I apologize in advance for this chapter. I feel that it is very boring, and not filled with the action that I've been accustomed to writing the last few chapters. However, it is key to explaining and writing future events in the story. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far. Please take the time to give me some feedback if you are reading, as it makes me smile and helps to pound out the chapters quicker.

Enjoy!

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Catherine wasn't sure what woke her up, but she slowly forced her eyes open anyway. She was in her living room, the room dark as she lay there covered by a warm afghan. She glanced upwards, seeing her daughter dozing above her, her head resting on the back of the couch.

She slowly sat up, not wanting to wake Lindsay as she looked at her watch. 8:07. She glanced outside, in her sleepy state wondering for a moment if it was night or day. The darkness that was setting over her lawn was a clear indication that it was night, and she sighed.

I'm still not getting enough sleep…Catherine thought to herself. She felt somewhat better, but knew that it wasn't healthy if she wasn't getting enough sleep even when she was dead tired. She decided that when she went to bed later, she would take a sleeping pill in order to help her sleep, even though she didn't want to. As she had told Gil, she hated the feeling that she got when she woke up. Catherine always felt groggy and listless when she woke up after taking sleeping pills, and it took her a few hours to get up to speed and feel totally coherent, and that was after numerous cups of coffee.

Catherine looked down as Lindsay yawned, the younger Willows forcing her eyes open. "Hey," Catherine said softly, placing a hand on her daughter's knee. "Thank you." Catherine didn't need to clarify what she meant, as she knew that her daughter understood what she was talking about. Catherine had needed someone to simply be there for her. It wasn't in her nature to be needy, and for her daughter to see her at a weak moment was difficult. Lindsay had handled the situation like a pro, though.

"You're welcome, mom," Lindsay replied. "I think we both needed a little nap."

Catherine rubbed a hand across her tired face. "Are you okay?" she asked Lindsay. "Are you sleeping? How's school?" It was very rare that the two of them were able to talk about life, as Catherine pulled a lot of extra hours as supervisor, whether it be going in early or coming home late, and Lindsay was often doing some sort of class project or was out with friends when Catherine actually was home at a decent hour. The elder Willows felt terrible about this, and often questioned her adequacy as a mother, even as Lindsay was turning into a mature young adult. Obviously, something had gone right when she was raising Lindsay, so she at least had THAT to be thankful for.

Lindsay smiled slightly, noting the worried tone in her mother's voice. She knew that there were so many emotions going through her mom's mind. She knew that her mother was not only worried about her daughter's health as well as her doing well in school, but whether she was doing an adequate job as a mother. After Catherine had busted Lindsay dancing in a club on Halloween, she had tried to make sure she knew what Lindsay was up to at all times. It hadn't totally worked, as Lindsay still did a few things that she KNEW Catherine wouldn't approve of, but it wasn't like it was anything serious. She didn't drink, smoke, or do drugs, but she knew that if her mom knew what she was wearing to school, or that one of her friends was a member of a gang, then she would probably freak out WORSE than what she did in the nightclub.

"I'm okay, mom," Lindsay finally answered. "I'm sleeping fine, but school's been a little busier than usual with our senior papers and presentations due soon. Nothing I can't handle, though."

"Of course not," Catherine answered, ruffling her daughter's hair. "You inherited my brains and beauty!"

"Oh, stop mom!" Lindsay said with a blush. It was true, though. Despite a rocky few years after Eddie had died, Lindsay had gotten straight A's throughout high school, had a perfect attendance record, was the president of the senior class, a member of the drama club, and was a writer for the newspaper. She was never one to tout her own success though, so she changed the subject. "You hungry?" she asked her mom. "Cause I'm starving."

"Actually, I am," Catherine answered. "Let me see what I can make for dinner."

With that, she pushed up from the couch, letting the blanket fall to the floor, patting Lindsay's shoulder as she passed by. Lindsay stifled a yawn as she stood up and stretched before bending down and folding the blanket and placing it on the back of the couch where it belonged. She walked to the table in the foyer where they kept the mail, flipping through the envelopes. There was the cell phone bill and credit card bill that she knew Catherine would want, and she set them aside to hand to her mother in a minute. A grin came across Lindsay's face as she came across an envelope from Ticketmaster that she knew held her tickets for the upcoming Katy Perry concert. The smile quickly faded from her face as she flipped to the last envelope.

It was from the University of Delaware.

Lindsay stood there for several moments, just looking at the white envelope in her hand, the same white envelope that could either send her 3,000 miles across the United States or to a local college in Nevada. She swallowed, not sure whether she wanted to open the envelope or not.

"Hey, Linds, there's nothing to eat in here! Someone needs to catch up on the shopping around here!" Catherine said lightly. Lindsay quickly hid the envelope behind the Ticketmaster one, looking up as her mom came to the foyer. "Since I'm apparently three weeks behind on grocery shopping, what do you say we go out to dinner?"

"That's fine," Lindsay said automatically, her fingers itching to rip open the letter in her hands.

"I'll have to do some shopping tomorrow before I go back to bed. What have you been eating anyways?"

