Catherine watched as Gil paced back and forth in his office. She knew all hell was going to be raised the minute either Greg or Katie entered the labs.
"Gil…"
"My daughter…was at Greg's…in his bed…"
"Yes, dear."
"I don't think they were sleeping."
"I don't think so either."
"She's a child."
Catherine tried not to laugh. "Gil, she's not a little girl anymore."
Gil turned to his wife. "That's not the point! She's too young to be…too young to be…"
"Having sex?" Catherine supplied.
"Exactly."
"She might disagree with you," Catherine murmured.
"I don't care. I am her father."
Catherine smirked at him.
"You think this is funny?"
"Not at all." Catherine walked over to her husband. "You're a wonderful father, Gil. But we have to let her make her own decisions. At least she's taking precautions…" Catherine trailed off, realising that Gil didn't know she had known.
Gil's eyes widened. "You knew?"
"I guessed."
"And you didn't tell me?"
Catherine paused. "It's…I knew how you'd react."
"And how is that?"
Catherine arched an eyebrow at her husband, who stood there glaring at her, with his arms folded. "Like this."
Gil quickly unfolded his arms. "Catherine…"
"She's eighteen years old, Gil. She's not a baby anymore." Catherine sighed. "As much as I'd like her to be, she's not."
"That's not the point."
"It IS the point, Gil," Catherine reminded him. "She's eighteen years old."
Gil grumbled to himself. "It doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. And Greg Sanders of all people!"
Jacqui watched with a raised eyebrow as Greg stealthily moved around the labs like James Bond."Greg?"
The young man almost jumped out of his skin, before turning around and realising it had been Jacqui. "Oh. It's only you."
"I'm going to ignore that. " Jacqui watched him continually look around the corner. "What're you hiding from? Did you break something?"
"You could say that," Greg replied, a furtive look about him. "Have you seen Grissom around?"
"He's…" Jacqui paused and her eyes widened. Then she burst out laughing. "Oh you poor little kid. Grissom's gonna kill you when he catches up to you."
Greg glanced out the door again and got ready to move. "Then we'll just have to make sure he doesn't catch up with me."
"Can I help you?" Gil asked, walking up behind his daughter.
"Ah! Dad!" Katie jumped, moving back. She blushed slightly, not looking into his eyes. "Just comparing some fibers, that's all."
"Seen Greg?"
"Why?"
"Just need to chat with him."
Katie turned around, folding her arms and arching an eyebrow, giving Gil a look that was pure Catherine. "Dad, do I look stupid to you?"
"No, you look frighteningly like your mother."
"Then take a page from her book. Leave Greg alone."
Gil narrowed his eyes. "You really think your mother is going to leave Greg alone?"
Several thoughts ran through Katie's head, and her eyes widened, before she dashed out of the lab.
"Katie!" Gil called after her. "You left your fibers!"
Catherine stood behind Greg in the locker room, as he was rifling through his locker."Lost something Greg?"
Greg yelped and turned around, before collapsing back onto his locker. "I thought you were Grissom."
"Well, I'm a different Grissom, but no less frightening."
Greg gulped.
Catherine walked a bit closer to him. "I don't know what you've lost, but it better not be your protection."
Greg tried to disappear into the lockers. "Which sort of protection?"
Catherine leant against the locker next to him, her eyes giving him a pure "Catherine" look. "You know very well what type of protection I'm talking about." She arched an eyebrow. "Don't you, Greg?"
Greg nodded very slowly. "I…uh…thought you were cool with this?"
Catherine narrowed her eyebrows and folded her arms. "Do I look cool with this?"
"No ma'am."
"I didn't think I did." Catherine moved away from the lockers. "Let me tell you something, Greg. If you're scared about Grissom…. he's just a pussy-cat compared to what I can get like if motivated. And I'm very motivated about my daughter."
Catherine went to leave the room, but Greg called out to her.
"Catherine?"
She turned back around, facing him.
"I won't hurt her. I swear to you. I won't hurt her."
A small smile threatened to grace Catherine's lips. "I know."
"Nice night, huh?" Katie asked, finding Greg in his lab.
He grinned at her. "Yeah, you could say that."
Katie rolled her eyes. "I meant now, Greg. Now that Mom and Dad know?"
"I've already talked with your mom."
Katie paled. "You did?"
Greg nodded. "Yeah. We had a nice talk. Basically, I told her that I would never hurt you, and she subtly gave me some ideas of what she would do to me if I did."
"Really."
"Yeah, I thought all in all it was a very positive experience."
"You're missing several synapses, you know that right?"
Greg grinned. "It's why everyone loves me."
Catherine went into Grissom's office, sitting on his chair and putting her feet up on his desk. Her eyes closed and her hand rested on her belly, both she and the baby grateful for a few moment's quiet.
