This one ran a little long but I think it is approriate.

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The front door opened quietly and she stepped inside. The house was dark, but that was expected.. It was well into the shift and he would be at work. She had planned it this way so that she would be there when he got home in the morning. As she made her way into the living room, she was one concerned about one thing. Where was Hank? She had at least expected a greeting from him. But the place was quiet.

And then she heard a sound from the direction of the bedroom. Tilting her head, she listened, concentrating her energies in that direction. There it was again….almost like a moan. Was he home after all? Sick maybe? Concern propelled her towards the door when she heard another sound, not his. Decidedly higher in pitch; calling his name. And it sounded way more than friendly too. She recognized what came next; she had heart it countless times in recent years. It was him in a highly aroused state, to say the least.

Anger and curiosity waged war within her as she made her way to the doorway. Fury sent blood rushing through her as her eyes took in the scene. He was in bed with another woman…and enjoying it, immensely. Her heart plummeted as she cleared her throat, announcing her presence.

Two bodies froze. Catherine felt like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over them. Looking at Gil, she saw only confusion written on his and then a sudden clarity of thought.

Gil's protective instincts were thrown into panic as he realized that his gun and any other means of fighting an intruder were in the other room. And Hank was at Cath's. As he looked into her eyes, he knew that whoever the intruder was, he would have to go through Gil to get at Cath. Gil was determined to keep her safe, no matter the cost.

Slowly turning toward the intruder Gil sat up, placing himself between the intruder and Catherine. It was then that he finally looked closely enough to see who it was. "Sara?" His was beyond disbelief. He felt Catherine move behind him, collecting the sheet around her, covering completely.

"Yes, Gil. It is me, Sara. Your… fiancé? And I'm wondering why you are in bed with another woman." Catherine shifted uneasily and it was then that Sara realized who the other woman was. "Oh my god…Catherine," She said flatly.

"Hi Sara," Catherine smiled meekly. Gil reached over and turned on a lamp. "What the hell are you doing here, Sara?"

"I came back to make things right between us. You were so angry when you left San Francisco. And I hadn't heard from you."

Gil stared at her, incredulous. "I thought you understood that when I left we were finished. That was the end of 'us'."

"But why?"

Catherine shifted again. "Look, why don't I just, you know….go on back to my place and let you talk." She moved as if to get up but Gil's hand shot over and grabbed her arm.

"No Cath. If anyone is leaving my house, it is Sara. You stay here, where you have a right to be, and Sara and I will go to the other room to finish this. I won't be long." He reached to t he floor and found his boxers, slipped them on and then threw on a shirt. Purposely he moved across the room until he was face to face with Sara. "Move," he said with a forceful but quiet voice. Catherine watched and listened as the two moved to his living room.

"Okay Sara. Why are you here?" he asked when they got to the living room.

"I told you. I hadn't heard from you and I thought I should come and, you know…make it up to you. But I see you didn't waste anytime finding a playmate. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised. Catherine will sleep with anything in pants." She glared angrily at him.

He stood, frozen in place, anger boiling up inside beyond anything he had ever felt before. Every negative emotion he had felt since reading her letter rose to the surface. And he knew he was close to doing something he thought he would never so. He wanted to hit her, pound her into the floor. She was a smart person, and smarter about people than he was. How could she think there had been anything left after… "You killed my baby." He somehow managed to control his tone and it came out matter of factly., not exposing all the anguish inside.

She blanched at his words. "I explained that to you. I thought you understood. I just couldn't….I wasn't in any shape to take care of it."

He closed his eyes, fighting to center himself, gain self control. Then very softly, in his most controlled tone he spoke. "And I just can't forgive you for it…..maybe if you had waited until we could talk about it, but you didn't. Just like when you left; you decided that you had to go and just did it. You ripped my heart out Sara. I was a shell, an exoskeleton with nothing inside. Catherine came to me as a friend and slowly brought me back to life. Feelings for her that I had buried long ago resurfaced. She only wants for me that which I wanted for you, happiness. So she encouraged me to find you, to stop you from having the abortion, even though it might mean that she would lose me. She loves me that much, Sara…as much as I loved you. And I love her; I have for years although I tried to bury it."

Sara stared at him, dumbfounded. "No, you love me," she finally croaked.

Gil stood silently, his hands beside him, looking at her sadly.

