Grissom had handed out assignments and sent the various members of the team to their scenes. He sat in his office reviewing case files and signing off on them. He heard someone walking in the hall and glanced up to see Catherine as she turned the corner and walked down the hall toward one of the layout rooms. He'd always enjoyed watching her walk away from him; at least until things had gotten so serious with Sara and he'd begun to feel guilty about deriving such great pleasure from observing another woman's body. "I suppose I'm free to enjoy that view again," he thought to himself. He loved the way her hips swayed and…"whoa; those are some close fitting pants she's wearing tonight. They fit like a second skin, hugging her shape in a very pleasing way. And they form around her …." damn Grissom, what are you thinking? He grinned slightly and forced himself back into the confines of the file. His mind couldn't quite release the image, however, of her nicely curved and covered tush.

He finished that file and remembered one in his brief case that he had taken home to finish and never gotten to. Reaching in the case, he pulled the file out and watched as a piece of paper slid out also. It fell to his desktop and settled there. Putting the file down, he picked up the paper. It was a note….

Hi Uncle Gil,

I know you were having a bad day today and it made me sad. I really enjoyed dinner together. It was almost like a family, you know? And when you helped me with my homework, it was like….having a dad again, only better. So, even though I'm sorry you were having a bad day, I just wanted you to know that you really made mine.

I hope you'll spend the evening with us again soon.

Lindsey

Gil sat, staring at the note. Her reference to being family brought back the thoughts he'd had earlier about how Catherine and Lindsey could've been his family. Sometimes, he mused, regrets are a terrible thing to have to live with. Carefully, he slid the note back into his case and returned to the files. Sometime later, his phone rang. It was Nick. He needed help on his case. Grissom was relieved to leave the files sitting on the desk and go work a scene.

As it turned out, Nick didn't really need much help. .He just needed to run the scenario by someone and be sure he had all the pieces to the puzzle. Still, Gil enjoyed the mental exercise and hung around with the younger CSI as he finished and packed up his kit. On the way back to the lab, Gil decided to stop at a C store and pick up a snack. He made his selection and was paying for it when he spotted a vase with red roses for sale. Acting on impulse, a rare thing for him, he snatched up two of them and added them to his purchase.

Just as the shift was ending, Catherine returned to her desk to find two red roses lying across her blotter. Each had a note attached with ribbon. One was addressed to her and the other to Lindsey. Recognizing the handwriting, she opened her note.

Stealing a line from a very old song…..

'Mrs. Willows, you have a lovely daughter….'

It should come as no surprise however, since she has an extraordinarily lovely mother.

Thanks for last afternoon and evening.

Gil

Catherine was dying to know what was in Lindsey's note but she forced herself to leave it alone. Hopefully Lindsey would share it with her later. She headed down the hall to his office but found it dark. He had left already.

About the time that Catherine found the roses, Gil was standing in line for a ride on a roller coaster. Once seated, he waited for the cars to begin to roll. Finally they made it to the top of the first hill and began a hair raising descent. It was then that Gil Grissom released all of his pent up regrets, yelling and screaming as loudly as he possibly could and letting the anguish flow out of him. After the third trip around the track, he felt his self control returning and he headed for home.

As soon as he entered his house, he knew he had a problem. Hank was still at Catherine's. "How could I have forgotten?" he asked himself.

Debating whether he should call or just head over there, he stood in the middle of his living room in confusion. His cell phone began to ring. Pulling it out of his pocket, he checked the ID. It was Catherine. "Grissom," he answered.

"Did you forget something?" The amusement in her voice was unmistakable.

"Ah…I don't think so….." he smiled.

"I'll give you a hint. It's big and slurpy."

"Oh, that…. Well, Lindsey seemed to really like having him around…."

"Nice try. But he's decided that my bed is his bed and won't move. And while I've slept with some real animals before, they were at least still of the two legged variety."

Chuckling, Gil responded. "Okay, I'll be there soon to get him." Grabbing his keys from the counter, he headed to his car and then to Catherine's to retrieve Hank.

She let him in as soon as he knocked. Hank came bounding in from the hallway when he heard Gil's voice. Catherine watched as he patted the dog but seemed to linger over putting on his leash. "Lindsey walked him already," she offered.

Looking up, he tilted his head. "She did?"

"Yeah, and since you are here, I thought maybe….breakfast?" She saw his hesitation and then decision.

"Sounds nice." He put the leash back on the table where it had been resting and released Hank. Then he followed Catherine into her kitchen.

"The roses were nice, thank you," she said. "Lindsey loved hers….and the note."

Looking shy all of a sudden, he nodded.

"She let me read it. That was very sweet of you, Gil."

The words in his note were still running through her head.

Lindsey,

Thank you for cheering me up yesterday and the note you put in my bag. I agree, it did feel like family. And helping you with your homework….I felt like a dad. Sometimes I envy yours; he had a very special family.

Uncle Gil

Looking sheepish, he spoke softly. "She put a note in my brief case. I, um….appreciated it."

"She loves you, you know. You were so good to her after Eddie died. She's missed you…" She was digging in the refrigerator.

Gil immediately felt guilty. After he and Sara had started dating, he had slipped further and further out of their lives. ….more regrets. "I love her," he said in a quiet, choking voice.

Seeing the guilt and regret flash across his face, she regretted telling him that Lindsey had missed him. "It's okay, Gil. You are entitled to a life of your own, you know."

"But you and Lindsey were a big part of my life for so long. And then I just…let it slip away."

"You didn't do anything wrong. Things change….that's a part of life. You had a right to follow your heart and build a relationship with Sara." Reaching in the cabinet, she pulled out two glasses.

"Yeah," he groaned. "But I hurt Lindsey in the process."

"She's fine, Gil. She understands." Catherine handed him a glass of orange juice.

"I've missed this," he said after sipping the juice.

"What? The juice?" She was confused. "It's ordinary orange juice…"

"Breakfast…with you," he said pointedly, looking into her eyes.

Smiling, she looked away. "I've missed it too." Emotions that she thought had been buried long ago were churning within her. Suddenly the old longing for him was bubbling back and boiling to the surface of her consciousness. His direct look, searching her eyes, was making it worse. If only he knew how much she had missed it….him.

They began the task of preparing breakfast. Quickly, they slipped into their old routine and were soon enjoying a quiet, comfortable meal together.

-----------------------------------------------------

Okay, in response to popular demand we are picking up the pace here. Let me know what you think:-)