Title: Secrets Revealed

Author: ANNE (the insane one)

Rating: PG

Summary: It's been five years since Inside the Box.

This story is based on the premise that Sara and Gil had a brief affair after she asked him out at the end of LHB. Sara disappeared at the end of Inside The Box and her resignation was on Gil's desk when he came back from leave. No one has seen or heard from her since.

Gil and Catherine gave into their mutual attraction and have been married for 4 ½ years. Gil adopted Lindsey and she is now entering the terrible teens stage at age 13.

They have a 2 ½ year old daughter, Elizabeth and Catherine is four months pregnant.

Warrick is dating Leah the lab tech fingerprints girl from Season 1.

Nick has been married for a year. His wife is expecting a baby.

Greg is…god help the world…engaged to a schoolteacher.

Sara arrives back in Las Vegas, bringing with her her 5-year-old son, Matthew.

Thanks to Lauri for the title and for reading over it :)

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Matthew walked briskly to keep up with his mother as they walked down the hallway of the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

"Mom, I'm thirsty," he whimpered.

"I promise we can go home soon," Sara informed him.

Matthew sighed and almost ran into his mother as she stopped suddenly.

"Warrick!"

Warrick Brown spun around surprised at hearing that voice again. "Sara?"

Sara smiled. "Hey. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Uh, wow. It's been a while!" He looked down at Matthew.

"Warrick, this is my son, Matthew."

"Hey," Warrick smiled, sticking his hand out. "Nice to meet you."

Matthew shook his hand.

"So, what are you doing back here, Sara? It was a huge shock when you disappeared."

Sara nodded. "Yeah, I know. I needed to get some things sorted out. I'm back here for closure I guess."

In a flurry of moment, two blonde whirlwinds dashed down the hallway.

"Woah, Lindsey, Lizzy!" Warrick looked at the two girls. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Our baby-sitter was a loser," Lindsey replied simply. "Is Mom around?"

Warrick nodded. "Evidence room."

"Okay thanks." Lindsey waved at Sara. "Hi, Sara."

Sara barely managed to say hello in return as the two kids disappeared down the hallway. She turned back to Warrick. "Is Grissom around?"

Warrick nodded. It wasn't his place to tell Sara about Catherine and Grissom. "In his office." Besides, Catherine would be occupied with her children. He hoped.

"Sara, there have been a lot of changes since you left," he told her.

"Like what?"

"Well, Nick is married, Greg is getting married…"

"Woah, Greg is getting married?"

Warrick grinned. "Yeah, we could hardly believe it either. But he's so proud. The minute he started dating her he brought her in. She's a schoolteacher."

"And Nick?"

"Yeah, he got married last year. He's gonna be a dad soon."

Sara's eyes widened. "Wow." She smiled. "What about you, Warrick?"

Warrick smiled slightly. "Dating."

"Leah?"

Warrick nodded. "Yeah." As she turned to leave he put a hand on her shoulder. "Sara, just…be careful, okay?"

"I'm fine, Warrick." She smiled and Matthew glanced back at Warrick as they walked down the hallway.

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Catherine Grissom held one daughter on each hand as she walked into her husband's office. "Alright, Lindsey. Tell your father what you did."

Gil looked up from where he was filling out paperwork and raised an eyebrow. "Catherine?"

"Just listen," she ordered him.

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "You guys left us with a loser babysitter. She started playing ancient music on the stereo at full blast and when Lizzy woke up she told me to take care of her!"

"Tell him the rest," Catherine said. She turned to her husband. "We're firing that sitter."

Gil nodded and looked expectantly at Lindsey. "Go on."

Lindsey sighed. "So I got a cab down here with my pocket money." She turned to her mother. "I so expect to be paid back by the way."

Gil stood up. "You took a cab by yourself?"

"I had Lizzy with me," Lindsey said, pointing to her sister. "And my cell phone!" She folded her arms. "I don't see why I'm in trouble! I'm thirteen years old and I saved my baby sister from an insane babysitter!"

Catherine let out an exasperated noise.

A knock came at the door. Before Gil could say anything, the door opened and there stood Sara Sidle with her son.

The three adults silently stood staring at each other. Lindsey flopped onto the sofa.

The first to break the silence was Lizzy, who turned to her father.

"Up pwease," she requested.

Gil complied and picked the little girl up. Lizzy immediately snuggled into his arms.

"Sara," Gil said eventually.

"Grissom," Sara said. She nodded to Catherine, noting the slight bump. "Catherine."

"Sara," Catherine replied.

Matthew tugged on his mother's hand. "Mom! I'm really thirsty!"

"This is Matthew," Sara introduced. "Um…Grissom…"

"Gil, could you take the kids to get a soda or something?" Catherine asked her husband quickly.

Gil looked at her, wondering what was going on.

"Matthew doesn't drink soda," Sara said.

"'Duice!" Lizzy demanded.

"Yeah, we have apple juice," Catherine smiled fondly at her daughter. She turned to her husband. "I'm in one of my pregnancy moods. Do you really want to argue with me?"

