2

Jamie studiously built up his block pile, trying to create what Nick thought was a castle. Lizzie played with her Barbie doll while Matt sat quietly perusing his picture book. Nick thought they were being too good.

His wife came back into the room after getting Alexander into his pajamas. "Alright, who's next on the pajama round?"

Nick looked at his wife. "They're being too good."

Debbie arched an eyebrow. "Too good?"

"They're so quiet. It's creepy."

"Nick, just because Alexander races around like an Energizer bunny, doesn't mean that Grissom and Catherine's children are abnormal."

"It's weird."

"We can still hear you, you know," Matt supplied, not looking up from his book.

Nick gave his wife a pointed look. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I'm taking Jamie and Lizzie. How about you and Matt read together for a while." She chuckled and took the little ones into the bathroom.

--

"Wow," Catherine decided, as she lay sprawled atop her husband. "Now I know the cure for pregnancy hormones."

"Mmm, really?" Gil asked, nuzzling her neck.

"Making love with my husband. Should be bottled and we'd make a fortune."

Gil arched an eyebrow. "Either you're babbling or you're seriously considering hiring me out as a sex slave."

She burst out laughing and then kissed him deeply. "The only person you're allowed to have sex with is me, Gil Grissom."

Gil smiled broadly, kissing her again. "You're the only one I want to have sex with, Mrs Grissom."

"Gil?"

"Yes, my darling."

"You don't think having another baby is crazy, do you?"

Gil gently stroked some hair away from her face before resting his hand on her abdomen. "Don't you think it's a bit late to be asking me that?"

"Probably."

"Catherine…I can't wait to meet this little person. Who, if God is kind, will look like you."

"You're a very handsome man, Gil." She kissed him gently. "You certainly turn me on."

"I'm glad to hear it." His hand gently caressed her spine, smiling as she let out a purr of pleasure. "Everything's going to be okay, Cath. You and I made a baby together. How could that ever be crazy?"

"That is true," Catherine agreed.

"We're going to have a wonderful addition to the family. And you are going to become even more beautiful as the baby grows. And I will cherish the first time I see our child."

"You know, no one would ever realize how romantic you are."

Gil smiled and kissed her again. "Only for you." He paused for a moment. "Please don't share my romantic side with the rest of the team."

--

One month later, Lizzie was ready to start kindergarten. Catherine had carefully helped her daughter dress in denim overalls and a pink t-shirt. She'd put the strawberry blonde hair into pigtails with blue ribbons. Lizzie had helped pick out her Barbie lunchbox and Gil had made her some lunch to take with her.

"Don't like this idea," Lizzie decided, as Gil buckled her into her car seat.

"Kindergarten will be fun, sweetheart," Catherine assured her, buckling Jamie into his seat. "You'll be just like Matt!"

"Don't wanna be a boy," came the reply.

"Boys are better," Matt told her, sitting in his seat.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"ARE NOT!"

"Okay, okay!" Catherine cried. "Before we do damage to Mommy's ears, let's agree to disagree."

"That doesn't make any sense," Matt replied.

"Mommy needs quiet," Gil explained to them. "And we love both boys and girls in this family."

"Okay, I'm going now," Lindsey said, racing out of the house.

"We can drop you on the way if you want," Catherine suggested.

"Mom, seriously? Being taken to school by my parents? I'm sixteen, not six."

"Hey! I'm six!" Matt objected.

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "I'm telling you, mom, that kid so better be a girl. Otherwise this family is in big trouble!"

--

Lizzie stared disapprovingly at the room she had been led into. "Go home now."

"No sweetheart," Catherine said, taking her hand. "You get to stay and play here with all the other little boys and girls."

"And look at all the toys," Gil told her, shifting Jamie to his other hip.

The girl wrinkled her nose. "Mine better."

"But there are different ones, and new ones," Gil suggested.

"We take home," Lizzie decided.

"Well, who is this?" A young brunette woman came over to the group.

Lizzie stuck her hand out. "Lizzie Gwissom. We go home now."

"She's a little nervous," Catherine explained, smiling at the woman.

"That's okay. Lots of the others are too." The woman bent down to Lizzie's height. "I'm Grace. It's nice to meet you Lizzie."

Lizzie glanced up at her mother. She had the same skeptical look on her face that Catherine had worn herself many a time. "So not happening."

Jamie pointed a finger at Grace. "Short."

Catherine glanced at Gil, who shrugged.

"She's all you," he told her, a broad smile on his face.

--

Catherine paced her hallway, while Jamie sat in his doorway swing, his head following her back and forth. Her hand rested on her belly and she muttered to herself as she wandered.

"Cath? Honey? What are you doing?" Gil asked, standing behind Jamie's swing.

"Thinking," she replied, continuing to wander.

Gil looked down at Jamie, whose head was still following his mother. "What about?"

"About Lizzie. About Lindsey. About Matt. Jamie. The baby. You."

"Okay. Uh…care to narrow it down any further?"

"No."

"Cath…" Gil stepped out from behind Jamie's swing and took her in his arms. "I don't know what all this is about, but you need to take it easy. For you and the baby."

"I'm fine, Gil."

"Well, you're confusing me. And you're going to give Jamie whiplash if you keep pacing."

"I'm scared."

Her husband paused and then looked at her. "What?"

"I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"What do you mean 'of what?'" she asked, looking surprised. "Gil…I'm about to have another baby. At my age. I'm thinking about what could…happen."

He frowned. "Excuse me?"

"I've got to do some things. Before the baby arrives."

"Such as?"

Catherine just stared at him, not wanting to go somewhere that she knew would upset him. Gil hated to discuss issues of mortality at home, because it concerned his family – people he valued more than anything.

"I need to update my will, for one thing. To include the new baby."

Gil gritted his teeth. "I don't see what one thing has to do with the other."

"Don't be naïve, Gil. I'm not in my twenties anymore. Sometimes things happen. Particularly for an older woman giving birth."

"Catherine, nothing is going to happen to you. You don't need to worry about things like that."

She rested a hand on his chest. "Sweetheart, I know you hate talking about things like this. And I get it. Believe me, I do. But I just want to make sure, that should anything happen to me – you and the kids will be okay."

Gil pulled away. "I'm not discussing this anymore, Catherine. I think you're being overdramatic." He picked Jamie up from his swing. "I'm going downstairs to the bug museum."

Catherine let out a deep sigh as she watched Gil stalk off downstairs. She had known that this discussion wasn't going to end well, but she felt he needed to know reality and fact.

The only problem was, that when it came to his family, Gil Grissom wasn't so big on reality and fact.

--