Lillian and Gil Grissom sat down at the patio of Beechwood Manor drinking tea and eating some delicious crumpets that the cook had prepared earlier. "So, Gil, do tell me all about your job. I do find forensics to be very fascinating," Lillian replied. Gil sighed again; Lillian was desperate to talk about his job, which was the last thing that Gil wanted to talk about and the thing Lillian wanted to talk about the most.

Lillian was obsessed with keeping up with everyone in the family, Gil could vanish without a trace for 10 years, and then return abruptly, and Lillian would know every little detail about his life.

"Oh, Lillian, let's not talk about work, I am here for the first time in years, let us catch up." Gil replied. "Tell me, how is mother?" Gil was planning to see his mother before too long. "Oh, your Mother is fine, Gil, you really worry too much about her." Lillian said while sort of laughing nervously. Gil knew that talking about his and Roger's mother for Lillian was about as comfortable as talking about forensics for Gil. Margaret, the Grissom matriarch and Lillian had never gotten along that entirely well.

Suddenly a butler in a white suit jacket came and refilled Lillian and Gil's tea cups. "Thank you, Martin." Lillian replied politely. "Gil, since you don't want to talk about forensics, I think that you should know that Grace Robertson is now Grace Williams again." Lillian replied flirtatiously. Gil looked up suddenly. Grace Williams! He hadn't thought about her in years.

Gil's memory suddenly flashed back to Beechwood Manor during the days of his youth, when his mother and father still owned the place, and the grand parties, soirees, and masquerade balls that they had at the place. Gil remembered when he was 16 years old, and he attended his first masquerade ball, he saw an enchanting woman in a burgundy-red strapless grown, with a mask that matched the dress in color, the face behind the mask had the most beautiful blue eyes anyone had ever seen, like two sapphires in the eyeholes of the mask.

Gil flashed back to reality; Lillian was sitting across from him with an "I knew it" smirk on her face. "Well, it would appear that some of us here still cannot let go of the past." Lillian said gushingly.

"If you are that desperate to rekindle a relationship with the lovely Ms. Williams, she now lives in Providence. It is unfortunate that the two of you were unable to keep your relationship going, even if there is some other enchanting woman that you have your eye on in Las Vegas.

"Gil now had to interrupt Lillian's ideas. "Okay, first of all, Lillian, there isn't anyone in Las Vegas that "I have my eye on", and secondly, I am not interesting in rekindling a relationship with Grace, okay?" Gil replied rather shortly. "Mm-hmm," was all that Lillian said, with that she had that same "I knew it" smirk on her face that she had previously. Gil knew that Lillian was teasing her. He decided that he should change the topic of conversation from his romance life to something that he was more comfortable talking about.

"So, Lillian, how do you like being a grandmother?" Gil asked. Lillian didn't look in the least disturbed. "Well, Gil, I am overjoyed beyond all belief and recognition that my Tom has finally gotten married and now has provided me with a grandchild." "My first grandson, he is so adorable, his name is Joshua, and he is the cutest little darling since my Dawn was born."

Gil was surprised, he never expected Lillian to be so overjoyed at being a grandmother. "Now, if only Hannah would stay married and Dawn would get married, I would consider my life to be perfect. Gil's niece Hannah had been married once, and barely a year after the wedding, had already gone through a divorce. Dawn, on the other hand, seemed to take after her Uncle Gil, currently; Dawn was in college, studying to be a scientist.

"So, tell me how is Rachel," Gil asked. Tom's wife and the mother of Joshua was Rachel, and Gil had only met her once, when Tom and Rachel had traveled through Las Vegas. Rachel was a charming, nice young woman. Rachel, like all of the women that were in her position previous to her, was from a high-society, blue blooded family that this time was from Philadelphia. "Oh, Rachel is fine; she recovered much more quickly than I ever did when I went into labor," Lillian said.

"Oh, yes, I nearly forgot, Susan will be here in 2 days." Gil was interested even more interested at seeing Susan for the first time in years. Susan was his only other sibling that had experienced deafness like he had, except she was completely deaf, but had the implant in her ear so she could hear once more. Apparently, she experienced deafness just like Gil had, and like him, she had ignored it in a way, but unlike Gil, she didn't get medical attention until it was too late.

"According to Susan, her hearing is perfectly alright," Lillian said. Gil saw her eyes look up at her, she knew about his brief problems with deafness. Gil could also tell that Lillian desperately wanted to ask about the hearing, but was restraining herself.

Suddenly behind Gil there was a noise that made him jump. Gil turned around and he saw his brother, Roger standing there behind Gil and Lillian. "Ah, Roger, you are home." Lillian replied..........