A/N: Thank you for all of your kind comments and reviews!

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Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.

Title: Catherine's Story

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"Well, dinner was good," Catherine said, looking around the camp fire at her friends.

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry," Greg told her.

"Greg, you had two chicken breasts!" Catherine grinned. "Yours and Sara's!"

"I'm a growing boy," he shrugged with a smile, balling his tinfoil up, and flinging it across the fire at Nick.

"Hey! Don't even try it!" Nick laughed, balling his own tinfoil up, and throwing it at Warrick.

"Wait a minute! He throws his at you, and you choose to throw yours at me, rather than back at him? Where's the justice?" Warrick laughed, flinging his own tinfoil at Greg.

"Great," Sara sighed. "I feel like I'm back in tenth grade!"

From her log, which was next to Sara's, Catherine shrugged. "It could be worse, you know."

"How do you figure?" Sara asked.

"We could be back in eighth grade…" Catherine replied with a small smile and a chuckle.

"I loved eighth grade!" Greg enthusiastically told them. "That's the year that I got my first-"

"Whoa, Greg, no," Warrick grinned, shaking his head from side to side. "I don't want a mental image of any of your firsts."

"I was going to say that that was the year that I got my first laptop!"

"Right…" Nick grinned.

Everyone lapsed into silence, once again staring at the dying fire. "Alright, folks, who's going to go next?" Grissom finally asked, as he added some more wood to the fire, and stoked it, in order to keep it going.

"I'll go," Catherine said, raising her hand for a moment. "Although, I can't say that I'm really looking forward to this," she sighed.

"It's not…that bad," Greg told her with a smile. "Your armpits will sweat a little bit while you're talking, but… nerves will do that to you. It's expected!"

"Great, thanks, Greg," Catherine said with her own smile. "So…my biggest fear has to do with Lindsey, and… how I'm raising her. I'm… worried about her, you know…? I'm not the best mother in the world, although… God knows that I'm trying my best."

"What makes you think that you aren't a good mother…?" Sara asked. Because you're a heck of a lot better than my own mother ever was.

"Think about it, Sara…" Catherine replied. "When… do we work? How often do we have overtime?"

"I know that, but… you're there when she wakes up in the morning, and when she gets home from school…" Sara pointed out. And you talk to her, too…that's more than I can say for my mother.

"And I'm gone for dinner, and I work weekends, and I… the list goes on and on," Catherine sighed, staring across the fire at Grissom. "I'm trying to do my best to raise a good kid, you know…? But… it's so hard to do it by myself."

"I can respect that, Catherine," Warrick spoke up. "I can't imagine being a single parent. It can't be easy on you at all."

"What if she… makes the same mistakes that I made, and follows the same path that I took?" Catherine asked. "I don't want her to be an exotic dancer…" she trailed off. "I… want her to go to school, and have a career…"

"First of all," Nick told Catherine, leaning back on his log, "Lindsey would be lucky to follow in your footsteps. You are a respected forensic scientist, in one of the best labs in the country. She could do worse, you know. And secondly," he continued, "kids are going to make mistakes, Catherine. No matter what you say, or do…"

Greg just smirked, looking over at Catherine.

"What's so funny, Greg…?" she asked.

"I was just thinking," he said with the hint of a smile. "When I was younger, I used to do the complete opposite of what the adults around me told me to do. It didn't matter what they said, I just… did the opposite."

"Hmm…" Nick said. "And that has changed how…?" he asked Greg, trying to hold back a laugh. Greg just narrowed his eyes at him, before breaking out into a smile.

Grissom coughed, throwing Greg and Nick another warning glance. Returning his attention to Catherine, he pointed out, "We can only provide guidance to our young, and then hope that they follow our advice…and then let them make their own mistakes."

"I know," Catherine sighed. "And Lindsey… she definitely takes after me. She's social, and inquisitive, and independent, and—"

"Strong-willed?" Greg asked.