Gil smiled slightly. He knew that Catherine still had things that were unsaid between her and Sara and finally nodded his acquiescence. He turned to Matthew. "Would you like a drink?"

Matthew nodded eagerly and sped out the door. Lindsey was tempted to stay, but a look from her parents had her following her father out the door. Lizzy blew a sploshy kiss to her mother and Gil left with the children.

"I came to talk to Grissom," Sara said rudely.

"Tough. You get to talk to me first," Catherine replied. "Stay away from my husband."

"Feeling threatened Catherine?"

Catherine smiled bitterly. "I'm the one wearing the ring. Did you see those two girls? He adopted one. The other is his." She frowned. "I made a mistake in letting him be with you. I was lucky and got a second chance. You can't just come back and expect to have what you tossed aside."

"Did you see that boy that walked off with him? Did you really look at his eyes? Matthew is Grissom's son! Grissom needs to know that."

Catherine sat down on the sofa, her eyes wide.

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Gil watched Matthew finish the juice. Noticing his youngest daughter had dribbled some slightly, he reached over with his handkerchief and fixed her up.

"So, Matthew are you hungry?"

Matthew nodded. "I don't suppose you have any hotdogs?"

Grissom chuckled. "No, sorry. You like hotdogs?"

Matthew smiled. "Yeah. But I don't get to eat them very often. Mom is really healthy and she doesn't eat meat. She said that bugs live in it."

Gil smiled slightly. "So is your dad with you?" He went to rummage around in the fridge. Catherine had taken to keeping things in the fridge that were actually edible, for when kids were at the lab, or for her pregnancy cravings.

"I don't know who my dad is. Mom doesn't talk about him." Matthew looked at Gil. "Are you a dad?"

"My daddy!" Lizzy giggled.

Matthew nodded. "Cool. You seem like a good dad."

"Thanks," Gil replied, his heart breaking for the little boy.

"That blonde lady is their mom?"

Gil nodded. "That's Catherine."

"Mrs Catherine seems like a good mom," Matt said.

Catherine came into the room then, looking slightly pale. "Gil, I'm going to take the kids home, okay?"

Grissom raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay? You're a bit pale."

"I'm fine," she said, putting a hand up. "Okay girls, let's go."

Grissom felt sick in the stomach as she tensed when he kissed her cheek.

"I'll be home soon," he told her.

She nodded slightly. "Nice to meet you, Matthew."

"You too, Mrs Catherine," Matt waved.

"We better go find your mom," Gil suggested to Matthew.

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"Are you mad at dad?" Lindsey asked, as Catherine unlocked the front door.

"No," Catherine replied, smiling at her. "Just a little confused."

"Why?"

"Let's just get you guys in bed, okay?"

Catherine took a very sleepy Lizzy into her bedroom and carefully undressed her, putting on her pajamas.

"Mommy?" Lizzy yawned.

"It's okay sweetheart, go to sleep." Catherine covered her with the comforter and kissed her gently. "Sleep well."

She went into Lindsey's room next and smiled when she saw her daughter sitting up in bed flipping through a magazine.

"Any cute guys?"

Lindsey shrugged. "A couple." She put the magazine down. "Are you mad with Dad about Sara?"

"No," Catherine assured her. "I promise you, everything is fine."

Lindsey nodded. "Okay." She hugged her mother. "Night mom."

"Night baby," Catherine replied, shutting the door as she left the room.

She walked into the bedroom, quickly stripped off her clothes and hopped into the shower. When she had finished, she slipped into some sweats and a t-shirt, and then curled up in bed.

Catherine heard Gil come home eventually and listened as he went in to kiss each of his daughters goodnight. He came into their room and she smiled at him.

"Hey."

He smiled and kissed her gently, then bent down and kissed her abdomen.

"How are you feeling now? You've got more colour."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Did you talk to Sara?"

"No. She came, took Matthew and left." He narrowed his eyes. "Cath, what did you and Sara talk about?"

Catherine was silent for a few moments. "Nothing much really."

"I can tell when you're lying."

She placed a hand on his arm. "It's not my place to tell you. You'll have to ask Sara."

"Is it something I should be worried about? Or that you're worried about?"

Catherine leant up and kissed him. "Don't worry about anything. Let's look forward to tomorrow, okay?"

"Ah yes, Greg's engagement party slash your baby shower," Gil said, stepping into the shower.

Catherine flopped back onto the pillow. "I did tell everyone not to make a big deal about it."

Gil smiled in the shower. "Yes, but everyone loves you. We can't help it if we want to throw you a baby shower. We threw one for Debbie."

"Yeah, but it's her first baby."

"You had a baby shower when you were pregnant with Lizzy."

"That's different."

Catherine looked up and smiled seductively. Gil stood in the doorway between the bedroom and the bathroom, his hair still wet from the shower and wearing a towel around his waist.

"Lose the towel," Catherine murmured, her eyes looking over him appreciatively.

Gil took the towel off. "Gone."

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Part 2