A/N: As promised, here is chapter thirteen. It's one of my favorites. I have no idea when I'll have chapter fourteen up because school is starting and I have lots to do. Enjoy, though, and please review.

The Antics of Lindsey Willows

Chapter 13

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Catherine asked the man standing next to her kitchen counter.

Warrick looked at her and frowned. "What?"

"Do you think I'm crazy?" she repeated.

He shook his head. "What?"

"Do you think I'm crazy?" she yelled.

"Of course not," he shouted back. He pointed to the horde of teenage girls in the living room. "They're the ones that are crazy. That music is way too loud."

"Go tell them to turn it down. It's time for them to eat anyway."

"I'd rather not go in there. Every time I do they start whispering. They make me remember high school. Those were not good days."

"Ah, yes," she said remembering an old conversation.

"But yours were, right? You got what you wanted anyway. Why don't you go yell at them."

She opened her mouth and playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Fine. You set the tables then."

"You got it, ma'am," he said and saluted her.

She pushed her way through the giggling girls and was relieved when she finally reached the stereo. With a flick of her fingers the volume went down immensely. A large groan arose from the crowd. She waved the noise away.

"Listen up, everyone, we have neighbors, and despite what you may think, they are not all into your kind of music. Can we please give them some peace and quiet at least while you eat?"

The disappointed looks faded away at the mention of food. She instructed Lindsey to lead the gang to the kitchen and watched as her living room emptied. The floor was littered with plastic cups and chip crumbs.

Warrick smiled as the group came towards him. He held up his hands and they quieted. "Okay, kids, we have a big selection for you today. The theme of this party is make-your-own-sandwich, so get ready. The meat is on your left, cheese and lettuce are on the right, and condiments are in the center. Wait until I get out of the way and dig in." He stepped around the teenagers and watched in amazement as they rushed forward to devour the food.

Catherine was nowhere in sight and he assumed she had gone out front. He opened the front door and sixteen heads turned his direction. They looked away once they realized it was just him. He found her seated on the bench, a glass of soda in her hand.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Not at all," she said and proceeded to scoot over.

"Is it safe to sit here and let them be in your house all alone?"

"Probably not, but I was beginning to get a headache."

"I know the feeling," he mentioned.

"Oh, I have some aspirin inside if you need it." She rose from her seat, but he pulled her back down.

"It's okay; I'm fine. It's quieter out here."

"Definitely," she said and took a sip of her drink. "You don't know how badly I wish this had alcohol in it."

He chuckled. "You should have told me earlier; I would have brought you something."

She shook her head. "No, I need to be all together when the kids' parents get here."

"Good point." They sat in silence for a few moments and watched as the sun began its descent. "You were very brave to have this party," he said.

"Either that or very stupid."

He smiled. "No, I think brave. You're never stupid."

"Lindsey wanted it, and she did clean the house, so I gave in. At least this way she's with her friends and I can be there to make sure she's not doing anything wrong."

Warrick began to get worried. "She's not in trouble, is she?"

"No more than usual. She's a teenager, I understand that, and look who she's got for a mother. With everything that's happened in her life it's a wonder she's okay at all."

"There's nothing wrong with you as a mother."

"I know. I just meant, you know, look at my past. I wasn't exactly a goody-goody when I was growing up. And I'm not home all that much because of work."

"I know it's difficult, but you're doing something not many of the rest of us have. None of the rest of us have kids, which is probably for the best, and we're not perfect. You've done something remarkable. Don't put yourself down for that."

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Warrick, I think you'd make a great dad. Look what you've done for Lindsey." She turned to face him.

Their eyes locked and the dull roar of noise inside the house seemed to drift away. He lifted a hand and ran his finger down the side of her face. She closed her eyes, pleased at the subtle touch. He leaned in closer.

There was a loud crash and a series of giggles from the house. Outside, the two sat back at the intrusion. Catherine drank her watered-down pop and stared firmly at the ground. She suddenly felt like she was in her daughter's shoes and had just been interrupted from…well, to be honest, she wasn't sure just what was going to happen.

