"No," Catherine said, folding her arms.
Lindsey Dole sighed. "Catherine…"
"I said no," Catherine replied.
"Catherine, if we put your kids on the stand, we might have a better chance!"
"Sara's side has already asked for Lindsey. Matt has to go there regardless. What is the point of dragging the other kids into this?"
"They're already in this," Lindsey reminded her.
"They don't have to get on the stand," Catherine said. "Nor do they have to be at the court at all!"
"We want the judge to understand how much a part of your family Matt is," Lindsey reminded her. "The best way for me to do that is to give examples."
"Can't Gil and I do that?"
"Catherine…"
Catherine stood up and went to the window, looking outside. "I just want to protect them."
Gil stood up and went behind his wife, his hands resting on her shoulders. "Cath, what's best for them is our family. And our family includes Matt. Besides, can't you just see Max begging to get to go to court?"
Catherine smiled, in spite of the seriousness of the situation. "That's true."
"So they can testify?" Lindsey asked.
Gil looked at Catherine, who sighed. "They can testify."
"I know EXACTLY what I'm gonna say!" Max cried, sticking his fork out and almost poking out Jamie's eyeball.
"HEY! Watch it!" Jamie cried.
"Max, don't point your fork at people," Catherine chastised him.
"Sorry. But don't you wanna hear what I'm gonna say?"
"No," Lizzie said quite pointedly.
Max stuck his tongue out at her.
"MOM!" Lizzie cried.
"Max," Catherine warned.
"Doesn't ANYONE want to hear?" Max pleaded.
"Tell me, Max," Gil finally said.
"That she's an evil lady who I hate to bits and I hope she takes a long walk off a short pier," Max said triumphantly. "That's the censored version."
Catherine's eyes almost popped out of her head, as did Gil's.
"You most definitely won't be saying that in front of a judge," Catherine told him.
"Not even the censored version?"
"Not even," Gil told him.
Max went back to his dinner for a moment. Then he brightened up. "Hey! Wanna hear the UNCENSORED version?"
"No!" Cath and Gil cried together.
Max pouted. "You've got no sense of adventure!"
Catherine smoothed down her skirt. "This is too fast."
Gil fought with his tie. "The quicker we get this trial over with, the quicker we'll have Matt and everything will be back to normal."
Catherine walked over and started fixing his tie. "Or the quicker we'll lose him and everything will change."
"You remember when you found out you were pregnant with Max?" Gil asked, his hands circling her waist.
Catherine nodded. "I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it, because we hadn't discussed having more children."
"Can you imagine not having Max?" Gil asked her. "Apart from the house being a lot quieter."
Catherine hit his arm for the comment, before finally smiling softly. "No, I can't imagine not having Max."
"Things tend to turn out just right for us, don't they?" Gil pressed.
Catherine looked up at him, finally comprehending his statement. "But what if we've had our run of good luck?"
Gil bent down and his lips brushed over hers in a soft kiss. "Could never happen."
"Mom!" Jamie said, careering into the room. He stuck his hands over his eyes. "Not seeing, not seeing."
"Not seeing what?" Max asked, following his brother in. "EWW!"
Gil and Catherine shared a small smile.
"What is it?" Catherine asked them.
"Do I gotta wear a tie like dad? Cause they look like they're going to strangle you," Jamie said, pointing to his father's tie.
Gil readjusted his tie. "I wonder that myself sometimes."
Catherine sent him a look. "No, you don't have to. But you do have to let me comb your hair, Max."
"Why?"
"Because it sticks up when you do it," Jamie told his brother, before high-tailing it out of the room.
"Mom!" Max cried.
"Come on," Catherine said, shepherding him out of the room.
"They're going to try and finish all the kids today, but it depends on how many questions Sara's lawyer asks them," Lindsey Dole said. She glanced at the kids, who were being kept quiet by Lindsey Willows and Matt. "They seem to be on their best behaviour."
"They know how important this is," Gil murmured. He glanced at his wife who was watching the children. "We all do."
"And…oh boy," Lindsey Dole said.
"What?" Gil asked. He turned around and saw Sara walking down the hall with her lawyer. "Oh no."
Catherine also turned and anger bubbled up inside her when she saw the woman coming towards the family. Before she could move, Gil gripped her wrists and pulled her back into him, his arms around her waist holding her tight.
"I'm fine," she growled.
"No you're not," Gil replied. "Lindsey and Matt have the kids. Just stay here."
Catherine cursed at him under her breath but stopped struggling.
Sara looked at the group of kids with her son and Lindsey Willows. They were all glaring at her. She glanced at Catherine, who was in Gil's arms. She frowned, not liking that.
Max glanced at his parents, who were busy watching Sara. Then he glanced at Sara's lawyer, who was heading for the door. He smirked to himself. Catching Sara's eye, he poked his tongue out and sticking his hands up, mouthed "Na, na, na, na, na."
Sara's eyes widened and she went to get her lawyers attention.
"What?" Greg Andrews asked.
"That little demon is making a face at me!"
Greg turned around to look at Max, who was standing there with an innocent look on his face. He turned to his client. "Let's just start the trial."
Lindsey Willows stared stone-faced out into the room. Her arms folded, she sent a glance the way of Sara Sidle. It amazed her that the woman who had been so nice to her when her father died, could now have turned so vindictive and want to rip her family apart.
"Lindsey, how old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
"And how old were you when Matthew Grissom came to live with you?"
