"You've never been to Sweet Creatures?" Lindsey asked, her mouth wide. "That's just…that's just weird!"

Catherine watched in amusement as Lindsey dragged Katie all over the store, pointing things out and helping her choose everything.

She wondered if her life would be different, if she hadn't given up Katie. Would she and Gil have gotten married? Would they have had more children? Or would she have stayed with Eddie, Katie a poignant reminder of that one night with Gil?

She watched the two girls together, thick as thieves as they dressed up a bear each. Lindsey was intent on teaching her new "sister" how to do everything right. Katie was patient with her, pretending to be learning how to do it all.

Katie caught her watching her and looked up. She smiled briefly at Catherine before Lindsey clamoured for her attention again.

Catherine wanted those years back. Not that she would erase Lindsey, or what she had learnt. But perhaps if Katie had been in her life, things would have been different. Perhaps she and Gil would have gotten together, and made a life together.

Then again, perhaps Gil would have hated her. Perhaps their friendship would have been ruined.

Catherine's mind flashed back to the previous evening, watching Gil and Katie chat together in the breakroom. No, Gil would have made an amazing father.

Perhaps he still would.

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Catherine opened the door to her home and her eyes widened when she saw Gil standing there.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he replied. From behind his back he produced some boxes of Chinese food. "I was wondering if you'd mind…perhaps we could…all have dinner together."

She smiled softly at him and opened the door a little wider. "I'm sure the girls would like that."

He came inside and she put his jacket on the peg by the door. "Where are they?"

"In Lindsey's room I think."

"They're getting on okay?"

Catherine nodded. "Lindsey likes having a sister. She just needed to get used to it I think."

Gil followed her into the kitchen and put the food on the table. "We did good, Catherine."

"Someone else did good," Catherine replied quietly, as she went to go and get the girls.

"Hi Uncle Gil," Lindsey smiled. "Ooh Chinese food!"

"Hi," Katie smiled. "Mom, do you need anything else?"

Gil's eyes widened. He wondered when Katie had started calling Catherine mom.

Catherine directed Katie to the cutlery drawer and she caught Gil's surprised look.

"Are you okay?"

Gil swallowed and nodded. "Sure."

When they sat down to eat dinner, Catherine marvelled at how family like they seemed. Mom, Dad and the two kids. She had never had this experience with Eddie, because frankly, Eddie had rarely been home to have dinner with them. But she definitely liked this experience.

Gil found himself in a world composed totally of Dad, Mom and two kids. It was almost the American dream - dad brings home dinner, and everyone sits down together to talk about his or her day. Something inside him changed, or perhaps it had already been changed and he just hadn't noticed it. But he knew he liked this situation, and he wanted it to continue.

"I'm going to camp this weekend, Uncle Gil. For a whole week! I'm going to try and find some cool bugs to bring him."

Gil smiled. "That sounds great, Lindsey."

"If bugs come home, they stay in the basement, not in the house," Catherine warned her, with a shudder.

"Amen to that," Katie agreed.

"You're not a bug fan?" Gil asked, looking a little disappointed.

"I don't mind them. Just not into the ones that crawl on you or stuff like that," Katie replied. "I like butterflies."

"You should call Uncle Gil, dad," Lindsey said, through a mouthful of sweet and sour pork. "I mean, he is your dad, right?"

"That's right," Gil nodded. "And she can call me dad if she wants."

Catherine's eyes connected with his and she smiled.

"Great, so now we can all be a family and do family stuff, like eating Chinese food," Lindsey said, grabbing another box.

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"And she's been accepted to UNLV," Grissom smiled proudly, pouring himself some coffee.

"Really, what's she going to do?" Warrick asked.

"She wants to be a CSI."

Sara slumped back in her chair, downing her soda in one gulp. Gil had been talking about his daughter since the start of shift, and it was starting to annoy her.

"Can we please get started on a case?" she asked.

"I thought you'd be pleased that for once no one is dead in Las Vegas," Nick teased.

Sara glared at him and folded her arms in a huff.

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"This so totally sucks," Lindsey said, as she, Catherine and Katie joined the hordes of screaming schoolkids and their families. "The minute something interesting happens, I have to go to school camp."

"Hey, camps are fun," Katie told her. "I used to go on camps every summer."

A brunette ran over and grinned.

"Hey Lindsey!"

"Hey Emily!" Lindsey smiled proudly. "This is my older sister, Kathryn. She's eighteen."

"Cool!"

"The eighteen is important," Catherine whispered to Katie.

The girls began to talk about camp, and Lindsey narrated to her friend about how "totally cool" it was to have an eighteen year old sister.

After tearful goodbyes and promising "not to have fun while she's away", Katie and Catherine waved Lindsey goodbye and headed back to the car.

"You know," Katie said, buckling her seatbelt, "it'd be nice to have dinner with you and my dad, just the three of us."

Catherine smiled. "Yeah, it would, wouldn't it?"
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Part 5