Lindsey was in very different shoes at the moment. She was scolding herself silently for allowing most of the party-pack to peer out the window with her. They all had watched intently at Catherine and Warrick's interactions. All was going well until the near-kiss. Ten girls leaned forward to get a better look. One who had not been gazing saw that the pack had suddenly become very interesting and went forward to check it out. She tripped over a stray sweatshirt and fell into the group. Everyone fell over, taking the coat rack with them.

Many of them laughed, but Lindsey was unhappy. She had hoped for that almost-moment for so long and to see it ruined was utterly disappointing. She sulked away to pick up the coat stand while the others went off to blast the radio.

Warrick stood up. "I'll go see what that was," he said.

Catherine nodded at his retreating figure. She finished her drink and grimaced at the lack of taste. She waited a few more minutes and got up herself to go in the house. She blinked as the loud music blasted her ears and went to the kitchen where Lexi was busying herself with the dishes.

"You don't have to do that," she told the teen.

"I know, but I wanted to. Besides, they're gossiping and I don't know any of the people they're talking about."

Catherine patted her shoulder. "That's sweet of you." She stepped aside and looked around the room.

Lexi smiled over the suds in the sink. "He's out back," she said.

If Catherine was shocked that the girl knew who she was looking for, she didn't show it. She slid open the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the deck. He was carrying around a large trash bag and cleaning up the cluttered grass.

"What did they do, throw everything at each other?" he asked.

She jumped a little at the sound of his voice. "It wouldn't surprise me. Most of Lindsey's parties have been accompanied by a food fight."

"There's another bag over there if you want to help."

"Sure," she responded and headed to the grass.

After a few moments he stood straight up. "What are we going to do, Catherine?"

"About what?" she asked, puzzled.

"Us."

"Us?"

"Come on," he began, "there's something going on here and you can't tell me you don't see it. How long have we ignored it? I don't want to do that forever."

"I don't know what to say."

"Say something. It doesn't matter what."

She took a deep breath. "I can't pretend that I never thought about it."

"About what?"

"About the possibility of you and me. And you know as well as I do that we get along pretty good."

"We're like the second Nick and Sara."

She stopped. "I wasn't going that far ahead."

"Sorry. You're right; we mesh well. We always have."

"And I've lost count of all the times you've rescued me."

He tied a knot on the bag and set it down on the grass. "I'm always happy to do it."

She followed suit. "Thank you for that. I don't know how I would have made it through all of this. Really, everything you've done for me."

He took a few steps forward and embraced her. "Anything for you, darling."

She looked up into his eyes and felt a similar moment from earlier come on. She felt a bead of sweat drip down her cheek. He brushed it away with his finger. His eyes lingered on her lips.

At that instant, three blonde girls fell through the sliding screen door onto the porch. Lindsey and two of her friends lied sprawled on the wood, nursing bumped knees and elbows.

Catherine and Warrick jumped apart, but not before many of the kids broke out in giggles.

They stayed separated the rest of the night. Warrick left quickly, as soon as the house had been cleaned.

Catherine, Lindsey, and Alexis stood in the living room, basking in the cleanliness.

"It's hard to believe that an hour ago this place looked like a bachelor pad," Lexi said.

"No kidding. Thanks so much for your help, sweetheart," Catherine said.

"No problem." Lights flashed in the windows. "That'll be my mom. I'll talk to you guys later. Bye."

"Bye," said Lindsey. She gave her mother a hug. "Thanks so much for letting me have this party. It was a lot of fun."

"I'm glad," said Catherine, "but be warned, the money for that screen is coming out of your savings account."

Lindsey looked like she wanted to protest, but decided against it. She turned around and walked to her room. She plopped down on her bed and threw her feet onto the wall.

"Twice," she said, "twice they almost kissed and my stupid friends had to ruin it." She sighed. "Okay, next time I leave my friends out of it."

Catherine pulled a nightgown out of her drawers and took the rubber band out of her hair. "Twice," she said, "What being around teenagers can do to you."

TBC...