"Ahem," Grissom said, once again clearing his throat.

"Yes, Greg, and strong-willed," Catherine said with a smile. "And I'm worried about what she's doing, when I'm not around… it's…"

"Called being a good mother…" Grissom finished her sentence for her.

"But it goes beyond that," Catherine continued. "She's already starting to hang out with the wrong crowd. What if… something happens to her, and I… lose her… for forever…?" she quietly asked, looking down at the ground. "She has no idea how much I love her, and how much I'd miss her, if she were truly gone," she softly added, starting to lose her composure.

"When's the last time that you told her that you loved her…?" Sara quietly asked, turning her head to the side to look at Catherine.

"This afternoon, before we left… but… she just sort of brushed my words off, as if they didn't mean anything to her. She just said, 'uh-huh…' and continued doing what she was doing," Catherine replied, frowning, as she felt a couple of tears forming in her eyes.

"Call her, Catherine," Warrick finally said. "Go call her, right now…"

Catherine looked up at Grissom, who only nodded. "Go ahead," he told her. "You should get service out here… we passed a tower on our way in."

"What happened to the no cell phone or pager rule?" Catherine meekly asked, brushing her tears aside with a few of her fingers.

"I think we can make an exception this time," he replied with a small smile. "Go ahead and call her. It isn't that late," he added.

Catherine nodded, standing up and walking over to the tent that she was sharing with Sara, in order to grab her phone. "Be right back…" she quietly told the group, ducking inside, and dialing her home phone number.

"Willows residence…" Lindsey said into the phone.

"Lindsey? It's me, Mom…" Catherine shakily said.

"Mom? Why are you calling? What's going on? Are you okay?" she asked, her words coming out rushed.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, honey. How are you doing…?"

"Uh… okay… but… are you okay…?" her daughter asked, picking up on the tone of her mother's voice.

Catherine looked up at the ceiling of the tent for a moment, rubbing her forehead, and trying to breathe normally. "Yes, honey, I'm fine. I just wanted to—"she choked back a sob. "I just wanted to tell you that I loved you," she added, once again wiping away her tears, and trying to hide the sadness in her voice from Lindsey.

"Mommy? You're scaring me…" Lindsey quietly said. "What's going on…? Why are you crying…?"

"Nothing's going on, Linds…" Catherine whispered, as her eyes glistened with tears. "I was just thinking that I haven't spent a lot of time with you lately, and I'd like to… I really, really would…"

"And… you're calling me to tell me this now…? Aren't you camping with your work friends…?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yes, honey, I am, but…" Catherine choked back another sob, "But I wanted you to know that you mean the world to me, okay…?"

"Okay…" Lindsey replied. "But I already know that…"

"You… do…?" Catherine asked, surprised.

"Uh-huh… how could I not know that…? You do everything for me…"

"But… I work a lot…"

"To make money so that I can have whatever I need…" Lindsey slowly replied, confused. "And to keep the bad guys off of the streets…Mom? Are you sure that you're okay…?"

"I'm fine, Lindsey…I'm fine…" Catherine whispered. "I love you, honey…"

"I love you, too, Mom…"

"And I'm taking a week off in April, okay…? For your Spring break? Maybe we can plan a trip together…?"

"That would be great," Lindsey replied. "I'd like that."

"Okay, honey. Go to bed, alright…? It's late… and no junk food before bed, no matter what Grandma says!"

"Too late, Mom. Love you," Lindsey told her.

"I love you too, honey," Catherine sighed, closing the phone, and placing it back inside of her bag.

Wiping away her tears, and trying to compose herself, Catherine returned to the camp fire.

"So is all well in the Willows household?" Nick asked with a smile.

"Apparently so," Catherine smiled. "Apparently so. Oh, and Grissom? I'm taking off for a week in April."

Grissom raised an eyebrow, and gave Catherine a small smile. "That would be fine."

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TO BE CONTINUED 