Author: coolcatz
Rating: csi 3 overall
Disclaimer: OK OK! You figured it out. I did not write the season finale!

Lindsey sat in the back of the classroom slouching her chair. Beside her sat four of her classmates, all ball players. One of the advantages of alphabetically assigned seats was that she was always in the middle of a bunch of cute boys. This, and the fact that Lindsey favored her mother so much, gave her an advantage over every other girl in the class.

Today Lindsey was slouched in her seat because she and the boy next to her were passing notes back and forth and didn't want to be caught.

"Hey. The nazi still have you in lock down?"

"Yeah."

"That sucks."

"No, you suck."

"No, you do."

"But I thought you liked it."

"Babe, no one sucks like you do."

"Damn straight."

"So how much longer are you going to be grounded?"

"Dunno."

"You still have beads for a door?"

"Hell yeah."

"Damn."

"I hate her."

"Me too."

"I want to go out so bad."

"There's a party Firday."

"Hello! Nazi!"

"Thought she worked."

"She does. Nazi #2, the nanny."

"Oh. You should bribe her."

"Really? You think? Already tried it."

"You have to be at this party."

"I know"

"The window?"

"I don't think that window will ever be opened again."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yeah."

"Then call social services on her ass."

"Why?"

"Cuz they'll take her away, you go to a foster home for a couple of days and you'll be able to go to the party."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"I dunno."

"Linds, this is going to be THE party. You can't miss it."

"I'll think about it."

Lindsey was about to pass the note back when her teacher snatched it from her hands.

"Ms. Willows, this is why you are not passing this class." She walked to the front of the room, placed the note in her desk drawer and resumed her lecture.

Gil and Catherine had been working their crime scene for almost the entire shift. It had been a very quiet evening between the two of them. Catherine hadn't said more than three words to Gil that were not related to work. He asked about Lindsey and all she said was that Lindsey was fine. He asked about Lily and Catherine's reply was the same as before. He winked at her while giving her a clever quote that fit the scene but she just turned away. He threw a corny joke at her only to watch her walk into the other room without a word. Gil decided to just give her some space. She could be having her period or maybe menopause had hit her overnight. Either way he decided it was best to just let her be.

Catherine was hiding in the kitchen. Gil had been following her around like a lost puppy dog all night and she wasn't in the mood to deal with him. She knew he didn't realize she had overheard what he had said to Doc Robbins. He was acting too normal. It didn't matter though. She had heard his words and there was no way to take them back. She couldn't understand why he had paired them up when he obviously despised her. She took in a deep breath and continued to process the kitchen. Shortly after 6 a.m. her phone rang. She saw her home number on the display.

"Hello."

"Cath….sore…." was all Catherine could make out before she was assaulted by a horrendous coughing fit from the other end of the call.

"Mom?"

"…school…sleep…" This was accompanied by a sneezing fit.

"Mom. Are you sick?"

"…said….home…drive…TISSUE!" Catherine pulled the phone away as her mother's clogged nose trumpeted through the line.

"Mom, I'll be home in time to take Lindsey to school. Just go back to bed."

"…already…girl…never listen…" The phone clicked indicating her mother had hung up.

Catherine placed her phone back in its cradle then turned towards the living room. She had rode to the scene with Gil and she needed to get home. They didn't have time to go back to the lab for her to get her car. She gnawed on her lower lip for a few minutes debating whether to ask him for a lift or not. In the end her daughter's welfare won out over her anger (it always did) and she made arrangements with Gil to run her home so they could take Lindsey to school.

The two of them picked Lindsey up. The ride to Butterfield was just as quiet as their night had been. Lindsey was a night person like her mother and mornings just didn't agree with her. She was grumpy until at least 10 a.m. no matter what. Gil watched the two of them, looking at Lindsey in the mirror and stealing quick glances at Catherine when he could. Even now, almost fourteen years after Catherine gave birth to Lindsey, he still felt an unexplainable wonder when looking at Lindsey. He completely understood the biology behind creation but to actually hold a newborn and then to watch her grow into a beautiful young woman was beyond anything science could explain to him.

Catherine was doing practically the same thing as Gil. She watched her daughter and stole glances at Gil. All she could think about was her conversation yesterday with Wendy, something she had forgotten after her fight with Gil. But here in the silence of the car it all came back to her. She looked from her daughter to Gil and back. Her mind was reeling. It was impossible and she knew it but yet the DNA comparison said it was possible.

Lindsey adored her father. They did everything together, especially after Eddie and Catherine divorced. Her taste in food, music and friends was Eddie made over but these traits could easily be environmental, she knew that. Lindsey was loud like her but there were times when she was incredibly silent, preferring to spend her time in her organic garden with its own miniature ecosystem.

She looked at her daughter's eyes, her blue eyes. They were not the same blue as Catherine's eyes or Eddie's. Or even Gil's eyes as far as that went. To be perfectly honest it was if her eyes contained the color of all of their eyes combined. When she smiled her eyes held the same hint of mischievousness that Gil's eyes held. Her mouth turned the way Eddie's mouth would turn when he smiled but the shape was definitely not the same as Eddie's. Her hair? Well Catherine was a blonde---now. She knew it. Eddie knew it. Gil knew it. Well almost everyone knew it. Eddie and Gil both had brown hair. Eddie had blonde hair as a child but she didn't know about Gil.