"I can't find the little rodent."
Catherine's eyes opened again, finding her husband standing in front of her.
"I presume by the rodent that you mean Greg?"
Gil sent her a look.
"Honey, it's not polite to call your daughter's boyfriend a rodent."
"I feel that in this situation I'm allowed."
Catherine sighed. "Gil, I talked to Greg. He's being good."
Gil's eyes almost popped out of his head. "You've seen him?"
"Yeah, earlier in the locker room."
"And you didn't tell me?"
Catherine smirked. "What did you want me to do? Send an announcement over the speaker?"
"That would have been a start."
Catherine crooked a finger at him, urging him over by her. He came over and she got up, sitting him in the chair and then settling herself on his lap.
"You're being irrational."
Gil opened his mouth to protest, and Catherine gently placed a finger on his lips.
"Just hear me out. Katie's eighteen years old. She's allowed to make her own decisions. One day, god forbid, Lindsey's going to be in the same situation. And one day, this baby is too." She took his hand and placed it on her abdomen. "I wish that things had been different and that Katie had grown up with us, but she didn't, and I will regret that until the day I die. But Gil, she's not a baby. Sometimes I wish she was, but she's not. We've got to let her make her own decisions, okay?"
Gil took a deep breath. "Okay. But I don't have to like it."
Catherine grinned and pressed a kiss to her lips. "That's my stubborn, overprotective and sexy entomologist."
Gil grinned back at her. "I do what I can."
Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck, urging his lips to hers for a deep kiss. She moaned and straddled his waist, pressing her body against his. "The case is closed, you know," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his neck.
"But paperwork…"
"Do we have to do it tonight?" She pulled back and pouted at him.
"Not at all," he replied, their lips meeting again.
"Baby is looking fine, Cath," Dr Grad assured her.
Catherine and Grissom shared identical grins.
"So…want to hear the baby's heartbeat?"
"Do you need to ask?" an excited Gil replied.
Diane chuckled and, after applying some gel to Catherine's abdomen, she started to move the monitor around. Almost instantly, a strong and healthy heartbeat filled the room.
"There's your baby."
Catherine's eyes widened. Although she'd heard Lindsey's and Katie's heartbeat, this was once again, different. She turned to face Gil, who had tears in his eyes.
"Hey, don't cry, bugman," she said, fighting back her own emotions. "You'll get me started."
He smiled at her and then pressed a deep kiss to her lips. "I love you."
She smiled back at him, her hand caressing his cheek. "I love you back."
Lindsey and Katie watched as Catherine put the sonogram picture on the fridge.
"Which is the head?" Lindsey asked.
Gil pointed to it.
"Huh. I thought that was its butt."
"I thought you did science in school?" Katie asked her.
Lindsey shrugs. "Still looks like a butt if you ask my opinion."
Katie tried not to laugh. "Do we know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"
Catherine shook her head. "It appears the baby is hiding that fact from us."
"Which is good, because I don't want to know yet," Gil said. "I want it to be a surprise."
Lindsey scrutinised the picture. "It's cute." Before she left the room, she grinned. "Still looks like a butt."
Katie watched with curiosity as Sam Braun came on TV, talking about the updates to the Rampart. She could see a slight family resemblance, but nothing that screamed Catherine was Sam Braun's daughter.
"What are you watching?" Gil asked, coming into the room. He glanced at the TV. "What's he done now?"
She looked up. "Nothing. He's updating the Rampart. I was just looking at him."
"Has your mom told you anything about him?"
"Well, I kind of got the impression from her reaction to my reason for leaving that they weren't bosom buddies."
"Good call," Gil replied, sitting down next to her. "There's a lot of reasons your mom and he don't get along. But I'll leave it to her to talk with you about. You should ask her if you're interested."
"You want to do what?"
"I want to go talk to Sam Braun."
Greg glanced at Katie, concern crossing his face. "I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Why not?"
"You know that your mom and Sam Braun don't exactly get on, right?"
Katie nodded. "Which is precisely why I want to go see him. I want to know why."
"Why they don't get on?"
"Yeah."
"Well that's easy. He murdered some guys."
Katie threw him a look. "You mean, there's been no other trouble between them?"
"I'm sorry, does there NEED to be anymore than that?"
Katie just looked at him.
"Okay, so there was some stuff about money as well. And about him not telling her that he was her dad."
"That's why I think I should go talk to him. Surely there's got to be some way to reconcile."
"Trust me, there's not."
"Greg…please. I just think I should do this for her."
"I REALLY don't think this is a good idea. Catherine would hit the roof. And Grissom doesn't exactly have fond feelings for the guy."
"Why don't you come with me?"
Greg blinked. "Huh?"
"You can keep tabs on me. And Sam."
Greg took a deep breath. "Your parents are going to kill me for this."
