The minute Max heard the doorbell, he raced to the front door, peering through the peephole. He opened the door slightly and stared at the brunette.

"May I help you?"
"Is this still the Grissom home?"

"Yep. I'm Max."

"Hi. Is, is Matthew here?"

Max nodded. "I'll get him." He hesitated for a moment. "We're not allowed to let in people we don't know." Slamming the door in the woman's face, he ran back inside. "MATT! Someone's at the door for you!!!"

Matt appeared at the loungeroom door. "Is it a girl?"
Max wrinkled his nose. "Not the kind you'd wanna be dating if you ask my 'pinion."

Matthew went to the front door and narrowed his eyes. "Max, where is she?"

"Out there! I'm not supposed to let in people I don't know!"

"So you slammed the door in her face."
"Yeah. Of course."
Matthew shook his head and opened the door. He didn't say anything for a moment, just stared at the woman outside the door. "Hi," he finally mumbled.

"Hi," Sara Sidle smiled.

"Uh, sorry about my brother. He's only nine." He glanced into the house for a second. "Uh, do you want to come in?"

Sara nodded and Matthew led her into the living room.

"I'll be right back," Matthew said, going in search of Max.

*******************************************

"Where's mom and dad?" Matt asked his younger brother.

"Dad is in the bug museum with Jamie and Mom is upstairs with Lizzy." Max narrowed his eyes. "Why? Isn't that lady supposed to be here?" He gasped. "Did you hire a hooker! Like in that movie? You're so busted!" He scratched his head. "I would have thought she would be prettier though."
Matt looked confused. "No I didn't hire a hooker! Look, just make sure mom and dad stay occupied until I can get rid of her."

"Is she a teacher? Did you get expelled?"
"No! Can you do that for me?"

Max folded his arms. "How much?"

Matt groaned and dug in the back of his shorts. He finally handed over a five dollar note. "Just make sure they're occupied."

Max folded the note and stuck it in his pocket. "Nice doing business with you."
***********************************

Sara looked around the living room while she waited for her son to come back. Pictures littered the wall and the mantelpiece, chronicling the lives of Grissom's family. She noted some photos of Warrick, Nick and Greg, with members of what she assumed where their family. Walking over to the mantelpiece, she focused on one photo, that must have been taken recently. It was a casual shot, with Grissom and Catherine snuggled up together. Matthew sat beside them, with the little boy she had seen at the door in his lap. Lindsey, who had grown into a beautiful young woman, was holding a blonde girl, who she assumed was Elizabeth, in her arms. Another boy, who she hadn't met, sat at Grissom's feet.

The photo beside it made her heart ache. It was a picture solely of Catherine and Grissom laughing and horsing around together. She was about to continue her exploration, when Matthew arrived back.

"Sorry, I just had to check on Max."
Sara nodded. "Lindsey in college?"

Matt smiled. "Yeah. She wants to be a doctor. Mom and Dad are really proud."

Sara froze. She never realised that Matt would be calling Catherine mom.

There was a bang and Sara jumped.

"What the hell was that?"

"Nothing. Probably Jamie and Dad in the bug museum. Jamie keeps some of his experiments down there."
Sara paled slightly, wondering what the kid was experimenting with.

"No offence or anything, but can I ask what you're doing here?" Matt asked, sitting down.

"You're my son."
"I've been your son for fifteen years."

Before Sara could reply, the livid form of Catherine Grissom stood in the doorway.

"What's going on?" She glared at Sara. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Matt stood up. "Max!" he hissed, seeing his younger brother hiding behind their mother.

"I couldn't help it! She said she'd cut off soccer practice AND TV if I didn't tell her what was going on!"

"We'll discuss bribing your brother later," Catherine told Matthew. She turned to Max. "Go get your dad, okay?"

"Catherine," Sara said, standing up, as Max raced out of the room. "I just came to see Matthew."

"After no contact for ten years?" Catherine asked. "Dumping him?"

"Is that what you told him?" Sara cried.

"No!" Matt said, interrupting. "Mom and Dad have been nothing but…"

"I'm your mother!" Sara told him.

"Matt, take Max and go play or something, okay?" Grissom said, appearing behind his wife.

"But…"

"Now, Matthew."

With a sigh, Matt took his younger brother by the hand and left the room.

"As I was trying to tell Catherine, before she jumped down my throat, I was just here to see Matthew," Sara explained.

"Sara, I want you to leave. We can talk about you visiting Matt another time. Perhaps if you had let us know earlier that you were coming, we could have discussed this rationally. But for now, I'd like you to leave," Grissom said, his outward calm exterior hiding his anger.

Sara looked confused. "But I did let you know. Well, I let Matthew know, anyway."

Catherine froze. "What?"
"I wrote to him. I've been writing to him for awhile."
Grissom sought Catherine's hand, and squeezed it. "We'll discuss it later, Sara. Right now, please leave."
Sara grabbed her purse. "Tell Matthew I said goodbye. I'm staying in town. He'll know where I am."
As Grissom walked Sara to the door, Catherine slumped in one of the chairs. He came back in and looked at her.

"I think we need to talk to Matt," he said.

********************************************

Matt looked up as his parents entered his room. Seeing the looks on their faces, he sighed.

"Max, can you go and make sure that Jamie isn't about to blow anything up again?" Gil asked him.

Max frowned. "Why am I always being shuffled place to place? Why don't I get to hear people getting in trouble!?"

"Because you're special," Catherine answered, kissing him on the head. "Now scoot."
With a grumble, Max left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"I didn't know she was coming, I swear!" Matt said, after his brother had left. "I would have told you if I did."

"Sara told us she's been writing to you," Gil prodded.

