See Part 1 for Disclaimer.

AN: Thanks for all the reviews. They made me happy. Good to know that you like my story.

Summary: Much more fun in Vegas. Griss is going to reveal his secret and the reason he called Kate.

Part 23

Ten pairs of eyes were watching Gil Grissom, explaining why they had met at this fancy place for dinner.

"Griss, out with it. It can't be this worse." Warrick said.

"Okay, I'm getting there. I needed about 15 years the get there. I want this moment to last a bit. The first reason is of course Kate. I missed her terrible and she was and I hope still is one of my best friends. You are all my friends but Caitlin and Cath are special for me. And the second reason is kind if difficult to tell you." Gil stopped; thinking about the best way to drop the bomb.

"Uncle Gil, you can do it. Just tell them, or I will do it." Lindsey said, giving him one of her smiles.

"Thanks butterfly. But you know me, I was never good with this. Okay, here it goes, before Linds tells you. In about three months there will be a wedding. My wedding, to be correct." Gil said and looked around. The guys from Las Vegas were looking kind of shocked. They knew about the private life of their supervisor, or the lack of it. There was nobody he was seeing. Kate and Gibbs were the first to congratulate.

"You are going to marry? Whom?" Sara asked, still shocked.

Gil just smiled.

"Do we know her?" Warrick asked.

"You know her perfectly well." Gil said still smiling.

"Cath, what about you? Do you know whom he is speaking about?" Nick asked.

"Oh, I know her. She is a good woman and I think they are a cute couple. They know each other like nobody else." Cath said smiling, too.

"Okay, it doesn't look like you are going to tell us her name. So let's face the evidence." Greg said. "We all know about Griss personal life. He doesn't have one and there is definitive no girl-friend in his life. Cath said they know each other like nobody else. You have to know someone many years to become this close. There are only two persons Griss considers best friends. First there is his long lost friend Caitlin. I must admit, they would make a cute couple. Only problem is, Kate is already having a fiancé and it's not Grissom. Or are you only a cover, Mr. Gibbs?" Greg asked, showing Gil what he had learnt so far.

"It's just Gibbs and no, I'm no cover. I'm really going to marry my Kate. Nothing will change this fact." Gibbs said, kissing Kate on the cheeks.

"Okay, then on with the suspects. There we have his best friend number two. A divorced mother of a very cute daughter, one of the best CSI's I know, former exotic dancer and drug addicted."

Cath interrupted Greg. "Thanks, but we all know the facts of my life. Come to a point, Greg."

"Going there, dear Catherine, going there. Okay, what do we know else? They had been good friends for years, nobody knows exactly for how long but that doesn't matter. They know each other like nobody else. Griss has recruited her and in the last few months they seemed to get closer again. And they make a cute couple, I think. Evidence doesn't lie. Gil Grissom is going to marry Catherine Willows." Greg concluded and received warm smiles from Warrick, Nick, Brass and Doc Robbins.

Kate was sure about this. Since the first time she had seen them together, 15 years ago, she felt they had a special connection. Something she couldn't explain, but she was having the same with Gibbs. And the way he was acting around Catherine, the way he was smiling at her and the way he was taking care of Lindsey told Kate, that Gil was deep in love with the woman next to him. And she was happy for him.

"You are going to marry her? I believed you were having feelings for me. You sent me a plant; you had dinners and breakfasts with me. Didn't that mean anything to you?" Sara asked. She couldn't believe what was happening around her.

"Sara, I have feelings for you, but in no romantically way. You are a friend, a team-member, part of our little family. But I don't love you. I never have been in love with you. I'm sorry if you interpreted my gift the wrong way. I was just showing you that you mean something to me, but just as a friend. There will never be more between the two of us. But there are some guys out there who having it deep for you." Gil smiled at Nick and Greg but Sara didn't notice. She was still trying to digest the news about the wedding.

"Congratulation you two. It's about time you make it final." Doc Robbins said. All of the team had known that there was something between the both senior CSI, just the two of them had needed longer. But now they were together and all could tell that they were very happy about the fact. Even Lindsey was smiling again. She had been close to Gil since she was born but after her father had died in a car accident she was even closer to Gil and it was good for her. And Gil really spoiled the girl. She was not his biological daughter, but Gil loved her like his own.

Gil turned around to face Kate. "Now you know the other reason why I called you. I would like to invite you to my wedding. You too, Jethro. But that's not all. Katie-bug, would you do me the honor and be my best-woman?" Gil had never been a conventionally guy.

"I would love to be your best-woman, but I don't think I can take the job. Three months is a long time and I don't think I will be up to traveling."

"Kate, I don't think that would be a problem. It should be save to fly. I'm sure we can arrange for you to have a first class fly so you will be comfortable. You don't have any problems so far otherwise your doc could tell you not to fly. But I personally don't see a problem." Catherine said and the men looked at her questioning, not knowing what she was speaking about.