"Objection!" Greg Andrews cried, jumping up. "You cannot give the child that name. He has never been formally adopted."
"Only because your client was uncontactable," Lindsey Dole shot back. "Your honor, Matthew has been part of the Grissom family for ten years. He was using that name on all forms Miss Sidle filled in regarding him when he was living with her."
The judge sighed. "Mr Andrews, first of all, this is not a trial. This is a hearing. Second of all, the child's surname, although Sidle on the birth certificate, has been Grissom all his life. Overruled."
Lindsey Dole turned back to the girl in the witness stand. "Would you like me to repeat the question?"
Lindsey shook her head. "No. I was thirteen. He's lived with us for ten years."
"And in those ten years, your parents had other children?"
Lindsey nodded. "Lizzie was already born. But when Matt came to live with us, my mom was pregnant with Jamie." She smiled. "Matt called an ambulance once when she was sick."
Matt grinned back at his older sister and then turned to his mother, who squeezed his hand.
"Do you remember how Matt came to live with you?" Lindsey nodded. "Sara had come back to Vegas. No one had seen her for five years. She brought Matt with her and said she was Dad's son. There were lots of arguments about it…"
"Between your parents?"
Lindsey shook her head. "No, between Sara and Dad. Sometimes Sara and Mom. But one night Sara was just gone."
"Tell me about that night." "I was bugging mom to go to a party, and she wouldn't let me." Lindsey allowed herself a small grin. "She was right. Lizzie had a cold and was really cranky. Mom was really tired and Dad was away at a conference. The phone rang and it was Matt. Mom told me to watch Lizzie. She came back with Matt and then Matt started living with us."
"Did you and your mom talk about what happened when she went to get Matthew?"
Lindsey shook her head. "No. And I didn't ask."
"Why not?"
"They were both really upset."
"Lindsey, do you live at home?"
"Not anymore. I live in the college dormroom."
"Do you think Matt is any trouble to your parents?"
Lindsey smiled. "There'd be trouble if he wasn't there, that's for sure."
Greg Andrews stood up, doing up a button on his shirt. "Lindsey, you're not Gil Grissom's daughter, are you?"
Lindsey glared at him. "Yes, I am."
Greg smiled indulgently. "Let me rephrase that. Are you Gil Grissom's biological daughter?"
Lindsey glanced over at Gil, who gave her a small smile. She sighed. "No."
"In fact, your biological father was murdered, wasn't he?"
Catherine bit her lip, knowing how much this was hurting her daughter.
Lindsey stared straight at Andrews. "I think so."
"You think so?"
"The case was never closed. There wasn't enough evidence."
"Who was the CSI looking after the case."
"Sara Sidle," Lindsey said, without looking at the woman.
"You almost drowned that night, didn't you?"
"My mom saved me."
Gil's hand gripped onto Catherine's.
"Your father had drugs in his car, yes?"
Catherine froze. She had never told Lindsey that. Lindsey had never known. Gil also knew that Catherine had never told Lindsey about all the circumstances of Eddie's death. He gripped her hand tighter.
Lindsey looked confused, looking towards her mother and then back at Andrews. "I…I don't know."
"You didn't know that your mother let you go in a car with your father, who had a history of drug and alcohol problems?"
Catherine was grateful that Max, Jamie and Lizzie weren't in the room. "Gil," she murmured.
"Objection!" Lindsey Dole said, not caring if she wasn't supposed to. "Your honor, its obvious that Ms Willows doesn't know what Mr Andrews is talking about. Clearly it is also upsetting her. Perhaps…"
"Your client put a minor in a car with a drug addicted alcoholic, who was also suspected of abusing his ex-wife…your client," Greg Andrews threw back.
Catherine stood watching Lindsey, who was standing outside in the fresh air.
"Talk to her," Gil said, coming up behind his wife.
Catherine turned around. "I thought you were with the kids?"
"They're fine. Talk to your daughter." Catherine turned to face her daughter again. "She's going to hate me."
"No, she's not," Gil assured her. He kissed her cheek. "Go."
With a sigh, Catherine headed over to her daughter. "Linds?"
Lindsey turned to look at her mother. "Hey."
"I…"
"I'm not mad at you," Lindsey cut her off. "I know why you didn't tell me then."
Catherine nodded. "You loved your father so much. I didn't want you to stop loving him."
"I didn't help much in there, did I?"
Catherine hugged her. "Yes, you did. Just by getting up there, you helped."
Lindsey sighed. "Will you tell me? Everything about that night? Everything about Dad? When this is over?"
Catherine took a deep breath. "Okay."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Gil found his wife, sitting on a bench outside the courthouse. "Hi."
She looked up and smiled at him. "Hi."
"How did things go with Lindsey?"
"She's not mad. She just…she wants to know now."
"Are you okay with that?" he asked, sitting beside her.
Catherine nodded. "She deserves to know. She shouldn't have to…but now that they brought it up, I can't just close it down again. She's older now. She won't accept, "because Mommy says so"."
Gil pulled her a little closer. "Lindsey Dole and Greg Andrews were in chambers. They needed some ground rules laid, apparently."
"Good. I don't want anymore nasty surprises like that." She rested her head on his chest. "Although I have a sinking feeling that this case is going to be full of nasty surprises."
"We'll get through it," Gil assured her. "Promise." He kissed her forehead. "We have to go in, baby. Lizzie's turn next."
"And so the circus continues," Catherine said, taking his hand and letting him lead her back into the courtroom.