Part 21

Catherine walked into The Rampart, steaming.

"Ms Willows?"

Catherine turned around. She was so used to being called Mrs Grissom now, that she was always surprised when someone called her 'Ms Willows'. "Yes?"

"Shall I get Mr Braun for you? Or would you like to play the casino? I can get you some chips. Or something to eat, or drink?"

Catherine narrowed her eyes. "Pardon?"

"Mr Braun said that we are to get you whatever you want if you are here," the woman said.

"Is he here?"

The woman nodded. "I'll tell him you're on your way up."

"Catherine," Sam smiled, as she walked in. "It's so good to see you."

"Let's cut the niceties crap," she growled. "I want you to fix whatever business you're mixed up in so it doesn't involve my family, understand?"

He leant back in his chair. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"The bombing at CSI. I could have lost my daughter. We know who did it, and we're slowly finding out why. So stay the hell away from my family!"

"Is she okay?"

"No thanks to you. Just stay away." Catherine stalked out of his office, refusing to stay there a moment longer.

Gil looked up as Catherine dropped her keys on the table.

"Where have you been?"

"I wasn't aware I had to catalogue every move I make for you," she bit back. When she saw the hurt look on his face, she sighed and sank down onto the couch. "Gil, I'm sorry. I just…I went to see Sam."

Gil raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I told him to fix his business so that he stayed away from us."

"And what did he say?"

She shrugged. "I didn't give him a chance to say anything. I didn't want to be there."

He took her in his arms, stroking her back gently. "Don't let him get to you, Cath."

"How can I not? He almost got our daughter killed! Not to mention the lab techs that died."

"Brass and I are going to talk to him tomorrow. Leeward didn't give us anything except Braun's name. Not yet, anyway."

"I don't want to talk about him anymore," Catherine said, snuggling closer. "Where are the girls?"

"Apparently they're cooking us dinner. I'm not game to go into the kitchen."

Catherine sniffed the air. "I can't smell anything yet." She scooted up the other side of the couch and beckoned him to her. "Wanna make out?"

Gil crawled over, hovering above her. "I always want to make out with you." He bent down and their lips sealed in a deep kiss.

Catherine sighed in satisfaction and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer into her body.

"Ew," Lindsey said, coming back into the kitchen.

Katie looked up from where she was stirring the pasta sauce. "What?"

"They're making out. I'm never sitting on that couch again."

"Where did you think the new baby came from?"

Lindsey wrinkled her nose. "I prefer not to think about that."

The doorbell rang and the sisters stared at each other.

"They're never going to notice it," Katie finally said.

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "I'll get it."

Lindsey opened the door. "I recognise you."

Sam Braun smiled down at her. "I'm glad to hear it. I'm Sam Braun."

"I'm Lindsey," she replied.

"Lindsey, the pasta is almost rea…" Katie came to a halt as she came to the front door. "I've seen you before."

"This is Sam Braun," Lindsey introduced. "This is my sister, Katie."

Sam arched an eyebrow. "Really? Well, an honour to meet you. Is your mother home?"

"They're making out," Lindsey said rolling her eyes.

Katie cleared her throat. "Um, I'll go get them."

"Them?" Sam asked Lindsey.

"Mom and Dad," Lindsey replied, thinking that Mr Braun should really know better.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Catherine asked, stalking out.

Sam noticed Gil behind her, grasping Catherine's hand.

"I didn't like the way we ended things at the office. I wanted to come and talk to you. I didn't know there had been so many changes in your life."

Catherine frowned. "It isn't any of your business."

Katie decided this conversation could be headed in a direction that neither of her parents wanted Lindsey to hear. "We'll keep going with dinner."

"Don't leave on my account," Sam said. "It would be nice to know you, Katie."

"Go continue with dinner," Gil told the girls.

Katie nodded, and taking Lindsey's hand, disappeared out of the room.

"What are you doing here, Sam?" Catherine asked, stalking back into the lounge room.

"Like I said, I didn't like the way things ended at the office. And for that matter, I'm not entirely sure what you were talking about. But perhaps we should rewind a little. It seems things have been going on that I wasn't aware of in your life."

"My life is none of your business," Cath shot back.

"I'm your father."

"That's an insulting thing to say," Catherine replied.

Sam sighed and rubbed his face a little. "Who was that girl with Lindsey?"

"You mean the one you almost got killed?" Catherine leant back into her chair. "She's my daughter. Mine and Gil's."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Catherine replied. "And Gil and I got married, and I'm pregnant. Is there anything more you need to know?"

"Congratulations," Sam said. "But I still don't understand why you were so angry today."

"You almost got my daughter killed!"

Gil squeezed her hand. "We talked to a suspect in the bombing. He said he was hired to bomb the CSI building with Catherine there, in order to get your attention. It seems they mistook Katie for Catherine."

Sam's eyes widened. "Oh god."

"That's why I asked you to fix the business you're doing so that it doesn't involve my family. And just leave us the hell alone!" Catherine cried.

Katie winced as she heard her mother yell.

"What's going on in there?" Lindsey asked, trying to loosen the grip Katie had on her arm.

"It's none of our business," Katie replied.

"Mom's upset."

"She has every right to be."

Lindsey narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?"

Katie turned back to her. "Nothing. Everything's going to be fine."

Dinner at the Grissom home that night was unusually silent, each member locked in their own thoughts.

Catherine was worrying about what Sam had done to her family, and about her children, and the baby. She wondered if having a baby was the right thing to do…after all she'd almost gotten her daughter killed. She'd lied when she said she blamed Sam for it. She did blame him to an extent, but she blamed herself more. For not being able to protect her daughter.

Gil worried about his wife. He knew she still blamed herself for what happened at CSI, even though she outwardly blamed Sam Braun. He hoped to God that Barry Leeward was going to roll over, so they could finally find the bastard that almost killed his little girl.

Lindsey was confused. She knew that Sam Braun was someone important, and that her mother obviously knew him well, but she didn't know why her mother was so mad at him.

And Katie was wrestling with her conscience and her desires. And she was busy making a heartbreaking decision that would affect everyone's lives.