Double line denotes flashback
"Gilbert Grissom. I work at the CSI Forensics Laboratory."
"Dr Grissom, do you love your wife?"
Gil stared unblinkingly at Andrews. "Yes, I do, which was why I was very upset when you attacked her on the stand."
Andrews ignored him. "How long have you and your wife been married?"
"Fourteen and a half years. So, if you do your math as I suggested, Matt was conceived before I married Catherine."
"Why didn't you marry Ms. Sidle?"
"I wasn't in love with her."
"So Matthew was a mistake."
"None of my children have been mistakes."
"So you used Ms. Sidle?"
"No." Gil looked the man in the eye. "Have you married every women you have had sex with, Mr. Andrews?"
Again, Andrews ignored him. "Dr Grissom, were you in town when your wife retrieved Matthew from the hotel?"
"Are you doubting my wife?"
Catherine was tempted to smirk from her seat.
"Your honor, please remind Dr Grissom that I ask the questions, not him."
"I apologise, your honor," Gil said, turning to the judge. "I am just very protective of my wife and family."
The judge nodded and motioned for Andrews to continue.
"Do I need to repeat the question, Dr Grissom?"
"No, I had surgery on my ears 15 years ago. It's still going quite well, thankyou. Unfortunately, I was away at a conference when Matthew was left here."
"So you can't testify as to what happened?"
"My wife told me what happened."
"And you believe her?"
"I've always believed her."
"How do you know she's not lying to you?"
"I just know."
"You're a mind reader?"
"It seems so."
"What was your reaction when you learned of Matthew's existence?"
"Surprise. But I was very pleased to finally meet him. He's a wonderful boy."
"Do you love him less than your children with your wife?"
"We don't make that distinction."
"So you do?"
"No, I said we don't make a distinction between my children with Catherine or Matthew's biological mother."
"Dr. Grissom, tell me how your children came about?"
Gil adjusted his glasses. "Did you not receive sex education, Mr. Andrews?"
Catherine unsuccessfully tried to smother a giggle. Even the judge tried to hide a smile.
"Let me rephrase. Were each of your children planned?"
Gil looked at his wife, remembering wonderful memories. "Catherine and I always wanted children. A brother or sister for Lindsey."
Catherine smiled, leaning back in her seat. She remember when she had found out she was pregnant with Lizzie.
12 years ago
Catherine raced into Gil's office, slamming the door behind her. She leant against it, a broad smile on her face.
Gil, startled by the slamming door, looked at her, an apprehensive look on his face. "Should I be worried about that look? Did I miss an anniversary?"
Catherine pouted. "I might not tell you the news if you're going to tease."
"Believe me, I'm not teasing. Not after I forget the anniversary of when we first met."
Catherine smirked, fingering the butterfly pendant that had been Gil's penance. "Well…you certainly made up for it."
Gil leant back in his chair. "You look smug."
"Actually, it should be you that's smug," Catherine murmured, making her way over to him.
"Really?" Gil looked proud. "What did I do?"
Catherine sat on his lap, straddling his hips. "You got me pregnant," she whispered in his ear.
Gil's eyes widened, a slow smile lighting up his face. "Really?"
Catherine took his hand and placed it on her abdomen. "Really."
Catherine brought herself back to reality, watching Gil spar with the lawyer. As she watched her husband, she remembered the complete mush he had turned into when Lizzie had been born. His face had had a look of childish wonder on his face when he held his daughter for the first time. He'd spend hours just looking at her, memorizing every movement and facial expression.
"So, Elizabeth was planned."
"If you're asking whether we tried to have a baby, then yes, we did," Gil replied.
"How about James?"
As Gil started to decide how to explain that one, Catherine decided to remember again.
10 Years Ago
Catherine was frazzled. She'd been trying to get a moment all morning to be alone with her husband, but it just wasn't happening.
Lizzie was currently following her mother around, playing the drums on a pot. Lindsey had music playing so loud that no one in the house could think.
With a growl, she marched down to the bug museum, finding her husband and grabbing his hand.
"Catherine…?"
"We need a moment."
Lizzie followed them to the foot of the stairs, marching with her pot.
Catherine paused to turn off Lindsey's music.
"Hey!"
"I need you to watch your sister for a couple of minutes. I need to talk to your father."
Leaving no room for argument, Catherine marched upstairs to the bedroom she shared with Gil, closing the door behind her. She pushed her husband onto the bed.
"Is this one of those times that you need to have sex?" Gil asked, looking at her with a smirk on his face.
Catherine smiled and sat beside him. "Well, we've already managed that part."
"You've never been one to turn down a repeat performance."
Catherine chuckled. "That's probably what got us here."
Gil was confused. "Got us where?"
"To having three kids."
"Well…" Gil paused. "Wait a minute. Three?"