She shook her head. This was insane. There was no way Gil was Lindsey's father. It was impossible. She and Eddie didn't have sex until after she had cycled. Wendy had made a mistake. She would just have to have a private test done, not that she needed it, but still just to prove there was a problem in the lab that needed to be corrected before this happened to another family.

"Mom! You have to sign me in!" Lindsey screamed, yanking her mother out of her thoughts and back into the real world as she slammed the door behind her.

"I'll be right back" Catherine said to Gil as she climbed out to follow her daughter inside.

Catherine had signed Lindsey in and was on her way back to the car when she was stopped by one of her daughter's instructors.

"Mrs. Willows, I'm glad I caught you. Saves me a call later."

"Why? What's going on?"

"I thought you should be aware of this." She handed Catherine the note Lindsey and her friend had been passing back and forth yesterday. "Lindsey has been doing so much better the past few weeks but I think we may be headed for trouble again."

"Yes, thank you." Catherine pocketed the note after reading it and stood up to leave. "My partner is waiting. I need to go." She smiled sweetly but her voice was tinged with fear.

"I know you work long hours but I really think you need to take this seriously. Honestly I should have turned this because of what she says about her bedroom but I prefer to give the parents a…"

"Listen. I'll raise my daughter the way I see fit." She rushed out of the building and slammed her way back into the car.

Gil looked at her, groaning inwardly. Catherine hadn't been in a good mood all night but something had happened inside that made her mood even worse.

"Wanna talk about it?" Gil was now certain that whatever was bothering her had to do with Lindsey.

"No."

"If you do…"

"I don't!" With that statement she ended any further questioning by Gil.

They rode in silence for several minutes. Gil heard a silent gasp and glanced over to see a tear falling down Catherine's cheek. He pulled into the nearest parking lot killing the engine. He opened his door, walked around to the passenger's side and opened Catherine's door. He reached in to pull her into his arms.

"I said I don't want to talk about it." Catherine pushed him away.

"I want to help."

"I'm sure you do." Since he wouldn't leave her alone she turned away from him.

"Catherine, what happened in there? Is Lindsey in trouble again?" His hand was on her shoulder trying to calm her. She looked at him, biting into her jaw to keep the words forming on her lips from escaping.

"Damn it. Do you want her to try something stupid again? I'm trying to help and if you don't talk to me I can't…" That was it. She'd had enough. How dare he even offer to help after what he said about her yesterday.

"OH SHUT UP!" The full force of her fury spilled forth from her body with this statement. She knocked his arm away with enough force that it slammed into the side of the car before shoving past him and storming off. Gil looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Catherine, what the hell is going on with you? You've been acting crazy all night." He watched her turn around and wished he'd kept his mouth shut.

"I would think that would make you happy. Give you more ammunition to use against me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You think Lindsey needs someone else to raise her."

"Why would I…"

"I heard you yesterday. I heard what you said to Doc. At least I know how you really feel now. Funny thing is my daughter seems to agree with you." She pulled the note from her pocket and threw it at him. "Along with her teacher. The three of you can't be wrong."

Gil read the note. He then mentally kicked himself for not realizing that she would have heard him. He was angry at the time and Catherine thought he had meant it. But he didn't mean it

"I'm sorry. I was out of place…" Gil looked her in the eyes and saw the pain his words had caused her.

"You said what you really thought."

"No. I didn't. Catherine, you are a wonderful mother." For the life of him he couldn't understand why she wouldn't accept his apology.

"Right. My daughter thinks I'm a Nazi, sounds like mother of the year material to me." Catherine had one arm wrapped around her chest and ran her fingers through her hair with the other in an effort to stop the tears that threatened to fall.

"She's thirteen, she's supposed to think you are a Nazi. If she didn't then you would be a bad mother." Gil didn't move towards her, the uncertainty of the moment had him frozen in place.

"I need to take the night off. She doesn't know I know and she's planning on sneaking out." Catherine resumed her pacing.

"We'll both take the night off." Gil felt like an idiot just standing there but there was nothing else he could do.

"No."

"I want to."

"No. I don't want you there. You've done enough." She wasn't thanking him. Her voice was bitter but Gil had no clue why. His body finally remembered how to move and he went to her.

"I told you I was angry. I'm sorry Catherine. I would never hurt you like that."

"Well, I guess that's the difference between us." Catherine was furious. "Because I would." She shoved him away again but Gil refused to let her walk away.

"Catherine, you're afraid right now. You don't know…"

"Don't know what? How to raise my daughter by myself?" Catherine could no longer fight the tears. Her self-control was lost amid the confusion, anger and fear.

"That's not what I meant."

"Or maybe that I don't know how to raise Eddie's daughter? Is that it?" She chastised herself for not even being responsible enough to be a mother to Eddie's daughter.

"You aren't making any sense." Gil was seriously concerned. It had been many years since he'd seen Catherine this out of control.

"Or maybe it's because I don't know whose daughter it is I'm raising anymore."