Matt dug around in his drawer and handed over some letters, all unopened. "I never opened them. I didn't want to read them."
Catherine sighed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Matt shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't want to believe it. She's not my mother. You are. You're my family."

Catherine hugged him close. "I know we are. But I don't want you to hide things from us. We have to talk about this stuff."

"Why? She's not important."

"She wants to talk to you," Gil said, sitting down next to Catherine.

"Why?"

"I don't know," Gil admitted.

"Well I don't want to talk to her. Or read her stupid letters!"

***************************************

"Everyone's swearing today," Max commented, swinging his legs under the table.

"Like who?" Lizzy asked.

"Mom and Dad both said hell."
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Max…"

"Does that mean we can say it?"

"No," Gil said firmly.

"But…"

"Max…" Gil warned.

Max grumbled and stabbed his peas with his fork.

"What about hells bells?" Jamie asked. "I've heard people say that before."

"No, not that either," Catherine replied.

"Who was that lady?" Max finally asked.

Catherine and Grissom shared glances. Matthew was silent. Lizzie knew who Sara was, but Jamie and Max only knew that Catherine wasn't Matt's real mommy.

"She was someone we used to work with a long time ago," Gil finally said.

"Did you like her?" Jamie inquired.

"She was a very good CSI," Gil replied.

"That's the grown-up way of saying they didn't like her," Max grinned.

"Max," Gil said. "Behave yourself."

"It's true! I heard it from Bobby Livingstone!"

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Bobby Livingstone was the one that told you that our mom was hot, right?"

Max wrinkled his nose. "Yeah. Ew."
"Thanks a lot," Catherine grinned.

"I think you're hot," Gil told her, leaning across and kissing her gently.

"EWWW!!" Max cried.

**************************************

Catherine took deep shuddering breaths as she snuggled into her husband's arms. "It's nice to know you still think I'm hot."

Gil kissed her damp forehead. "I will always think you're hot. Even when we're old and creaky."
Catherine giggled and playfully punched his shoulder. "Speak for yourself old man!"

"Old?" Gil rolled over and hovered above her, bending down and kissing her gently. "I'll show you old!"

Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him into a deeper kiss. "Let's see if you can handle another round."

***********************

Sara opened the door to her hotel room and raised an eyebrow. "Hi, Matthew."
Matthew sighed. "Hi. I can't stay too long. Mom and Dad don't know I'm here."

Sara opened the door a little wider, letting him come in. Matthew surveyed the room.

"This is where you left me."

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

"Think of how it was for me. I was five years old and you promised me you'd be right back. I was there for two days, and even after asking mom to come and get me, I still believed you'd come back for me."

"I'm your mother."

Matt sat down on the couch. "Stop saying that. You haven't been my mother for ten years. I don't even know if you were my mother when I was little."

Sara closed her eyes. "That hurt."

"Yeah, well so does you being here." He looked up at her. "What do you want? Why are you back here? To ruin my parent's marriage?" He folded his arms. "I know that you wanted him back. Well you can't have him! He loves my mom and he always has! Even when he was with you!"

"Who told you that?" Sara asked bitterly. "Catherine? What would she know?"

"A whole lot more than you!" Matt said, getting up. "And no, she didn't tell me! But I'm not stupid! I've read stuff about them and I know how much he has always loved her! And I'm her son! I'm hers!"

Sara gripped his arm. "No you're not! You're mine! I carried you for nine months and I raised you! You're mine!"

Matt wriggled in her grasp, hot tears springing at his eyes. "No I'm not! Let me go!"

"You think Catherine really thinks of you as her own? Don't you think it has to kill her everyday that I am your mother? Don't you realize that her other kids are much more important, because they're hers and Grissom's?"

"It's not true!"

"Yes it is, Matthew! That's why I'm back here. Because I want you to get equal treatment. Because I want you back!"

"I don't want you! I want my mom!"

"I'm your mom!"

"Let me go!" Matthew cried, finally escaping her grasp and racing out the door.

***********************************

Catherine snuggled closer, her head lying in Gil's lap, as they watched Harry Potter for the millionth time with Max, Jamie and Lizzie.

They heard the door slam, and Catherine jerked up.

"Matt? Is that you? Where have you been?"

"Nowhere!" came the angry reply, and they heard his door slam.

"Maybe he got expelled," Jamie mused, munching on his popcorn.

"Or maybe he used magic when he wasn't 'sposed to!" Max suggested, his eyes glued to the screen.

"You're both so immature," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes.

"Am not! You're only watching this cause you like to drool over Oliver Wood!" Jamie told her.

Max giggled. "Yeah, I can see some drool now!"

"Behave yourselves," Catherine warned. She turned to Grissom. "Should I go talk to him?"

Gil shook his head. "I will. Maybe it's a man thing."

Catherine grinned and pinched his butt as he stood up. "My studly man."

Gil rolled his eyes and kissed her. "Save me a seat."

"Always," Catherine replied.

*******************************

Gil knocked on his son's door. "Matt?"

"Go away."
Gil opened the door. "I can't do that, Matt."

"What do you want?"

"What's the matter?"
"Nothing."

"You've been out for a while."

"Am I being grounded?"

"No, your mother and I just wondered if you were okay."

"Does she care?"

Gil frowned. "Be very careful, Matt."

"Why? I understand if she doesn't care. I mean, I'm not her real kid or anything. Why shouldn't she hate me? I'm Sara's kid."

"You're treading on very thin ice, young man."

"Everyone is so full of shit! I mean god! You knocked Sara up with me when you were in love with my mom! And then she dumps me here because she can't handle me! What did you bribe Catherine with to keep me here? Huh?"

Gil's face was thunderous. "I think you better stay up here until you can apologise. And don't you dare say anything like this to your mother." He stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

***********************************

Part 3