"Yeah. Lindsey, Lizzie and…baby Grissom."
Gil's eyes widened. "We're pregnant again?"
Catherine nodded, a wide smile on her face. "We're pregnant again."
She smirked as she remembered the look on Gil's face when James was born and he realized he had a son.
"And what about Max?" Andrews asked Gil.
Catherine bit her lip. Now there was a story…
9 Years Ago
Catherine Grissom blinked and stared at the stick. Positive.
Pregnant.
Again.
Fair enough…she and Gil didn't exactly have a dormant sex life…in fact, it was probably more active than most couples…but pregnant?
She had a sixteen year old, a three year old and an eighteen month old.
Another baby.
And she had to tell Gil.
"Hey, Cath…"
Catherine's eyes widened and she tossed the stick into the trash as her husband came into the bathroom.
Of course, she had to be married to a CSI.
With that familiar look of concentration on his face, Gil deftly picked the stick up.
"If my memory serves me correctly, the last time we used one of these and we saw these little lines, we had Jamie."
Catherine bit her lip, not willing to look him in the eye.
Gil carefully placed the stick on the bathroom counter and washed his hands. He walked slowly over to her, tilting her head up to look at him.
"Cath?"
"I'm pregnant."
Gil's hand rested on her abdomen, the other cupping her cheek. "And you're not happy."
"It's not that…" she murmured, looking up at him again. "Wait…you're happy about this?"
He smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Cath, we made a baby together. How could I not be ecstatic?"
"We have three children. Jamie's only a year old…I…god, I want this baby, Gil. But I thought you'd be mad."
Gil smiled at her. "I'm not. We made a baby together." He pressed a small kiss to her lips. "We can work it out. We always have."
Catherine smiled back at him. "We're pregnant."
Gil grinned. "We're pregnant."
He pressed a deep kiss to her lips, holding her tight against him. Catherine moaned and wound her arms around his neck, glad that the kids were asleep….
"So, your youngest wasn't planned?"
Catherine jerked back into reality, trying to ignore the tingling in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to take Gil home right now and relive that night over again.
"He's loved, that's all that matters," Gil replied. "We couldn't imagine life without Max." He looked over at his wife and they shared a soft smile.
Catherine remembered Max's birth, the little baby's insistence to be born and greet the world, and the cries and screams that had announced his arrival.
"He gets into quite a lot of scrapes, doesn't he?"
"He's a nine year old boy. I'd be worried if he didn't."
"Dr. Grissom, why did you allow your wife to be abused?"
There was silence in the courtroom. Confusion from those who didn't understand the complexities of the past; perverse pleasure from Andrews and pain from Gil and Catherine.
Gil finally found his voice. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure you do, Dr. Grissom. Your wife used to come to you with cuts and bruises and suffering from a cocaine addiction. Why didn't you help her?"
Gil looked down at Catherine and he saw the light sheen of tears coating her cheeks. It took him back to when she used to arrive at his door, battered and bruised.
Andrews was right. What had he done to help her?
Catherine saw the look in his eye and she impatiently wiped the tears away, leaning forward to Lindsey Dole.
"You have to call a recess. He needs a break."
"Catherine…"
"He's about to have a breakdown on the stand. He needs a break."
Lindsey looked at Catherine and then up at Gil. She nodded. "Your honor?"
"Yes, Ms. Dole?"
"Your honor, I'd like to request a recess. Dr. Grissom is clearly very upset and agitated."
"Objection, your honor. Counsel is just upset about the new line of questioning."
"Damn right I'm upset," Lindsey fired back at Andrews. "This occurred before their marriage."
"Still goes to character."
The judge held up his hand. "I will grant a fifteen minute recess, but I'm allowing the line of questioning. Adjourned."
Catherine knelt in front of her husband as he sat on a chair in the small room that had been allotted to them. "Gil."
No answer.
"Gil, look at me."
He looks down at her and she smiled, caressing his cheek.
"What Eddie did to me…was not your fault."
"Andrews is right. I didn't help you, Cath."
"Don't you ever think that. Don't you dare," Catherine growled. "Andrews is not right. He's playing with your head, Gil."
"I…"
"When I needed someone, when I really needed someone, you were always there for me. Always." She leant up and kissed his lips. "It was you that got me off the coke. You who took care of me when I could barely walk with pain. You who tried to get me to call the cops. You who helped me with Lindsey. See a pattern here?"
Gil nodded. He smiled at her and lifted her up so that she nestled in his lap. "I love you, Cath."
She grinned back at him. "I love you back."
Their lips met in a deep kiss, Gil holding her tight against him.
"What would I do without you?" Gil asked, tracing the side of her face with his finger.
"Let's not find out," Catherine replied, snuggling closer.
There was a tentative knock on the door and Lizzie looked in.