"Oh please. You thought they were going to kill you because we were sleeping together, and they didn't."
"Give them time."
Gil watched Catherine pace up and down the bedroom.
"Cath? Are you alright?"
"Our children are insane."
Gil looked at her, confused. "Did I miss something?"
"Lindsey thinks our child's head looks like a butt."
"Well, to some maybe it does. But take heart that the baby isn't fully formed yet," Gil replied.
"And our daughter is sleeping with Greg Sanders."
"I thought we were okay with that?"
"Well…maybe we aren't." Catherine sighed. "I don't know. But…I like Greg. But Katie's my daughter. I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing by letting her see an older man."
"He's only older by…what…seven years?" Gil made a face as he counted it up. "That's old."
Catherine arched an eyebrow. "What does that make us? Ancient?"
Gil held out his arms to her. "You could never be ancient."
Catherine returned to the bed and settled against him. "I want to do what's right for her, Gil."
"I was thinking, this afternoon, about Katie. And Greg."
"And?"
"I think they're going to be okay."
Catherine's eyes widened and she turned to look at him. "That's certainly a change around from today."
"He saved her life."
Catherine smiled and snuggled back against her husband. "He did."
"And I can't imagine life without her."
"Me either."
"And he seems to make her happy."
"He does." Catherine smirked and closed her eyes. "Kind of like you and me, huh?"
"Are you comparing me to Greg Sanders?"
"You have better shirts."
"That's comforting."
"I knew you'd think so."
Gil's hand rested on her abdomen. "We're going to do this right, this time, Cath."
"I know," she whispered, her hand covering his.
"I'm going to go on record as saying this is a BAD idea," Greg muttered, as he and Katie walked into the Rampart.
"So noted," Katie replied.
Greg grasped her arm and turned her to face him. "Katie. Think about what you're doing here."
"I'm going to visit my grandfather."
"Right. The grandfather who is a murderer and who your mother hasn't spoken to for God knows how long!"
"It doesn't make him any less a relative," Katie reminded him. "Besides, you didn't HAVE to come."
Greg took her hand. "Yeah, I did."
Sam Braun looked up as the two people were admitted to his office. "Kathryn?"
"Katie," the girl said, holding out her hand to shake his proffered one. "This is Greg Sanders."
Greg shook the man's hand stiffly.
"Please, sit down," he said, gesturing to the seats. "Can I get you anything? Drinks? Food?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Katie replied.
Greg shook his head to the offer.
Sam sat down across from them. "You probably hear this all the time, Katie, but you look so much like your mother."
"Thank you," Katie replied. "I'm lucky."
"I was wondering when I'd get to finally meet you," Sam said. "After our last less than comfortable meeting, I was worried I wouldn't get a chance to know you."
"My parents don't know I'm here," Katie stated bluntly.
"Ah." Sam leant back in his chair. "So, what can I do for you?"
"You can explain to me why you bribed my mother."
Greg's eyebrows shot up. Don't go there. Please don't go there.
Sam folded his arms. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."
Katie arched an eyebrow. "Oh please. I've read about you. I read about you before I came to Vegas. Nothing comes without strings."
Sam looked almost amused. "I'm intrigued. It's almost as if you researched me."
"Are you surprised?" Katie folded her arms in a pose that looked like something Catherine would do. "Considering your reputation and all."
"Really? My reputation got all the way out to your hometown?"
"While I understand that compared to Vegas it might be small, my hometown is considered a city." She watched him. "Or at least last time I checked. Or have you bought the entire town?"
"You're as sassy as your mother."
"I try."
Greg tried not to laugh. Despite his better judgement, he was actually enjoying this.
"Your mother and I have our differences."
"That's how you explain it?"
"Explain what?"
"The relationship, or lack thereof between you and my mother."
"That was her choice, not mine."
"And you were surprised by her choice? Look at what you did to her!"
"What, precisely, did I do to her?"
"You knew."
"Knew what?"
"You knew that she was your daughter."
"What makes you think that?"
Katie arched an eyebrow. "You really expect me to believe that you didn't know that she was your daughter until you told her?"
"It was always a possibility."
"A possibility you should have explored?"
Sam smiled thinly. "You mean like your parents explored the possibility of keeping you?"
Greg froze and glanced at Katie. He saw the pain in her eyes.
"We should get going," Greg decided. "Mr. Braun, thank you for taking the time to see us." He took Katie's arm. "Let's go."
Katie stood up, a little unsteadily. She glared at Sam Braun. "No wonder mom doesn't want anything to do with you. You're a bastard, Sam Braun."
Greg held tight and rocked Katie as she sobbed in his arms. "Shhh. I've got you. It's going to be alright."
There was no reply, as she clung to him, letting all her emotions pour out.
"I'll make it okay. I promise," Greg told her.
TBC