If I could find a way to say how much your words really mean to me, I would… Instead I hand out cookies, jelly beans and pineapple to all my wonderful, amazing reviewers!
(And yeah, the name Kennedy came from Buffy… I was tired and it seemed to fit. Good call;) )
Lindsey goes into teenage mode and Catherine goes on a date. And no, I won't be too mean on Grissom… after all, who can resist a man with a foetal pig in a jar of formaldehyde? ;)
You know what to do my dears; Read, review, and most of all… enjoy!

Love,
Jellicos!

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Chapter nine: The Date

"Lindsey Marie Willows! Get your butt down here!" I hollered through the house as I slammed the front door shut. I'd managed to get my purse and my keys, which would qualify as quite the achievement since I couldn't remember how to put one foot in front of the other right now. Sara had paged me. She should have been off work by now… maybe it wasn't a case after all.

"What!" God, is there anything more irritating than an angry teenager? Lindsey looked like she was literally boiling inside as she stormed down the stairs to find me in the kitchen. I almost expected steam to come shooting out of her ears.

Arms crossed over her chest, she looked at me with that defiant look that told me that whatever I might say, she would contradict me on it.

"Sit down." It was a bit harsh, but I wasn't going to give her an option on this. And it worked. With a deep sigh and extravagant gestures to prove how bored she already was, Lindsey slumped down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"First of all; you are never allowed to punch someone." I saw that she was already making efforts to protest and I was not about to give her chance to. "No." I added in a firm voice as I pointed my finger at her. "I don't care if they kicked the cutest puppy in the pound! You can't go around punching people. Ever! That said, I do think you did the right thing by defending your friend. But if you ever get in a fight like that again, I'll ground you until you're eighteen, you hear me?" As I finished my speech I saw that she wasn't looking at me but had turned her head to look out the window, a firm expression of indifference plastered on her face.

"Do you hear me Lindsey?" I repeated.

"Yeah, I heard you! Can I go now?"

"No. I need your help in deciding what to wear for tonight." There was the tiniest of smiles on her face as I said it. We used to do that all the time when she was younger. She'd help me pick out outfits for dates, dinners, and well, anything that I would need to dress up for.

We never did that anymore, and I missed it.

Besides, that would give me a chance to ask her about the whole Sara thing without her being snappy and irritated.

"Well, you do have the worst fashion taste ever." She said with a grin as she stood up.

"Ha ha, aren't you the funny one." I gave her a smile as we walked to my bedroom. "I seem to remember someone in this house owning a bright green Bratz t-shirt."

"Hey! I was like twelve or something!" Lindsey defended herself. She'd begged me for that t-shirt for ever and then only worn it once. It really was hideous.

God, why did she have to grow up so fast?

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One hour and twelve outfits later, Lindsey and I where lying on my bed, exhausted.

"You know mom… for someone your age, you have way too much clothes."

"What's that supposed to mean!" I looked over at my daughter who was smirking. "I'm still young." I muttered.

"Sure you are mom." She patted my arm and I lay back down with a pout on my face.

Lindsey looked as if she was thinking for a moment.

"Maybe you should wear that black dress… Sara loves that one." She said thoughtfully. My heart immediately began to race. Sara loved my black dress? Wait… how did…?

"Linds?" I looked over at her and she turned to face me.

"Yeah mom?"

"You know that Sara is dating Grissom, right?" I asked wondering if she'd perhaps forgotten. But by the roll of her eyes, I doubted she had.

"Yeah, I know. You told me remember?" She said as if I was the dense one. Maybe I was because I honestly had no idea what she was getting at.

"Then wha-?" I didn't finish, because by now, Lindsey had risen up so she was leaning on her elbows and looking down at me with a terrifyingly familiar know-it-all expression.

"It's the way you say her name." She said as if this explained everything. I must have looked confused because she sighed and sat up. When she continued, she sounded like she was talking to a very slow three year old, telling them why it was bad to throw rocks at puppies.

What was it with me and hurting puppies today?

Back on track Willows! Focus!

There was nothing strange about how I said her name. Sara. Gorgeous wasn't it? Like a finely tuned melody or- oh god Willows! Get a hold of yourself!

"Your voice gets soft and there is that look in your eyes." She continued. I couldn't believe it! Shit, my fourteen year old daughter is a mind reader!

"Don't be silly." I said half heartedly as I lay back down, wondering if I really was that obvious.

"Jeez!" She breathed and stood up. But as she reached the door, she turned. For a moment it struck me how much alike we really where. "You know mom… For a CSI you really are dense sometimes." With a shake of her head, Lindsey walked out. Leaving me to wonder what the hell just happened.

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"Linds! Can you get that?" I shouted through the house as at the sound of the doorbell. Shit! She was early! Or maybe I was late. Well, it didn't matter much 'cause one way or the other, I still wasn't ready.

I heard the door open and soft voices coming from the hall.

Sara hadn't answered her phone, and I was perfectly aware of my attempts to block that out of my mind. I'd left her a short message. She'd call me back; there was no need to think about that now.

Gil had probably tried to fix some sort of date for them without my help and Sara wasn't checking her cellphone.

I didn't notice how hard I was clenching my fist until I looked down and saw marks from my nails in the palm of my hand. Damn him! This was somehow all his fault!

Of course, the fact that I knew that it was all my fault and not his wasn't doing wonders for my mood either.