"You do," she continued. "Let me make it up to you. We can have another baby…I can do it if you are there with me. Please, Gil. Don't give up on us…"

"You gave up on us, Sara. You didn't trust me to be there for you. And maybe I deserved that. God knows, I left you hanging enough over the years. But …you didn't give me a chance to help you, or just be there for you. And you didn't let me in on the decision about our baby. Bottom line….you don't trust me. Besides, as much as I had to open up and let you in, you needed to do the same. But you kept me out; afraid of what I might see when your heartbreak spilled out. Afraid I might see you at your worst. I thought that was what relationships are supposed to be about. The marriage vows do say for better or for worse, don't they?"

She stood transfixed. Her mind was reeling, trying to formulate a response when the last blow came. "And as for another child," he continued, "I already have a daughter….with Catherine."

Her eyes narrowed as she processed the information. "Lindsey?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes, Lindsey is my child. And I want to spend the next few years concentrating on being her father. I've missed so many opportunities; I don't want to miss anymore."

"But…really? She really is your child, biologically, I mean?"

"Yes." His emotions were calming now and as he thought about his daughter, serenity came over him. She really was his and he really wanted to be her father. With Lindsey and Catherine he could be whole, a complete man, not the enigmatic ghost that he had spent most of his life portraying. They would show him the way. And he had already seen Catherine at her worst; she trusted him. He fell short sometimes and made her mad, but she trusted him.

Catherine heard the discussion from the bedroom. She made herself stay on the bed and out of the middle; at least until she hear a thud and a crash. Someone had gotten slapped and it had gotten worse from there. She ran into the living room to find Gil sprawled on the floor, rubbing a red mark on his cheek. He was wearing the same expression he wore the night Sid Google attacked him, fear and confusion. Gil was no coward. If Sara had slapped her, Catherine knew that he would have defended her and thrown Sara out. But he would never lift a hand against Sara to defend himself. It just wasn't who he was. So Catherine made the decision to intervene.

Looking from Gil to Sara and back to him, she asked "are you okay?"

He was still rubbing his cheek but nodded his head, "yeah." He began to get up but moved slowly, his eyes not leaving Sara. Once he was standing he just stared at her, exuding hurt from his entire being. His expression, the knowledge that Sara had hurt him so deeply made Catherine angrier than she thought possible. "Sara, I think you should leave."

"Stay out of this Catherine," the other woman threatened.

Gil blinked and then stepped between the two women. "She's right, Sara. I think we've said all there is to be said. You left and I've moved on. Perhaps you should try to do the same."

"No Gil, I haven't finished. And that bit.."

"Stop it Sara." he said emphatically.

"Well, she has no right to throw me out of our house."

"My house. You gave up any right to a place in it when you left without even talking to me. And she is here because I want her here." He sighed heavily."Please….just leave."

Perhaps it was his intense sadness; maybe it was her own acceptance that it really was over; something made Sara decide to back down. She looked from him to Catherine, who was holding his arm as if to support him physically, and then back at him. Resigned, she spoke in muffled tones. "I'm sorry. I guess I didn't see it from your side. I was so caught up in my own hurt that I couldn't see anything…. I really am sorry." Tears slowly trickled from her eyes and she saw that Gil had a few tears of his own. She turned and slowly walked out the door.

Catherine watched her leave and then turned to Gil. Seeing how broken he looked, she whispered. "Gil….go after her, at least wish her happiness or something. Give her something to take with her. And give yourself some peace."

He looked into her eyes and saw understanding, more than he felt he had a right to expect. Then he disappeared out of the door and found Sara next to her car, crying.

"Sara," he said awkwardly. "I..um…let's end it better than this. I'd like to hug you…you know, a good bye hug."

Sara looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "Its more than I gave you, isn't it?"

"Actually, I think you kissed me." His tone had eased a little. He held his arms open and she stepped into them. Holding her close for the last time, he spoke softly. "I hope you find happiness, honey. I want that for you."

She started to tell him that he was her happiness. But she decided that it would just cause more hurt for both of them. He had found his happiness and there was no place for her in it. "I…hope you are happy too, Gil."

"I am. But Catherine even pointed out that it was you that showed me how to find it. You made me open up to it. You gave me a beautiful gift, Sara. I'll always love you for that."

She touched him where she had slapped him. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry I'm not the one, that it isn't me."

Gil kissed her on her forehead. "E-mail from time to time; let me know you are okay?"

"Sure," she said as she climbed into her car. "I think I'll find anew place to start over. Maybe even teach," she almost smiled. "You seemed to enjoy teaching."

He smiled back at her. "You'd be good at it."

She started her engine and drove out of his life forever. He turned and went back inside to begin his new one.

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Okay, before you GSR/Sara freaks start yelling that I bashed her. I didn't! I had them end on a better note, pardon the pun. So if your only reason for reviewing is to revile my take on things, don't bother. For everyone else, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I could end it here or I could write more, you decide for me:-)