"No, I didn't have any problems so far, just the normal like you have seen earlier tonight. Okay, I will think about it and give you a call on time so you can look for someone else if I have to cancel it. That's all I can tell you at the moment, Gil. But I will try my best to come." Kate said and Gibbs was okay with this. He didn't like the idea of Kate on a plane at that point of her pregnancy but as long as her doctor was okay with it, it was okay with him. And it would really mean much to Kate to take part at the wedding, Gibbs could tell.

"Katie-bug, you make me frighten. Why do you have to ask a doctor if you are up to fly? Are you seriously ill? Do I have to worry about you?" Gil asked worried.

"Catherine, you have been through this once. Can you tell me why everyone thinks that we are ill?" Kate asked.

"I really don't know, but it's really sweet. You should be happy about this fact. Gil can be really caring. When I was pregnant with Lindsey my husband Eddie didn't care about me. Only Gil was there for me. Don't be too hard with the men. They don't know what it is like to be pregnant." Catherine explained.

"You are pregnant, Katie-bug? Why didn't you tell me? I'm so happy for you. You will make a good mother. But please, try to come. I would really love to have you at my wedding. I want to stay close to you, now we took care of the problem we had." Gil said grinning. Only Cath, Kate and he knew about this and it should stay like this.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about their lives. Even Kate and Gibbs had just met the bunch, they were friends with them. But the night had to come to an end and the party split up. Sara was still shocked about the news of the wedding. That was something she never thought about. But there was Nick, who promised to take care of her. Kate, Gibbs and Gil went back to the townhouse, where they all headed straight for bed.

The next morning Gil prepared breakfast. Catherine and Lindsey would be coming over to eat with them. After that they went on a sightseeing-trip. They showed Gibbs everything that was worthy to see in Las Vegas. They had lunch at the 'Tangiers'. It was a fancy casino, not as fancy as the 'Bellagio' but still fancy. Gibbs and Kate were surprised when Catherine was greeted by everyone they met. Even some guys came over to their desk to say hello to her and Lindsey.

"Are you in gambling, Catherine? You seem to spend a lot of time here. Everyone knows you by name, that's not normal. Not even for Vegas." Kate said.

"Oh, I'm not in gambling. But you are right. I have once spent a lot of time here. Some years ago I had been here regularly. Now I just come by to have dinner once in a while." Cath explained cryptically.

"But they still know you by name. And they know your daughter. I have spent five years in Vegas and had been in some casinos, too. But they didn't know my name. There had to be another reason." Kate asked again, being really curious.

"There are some other reasons. The owner, Sam Braun was something like my mentor. He was a good friend of my mother and I was really close to him when I was a child. He tried to help me when I got to Vegas. But time went on, I met Eddie and I didn't spend as much time with Sam like I was used to. Then he was a suspect in a case we were working on. It looked like Sam had killed one of the dancers. I did a DNA test, comparing the blood we found on a knife with my own blood. It was positive. I learned that Sam Braun was my father. When he died some months ago, I got all his casinos and hotels." Cath explained, shrugging her shoulders.

"You are telling me, this is yours?" Gibbs asked unbelieving.

"Actually the 'Tangiers' is Linds' casino, when she turns twenty-five. But until then it belongs to me. So lunch is on me." Cath laughed.

After lunch, Gil showed his guests where he worked. Gibbs was very eager to get a closer look to the Crime Lab. Catherine and Lindsey where coming with them, too. Since shift was about to start in an hour, Catherine and Gil would stay at the lab, while Lindsey was taken by her aunt and Kate and Gibbs were on their own for the night.

Gil was in his element, showing Gibbs the Lab. He explained everything to Gibbs, who was eager to learn more. Kate wasn't this interested, especially not in Gil's little experiments he did with his bugs.

So Kate was at the break-room with Catherine. For the first time they had the change to speak alone. And they talked about what had happened 15 years ago and how it had affected Gil. And they talked about Kate's baby. Catherine was the first not family related person with a child she spoke to. It was good, since Kate was really afraid by the new situation. But Catherine told her that everything was going to be alright. And after Catherine had told her some stories about her life with her ex-husband Eddie and her baby daughter, Kate was sure everything would be fine. She had a guy who cared about her and their baby a big deal; even it was a bit nerving sometimes.

When shift started, Gibbs and Kate went on their way back to Gil's townhouse. It was a warm night and they decided to take a walk instead of a cab. Las Vegas at night was something you had to see. So they went down the Strip, where most of the action was located and enjoyed the night.

They stopped in front of the fountains of the 'Bellagio' and watched the show.

Kate turned around to face Gibbs. "Jethro, do you know what Vegas is best known for?" she asked him.

AN: Any guess what is coming now? Tell me what you think so far.