Quickly I fixed my hair and put the finishing touches on my make up.

The short black skirt and blue halter top I was wearing looked good. With a final look in the mirror, I grabbed my purse and walked out to the living room where I knew the girls would be.

I was going to go out and have a great time, that was all there was. Sara was straight, in love with Gil (for God knows what reason) and I had to move on.

With a deep breath I walked into the living room.

"Catherine." The second I entered the room, both Lindsey and Kennedy jumped up from their seats where they had looked oddly uncomfortable and stiff. They both looked relieved at my presence and Kennedy was smiling shyly at me.

"Shall we?" She said hurriedly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my daughter roll her eyes and head for the stairs. Giving Kennedy a smile, I turned to Lindsey.

"Hold on young lady." I told her and she stopped, sighing dramatically as I walked up to her.

"Common mom, it's not like I haven't been home alone before!" She whined.

"Then you know the rules." I said in a strict tone. She nodded; realizing arguing wouldn't be the best of ideas right now.

"Yeah mom. No friends…" She started to count the rules on her fingers. "…do my homework, food in the fridge, in bed by ten, I know mom." She said seriously. I smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek which seemed to embarrass her because she backed away with that frown she usually had when I did something that made her look less than cool.

"Mo-om!" She whined.

"Alright, be good." I smirked and turned to my date. She was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, looking at me with an expression that almost broke my heart.

"You look great." She almost whispered as Lindsey walked out of the room. Something in her voice frightened me a little.

"So do you." I said softly and smiled as she blushed. She did look good. Her long legs where enhanced by the black pants and the dark green shirt looked great with her brown hair. But why did she have it up? It was supposed to be down, just around her shoulders, like Sa- I stopped in mid thought, wanting to slap myself.

She wasn't Sara. Sure, they might look a bit similar, but lots of women where tall and slim with brown hair and brown eyes.

"Let's get going." I lead the way to the door and held it open for her. As she walked by, I smelled her perfume. Apple blossoms. No, that wasn't right. It was supposed to be vanilla-musk.

Damn it! This time I actually pinched myself. Fuck Catherine! You're on a date with a gorgeous 27 year old and all you can think of is your co-worker who's dating one of your best friends! Snap out of it! Sara doesn't want you, end of story.

"I was so happy when you asked me out." Kennedy said softly as she gently stroked my arm.

I gave a faint smile as not to let her know what I'd just been thinking.

"Well, I thought it was due since I was getting broke with the tips I was giving you." I said casually and gave a little smile as she laughed much too loudly at what wasn't even a funny joke. Getting into the car, I had to bite my lip to keep the thoughts at bay.

As soon as we got to the restaurant I was sure everything would be much better. Kennedy would have relaxed a bit, and I would be able to focus on her and not the other brunette who was constantly in my mind.

But things didn't get better. For some reason I kept finding flaws, things she did wrong. I didn't want to admit it to myself but I knew what the problem was; she wasn't Sara.

She didn't say the right things, she didn't smell the right way, she ate meat and she ate it all wrong. And she had entirely wrong taste in movies. Sara wouldn't giggle like that; she wouldn't have a cosmopolitan when she could have a beer. She certainly wouldn't spend half an hour talking about reality shows on tv.

But then, Sara wouldn't be sitting in a restaurant flirting with me. She'd be having those silly rants about animal burial rights with Grissom. He was the one who would listen to her getting all passionate and involved in something no one else found important enough to bother with.

And here I was, driving home, with Kennedy sitting next to me, not listening to her vivid monologue about something involving the Golden Gate Bridge.

"…You know?" There was a pause in her talking and I looked over at her, realizing she had just asked me a question I hadn't heard.

"Huh?" I replied very eloquently while trying to gather my thoughts away from Sara and back to the girl beside me…

"You ok?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine Sara." I said warmly, but as I glanced back at her from watching the driveway I was trying to park in, I realized what I'd just said. "God…" I turned off the car, I'd managed to get it somewhat settled in my driveway. "I'm sorry Kennedy." I turned and looked at her, but she just shook her head.

"It's ok." She said weakly and at that very moment I felt like a complete asshole.

"No, its not. I…" I sighed. How was I going to say this?

"You like her?" She asked, and I could hear the hurt in her voice. The fact that she was trying to be noble about the whole thing didn't exactly help my guilt. "This Sara." She added. I hated the way she said her name.

"Well, I…" I tried, but one look from Kennedy and I knew I owed her more. "Yeah, I do. But it doesn't matter, she's dating someone."

"So you decided to ask me out to forget about her? That's why you've been so quiet all night… you where thinking of her." I knew she was trying to be dignified about this whole mess; my mess. But the way she unconsciously emphasised 'her' was a dead give away.

"Yes." There was nothing else I could say. I could apologise, I could try and explain, but it wouldn't do any good, it wouldn't do her any good.

"I should go." Her voice that had been bubbly and soft all night was suddenly hard and dark.

"I'm sorry Kennedy." I tried, but she didn't meet my eye.

"You should be." She said coldly before getting out of the car.

I sat there for some time after I heard her car speeding off.

Wow Catherine, you certainly know how to fuck things up, don't you?

Well, one thing was for sure;

I'm in love with Sara Sidle.

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Oh dear… what will Sara have to say about this then? The plot and the angst is thickening…
You know what to do to find out my dears;)
It's right there… yepp, to your left.. just press it… oh come on, I know you want to.. ;)