"Um, guys? Are you done making out?"
Catherine looked up in surprise. "Lizzie?" She immediately went into mother panic mode. "Is everything alright? Who's hurt? What did Max do? Did Jamie blow something up?"
"Mom, Dad. Chill," Lizzie finally said. "I just wanted to come and see how you guys were doing. I know psycho chick and her lizard-like lawyer are in there conspiring against humanity in general, and I saw you in here."
"We're doing okay," Catherine smiled at her daughter.
Gil looked at the clock and then at Lizzie. "Uh, honey? It's 1.30. Why aren't you in school?"
"Hm." Lizzie paused. "You noticed that huh? Oh well, I might as well tell you. I kinda accidentally sorta got…well…suspended."
Catherine's eyes widened and Gil's mouth dropped open.
"Suspended? What for?"
"I kneed a guy in the groin. Hard." Then it was into Lizzie mode. "But it was ALL his fault! I mean, the guy totally tried to feel me up! HELLO! I'm twelve people!"
"A guy tried to feel you up?" Gil said, frowning. "Where is this guy? Where are his parents? Does he even HAVE parents?"
"Dad, chill. I dealt with the situation."
"Lizzie, you got suspended!"
"That is true. But these things happen." She sat down on one of the chairs. "So, how are we going to annihilate the enemy?"
Catherine blinked. "You got suspended."
"Ookay. Moving on…"
"We're not moving on. You're grounded," Gil said.
"WHAT? I was protecting my honor! You know, that weird talk you had with me when you told me about the birds and the bees and how you had to keep swatting the bees away because they were bad and stuff?"
"I always thought that talk was a bit peculiar," Catherine admitted.
"You're still grounded and there was nothing wrong with the talk," Gil rebutted.
"I'm going home," Lizzie decided.
Lindsey Dole poked her head around the corner. "Time to go back to the courtroom guys."
"Have a nice break, Dr. Grissom?" Andrews asked sarcastically.
"I was with my wife. I enjoyed it."
"You and your wife spend a lot of time together, don't you?"
"I love her and she's my best friend. I enjoy spending time with her."
"If you love her so much, why did you allow the abuse to go on?"
"You don't know the whole story."
Andrews sat on the edge of his desk. "Enlighten us."
Gil looked over at Catherine, who smiled and nodded encouragingly at him. He took a deep breath.
"Catherine was married before. To Eddie. He…he hurt her."
Andrews sighed. "Yes, we gathered that, Dr. Grissom."
"Your honor!" Lindsey cried out.
The judge frowned at Andrews. "Keep your comments to yourself Mr. Andrews. Your job here is to ask questions."
"Yes, your honor," Andrews answered. "Please continue, Dr. Grissom."
"Catherine and I were friends. Best friends. She used to come to me when he hurt her. I'd take care of her."
"Did you go to the hospital?"
"Not often. Not unless it was serious."
"The question remains, Dr. Grissom. Why didn't you help her?"
"I did help her!" Gil cried out. "I took care of her when she was hurting. I held her when she cried. I was with her when Lindsey was born. I loved her. I still do."
Catherine looked at him, a beautiful smile on her face. She mouthed "I love you" at him.
"If you loved her so much, why didn't you go to the police?"
"She wouldn't let me. She begged me not to."
"But you could have still gone."
Gil took a deep breath. "Because she asked me not to. Because even then I couldn't refuse her a thing. And because I was scared."
"Scared, Dr. Grissom?"
"I was terrified. I loved her so much and I hated seeing her get hurt. And I always wanted to go to the police. But then she'd look at me, and she'd tell me all the reasons not to." He sighed. "Looking back, I should have gone to the police, no matter how scared we both were. But I didn't, and that's something I have to live with for the rest of my life." His eyes locked onto Andrews'. "But what happened back then between Catherine and I has nothing to do with where Matthew should live."
"No further questions," Andrews finished.
After all the children were in bed, Catherine went around the hallway, picking up stray toys and clothes. She walked into her bedroom, placing the motley pile in the corner of the room, ready to sort out the next day. She looked over at Gil, who was changing.
"I was very proud of you today."
He looked up at her, surprised. "Why?"
"Those were some tough questions."
"They were tough answers."
Catherine nodded and sat on the bed next to him. "Thank you."
"For what?"
Catherine shrugged. "Everything. Everything you've done for me now and everything you did for me back then."
"Same goes, Catherine," Gil replied, touching her cheek. "Always has."
"I have a suggestion," Catherine said, smiling slyly at him.
Gil arched an eyebrow. "I have a feeling I'm going to like this suggestion."
"You will," Catherine assured him. She leant over and whispered in his ear. "Let's make love."
Gil grinned, nudging her so that she lay down on the bed. He hovered above her. "I knew I was going to like your suggestion."