Lindsay smiled weakly at her mom, shrugging. "I make Grandma feed me," she finally replied.

Catherine smiled back, heading up the stairs. "Give me five minutes to change, then we can go to the diner," she called to her daughter.

Lindsay nodded, settling down on her couch and staring at the letter. She wanted to open it so badly, but she was scared that it was going to be bad news, and she didn't want to ruin the night with her mother. Catherine seemed to be in a better mood then before, and she hated seeing her mother exhausted and upset.

She pulled her cell phone out, relieved that it had been on silent during their family nap. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to be disturbed while she slept, as it was clear that she needed the rest. Lindsay had two missed calls and seven missed texts. She listened to her voicemail, deciding that her friends could wait as she worked on quickly answering each text.

Catherine bounded down the steps, shaking her head as her daughter furiously worked her fingers across the keyboard that came attached to her phone. Thank God for unlimited texting, she thought with a shake of her head. She couldn't believe the number of texts her daughter sent in a month. She hardly ever texted her friends or colleagues, as Catherine preferred to just pick up the phone and call people. Besides, she wasn't even sure if she knew how to properly text. She received a few throughout the way, mostly from people within the lab who wanted to let her know test results, but that was it. In the time it took her to write out a text explaining something, she could have called the person AND probably taken a brief nap.

"Hey, honey, you ready?"

"Yeah," Lindsay answered, standing up and walking to her purse and to the door without looking up. "By the way, the cell phone and credit card bills came. I left them on the table by the phone."

How does she do that without walking into something? Catherine wondered in amazement. She shook her head wryly before following Lindsay out the door.

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Twenty minutes later, they were settled into a booth at one of their favorite diners, Catherine sipping on an ice water as Lindsay quietly poured some sugar into her iced tea. They had placed their orders several minutes ago: a grilled chicken salad for Catherine and a cheeseburger deluxe for Lindsay. Catherine couldn't help but notice that Lindsay was silent all of a sudden, and she cleared her throat gently.

Lindsay looked up, smiling what she hoped was a calm, collected smile at her mother.

"What's wrong, honey?" Catherine asked softly. "You're quiet."

"I…it's nothing, mom," Lindsay answered. She met her mother's gaze, seeing that she was somewhat skeptical but didn't want to push. With a sigh, she reached into her purse and pulled out the letter from the University of Delaware. Without saying anything, she handed it to Catherine.

She looked over it briefly, taking in the name on the top left corner and the title underneath: Office of Admissions. Catherine sucked in a breath, hoping that she was being subtle as she realized that the envelope was: the response from the college application Lindsay had sent in a couple months ago. "It's not opened," Catherine finally pointed out, her voice hitching slightly as she looked over the envelope.

"I know," Lindsay answered, her eyes downcast.

"Why not?"

Lindsay balled up her straw wrapper as she pushed it across the table, still not meeting her mother's gaze. "I don't know," she finally replied. "I'm scared."

"Why?" Catherine questioned. "You're very smart, Linds, they'd be stupid not to take you!" Seeing her daughter was still hesitant, she lightly asked, "Want me to open it?" Lindsay gave her mother a look that was mixed with exasperation and frustration. She shook her head in the negative, tracing the pattern along the table with her finger. In a way, Catherine was kind of relieved that Lindsay had declined her offer, as she wasn't sure SHE was even prepared for what was in that envelope.

"I just…I dunno, mom, this is just a huge step to my future," Lindsay finally said softly. "What if I'm not accepted? And what if I am?"

"Hey," Catherine replied, reaching across the table and taking Lindsay's hand in hers. She placed the letter in her daughter's hand, making sure that they were maintaining eye contact as she felt Lindsay's fingers grip the envelope. "You'll never know what the future holds if you don't open that letter," she pointed out.

Lindsay sighed and nodded, pulling her hands back and ripping open the envelope carefully. With shaking hands, she unfolded the letter, skimming the first few lines of text. A wide smile broke out as she looked up at her mother.

"Good news?" Catherine eagerly asked, though she couldn't help but notice the sinking feeling in her stomach as her daughter's face lit up.

"'Dear Ms. Willows,'" Lindsay read. "'We are pleased to announce that we have accepted you to a full scholarship to the University of Delaware's Forensic Science program. Your grades and transcripts have been reviewed, and we cannot wait to welcome you as a member of our division.'"

"Congratulations, sweetie!" Catherine told her daughter, scooting out of the booth and leaning over to hug her daughter. She ignored the voice in the back of her head that told her that Lindsay was going to be moving across the country, focusing on the huge accomplishment that her daughter had achieved in making it to a good college with a full scholarship. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart!"

"I can't believe this!" Lindsay said excitedly. "A full scholarship! I have to text Margi!"

Catherine started to open her mouth to reply, but the waitress came with their food. Lindsay reluctantly put her phone away as her mother returned to her seat. While Catherine was a pretty relaxed mother, she did have one rule: no texting during mealtimes. It was a simple rule, one that Lindsay respected without a fight, probably due to the fact that the two of them hardly shared meals anymore.

