don't have to lie to me to try to cheer me up. I do appreciate it though."

"I'm not lying. You are beautiful."

"How could you possibly think that?"

"You always look beautiful Catherine."

"I think you need to have your eyes checked."

"No I see just fine. I see you perfectly fine. You're quite a catch you know?"

"Are you saying that I'm easy?" she asks.

"No that's not what I'm saying. Why would I think that?"

"I don't know. I think that a lot of people feel that way though."

"I don't. If you were easy we would have had sex the first time I met you."

She nearly chokes to death.

"I'm just saying. I mean I thought that you were hot, smokin' in fact."

"So that's why you acted so awkward the first time I met you?"

"Yes. I've always felt drawn to you. I've always wondered how we'd be together. Don't tell me that you haven't thought about it."

"You wondered how we'd be together in bed?"

"No. I wondered what it would be like to be with you. To be more than colleagues."

"But with benefits?"

"Not just with benefits, be in an actual relationship."

"Oh I see. You know that could never happen right? We work together."

"I'm sorry. I just thought that you might feel the same way."

"You're very charming, and good looking but..."

"But what? What's holding you back?"

She looks at him. She stares at her face three inches from her own. Her will power is no match for his beautiful eyes. His hand cups her face and he pulls her in. She tries to resist but is far too weak. Their lips lock and she melts.

Before she knows it chemicals have overtaken the situation. She pushes his jacket to the ground. Then she stops. She pushes him away.

"Don't..." he warns.

"Not..."

"Please don't stop here. I can't take it I'll explode. I've wanted this for too long," he admits.

"I'm not stopping."

"So what?"

"Not down here," she tells him.

"Ok," he agrees. He sweeps her off her feet and runs up the stairs to her room. He gently places her on the bed and kicks out of his shoes.

She let herself be weak once. One time, and that was all it took. His charming smile, and irresistible eyes, they did her in. They didn't talk about it. She didn't want to push it too far. She didn't want to railroad her career for this. She knew that there would never be anything but sex between the two of them. So she did her best to keep her distance. Not be drawn in by his smile, turned on by his eyes, and entranced by his smell. He was irresistible, she couldn't have resisted him no matter what she tried, no matter how hard she tried, or how much she wanted to.

June 24th 2003: She's at a crime scene with Warrick when her phone rings. She recognizes the number immediately.

"I've got to take this," she tells him.

He nods and she leaves the house. She steps outside as far away from the house, and anyone that she can possibly get.

"Hello?" she answers.

"Miss Willows this is Doctor Shelton. I'm calling with the results of your amniocentesis."

"Should I be sitting down for this?"

"No. Everything looks fine. You're in the clear. You're baby looks very healthy."

"Good," she sighs in relief.

"Would you like to know?"

"Know what?"

"The sex?" He asks her.

"Um... I hadn't really thought about it."

"You can get back with me if you decide you'd like to know."

"You can tell me. I don't have any reason to keep it a surprise."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," she answers truthfully.

"Congratulations, it's a girl."

"Thank you."

"Good bye Miss Willows."

Catherine hangs up. She slips the phone into her pocket, "Thank God it's not a boy," she says under her breath.

A beautiful little girl who later became Layla Brielle Willows. A little girl who was needy, and funny, and smart. A little girl who she couldn't live without. A little girl with big green eyes. Green eyes that her mother had so much difficulty saying no to. Such a precious little girl.

June 24th 2003: Catherine returns to the house and continues processing.

"You ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asks him.

"I don't know you just seem on edge."

"I'm fine," she assures him.

"Cath are you sure?"

"Yes, why Warrick?" she answers snippily.

"You seem really tired and irritable," he points out.

"I'm exhausted, I haven't been getting much sleep. The lack of sleep probably makes me a little irritable," she admits.

"Ok," he nods.

She bends down to look at the floorboard for any trace of blood.

"Cath?"

"Yes Warrick?"

"Are we ok?"

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know. You just seem like you're avoiding me lately."

"I'm not," she answers quickly and vehemently.

"Did I do something to make you made?"

"No you didn't do anything."

"Then why are you acting like I did?"

"Warrick stop badgering me I don't want to talk about it. I'm exhausted. Can we just get this done so that I can go home?"

"Yeah of course," he nods.

Of course she couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't simply shout, 'No I'm not fine. I'm not fine. I'm pregnant, you idiot.' That wouldn't go over too well. She wasn't going to tell him. He didn't have to know. It was better if he didn't. It was better if no one found out. She didn't feel the need to broadcast that she had a mid-day romp with a co-worker and ended up pregnant with his baby. That wasn't necessary. It wasn't necessary for anyone to know, until... unless anything happened to her. It was her business and hers alone.

She hadn't totally lied to him. She was exhausted, she hadn't been sleeping. Of course he didn't need to know that she wasn't sleeping because all she could think about was how she was supposed to with her hours, and at her age, take care of a baby. Or the sleepless nights caused by wondering how she could possibly love another child as much as the daughter she already had. Or the sleepless night that ensued because she worried about who would watch the baby when she was at work. At least she was done worrying if she was going to have a boy or a girl. She wasn't sure exactly why it mattered, but it did somehow.

Keeping it hidden had been easier said than done, of course. Especially after being up all night with a newborn. A newborn who wanted nothing more than to be held and fed and changed all the time, no matter what time of the day, or night. A baby who for the first few months of her existence she had resented, and didn't want to look at or hold. But of course that was unacceptable, especially as a single parent. It was even more unacceptable as a mother.