The pair dug into their dinners, silent as each were lost in their thoughts. Lindsay was very excited, as she was going to be going to college in a different state that was well known for their forensic science division. It was a huge change in her life, and she was ready to put her focus on her studies and meeting new friends in a smaller city then Las Vegas. Catherine, on the other hand, was very proud of her daughter, but she was also sad. After Eddie had been murdered, the two of them had grown fairly close, and now her only baby was going to be moving to a state that probably wasn't even as big as the city of Las Vegas. She was scared of letting go.

The bell on the door dinged, signifying that there was a new entrant into the diner. Out of habit, Catherine looked up, surprised to see Gil and Sara making their way into the diner. Automatically, his eyes locked on hers. Reluctantly, Catherine raised her hand in a wave, and the pair made their way over.

"Uncle Gil! Sara! Hi!" Lindsay said excitedly, sliding over in the booth. "Come join us!"

Catherine resisted the urge to kick her daughter under the table. While she wasn't mad at Gil anymore, she still was a little bit jealous about the fact that Gil was with Sara, and not her. Grumbling to herself, she slid across her seat too, watching as Gil sat next to Lindsay, kissing her daughter on the forehead.

"Hey, butterfly, you're looking good!" Gil said. "How are you?"

"I'm great! I got accepted to the University of Delaware on a full scholarship!" Lindsay told Gil.

"Oh, wow, congratulations!" Gil answered, pulling Lindsay in a hug. "I knew that you could do it!"

Catherine watched the scene play out before her, smiling to herself. Gil was very close to her daughter, and everyone knew it. Gil was probably the closest thing to a father that Lindsay had since Eddie had died, something that Gil took seriously. He still attended her plays and dances, and Catherine knew that Gil often read over her daughter's newspaper articles. In addition, he made sure to give Lindsay birthday and Christmas presents, and even sent home little treats for the younger Willows. With as close as the two of them were, it made sense that Lindsay had told him all about the plans that she had for attending college. It also made sense that Lindsay knew to call Gil after Catherine had been injured at work. Granted, Lindsay probably hadn't expected for her mother and Gil to take a nap in the same bed together, but that was that…

Catherine glanced over at Sara, not really surprised to see that the younger woman was looking back at her, her dark eyes taking in the bruising around Catherine's eye. "Hey, Cath," Sara finally said when she realized that Catherine was watching her. "That looks…" she trailed off, not sure how to verbalize her thoughts.

"It feels a lot better than it looks," Catherine offered, reaching over and hugging her former colleague briefly. "You look good, Sara."

"Thanks, you do too," Sara answered, and an uncomfortable silence fell over the four at the table.

The waitress saw that her table had two new occupants, and she made her way over to the four. "Can I get you something to eat or drink?" she asked Gil and Sara.

"Just decaf coffee for the two of us, thanks," Gil said. The waitress nodded, and she made her way to the counter to get their coffee. "We just saw a show and decided to get some coffee before heading home."

Catherine nodded, pushing a strip of chicken around her plate. For some reason, her appetite had flown out the window when Sara and Gil arrived at the diner. "So, uh, Gil tells me that you're planning on getting married soon," Catherine finally spoke up. It was the last thing that she wanted to talk about, but it beat sitting there in silence like they had been.

"Yeah, and it's funny that we ran into you here, because I have a question to ask you," Sara answered, glancing across the table at Gil. She seemed hesitant for some reason. Catherine warily glanced at Gil, who seemed to be encouraging Sara with his eyes. That's pretty impressive that I can read his eyes when he's not talking to me, Catherine couldn't help but think. Or is it a bad thing that I can read him so well when we're not a couple?

"What's up?" Catherine asked, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over the table yet again.

"I was…well, Gil and I were talking about bridesmaids and groomsmen for the wedding, and…well, I need another bridesmaid," Sara stumbled slightly. "Well, not need, but I want another one…"

"Okay," Catherine encouraged, even though she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach about what was coming. Oh, please, God, DO NOT do this to me…

"Well, I spoke to two friends already, and they already agreed, but…" Another brief glance at Gil, then Sara continued, "Would you be my third bridesmaid?"

HELL. NO. "I…I'm honored, Sara, thank you. Yeah, I would love that." Ugh…I'm so full of…

"Oh, thank you Catherine!" Sara said, smiling at the strawberry blonde. She was relieved. While she didn't view Catherine as an enemy, she knew that the two of them had a somewhat rocky friendship. Sara couldn't help but think back to a fight that they had in the hallway outside of the interrogation room after Eddie had been murdered.

Sara all but shoved Catherine out of the interrogation room, her colleague breathing heavily after threatening a woman who had called her daughter a brat. "What the hell are you doing?!" Sara asked Catherine. Seeing that she was still fuming, Sara hesitantly asked Catherine, "Do you know where you're at right now?"

Catherine ignored the question, whirling around to face Sara. "I've been here A LOT longer than you-" she started, only to be interrupted by her taller counterpart.

"Then you should know better!" Sara couldn't help but snap at Catherine.

"-and I wouldn't have to be here if you were doing your job properly!" Catherine finished.

Sara shook her head. "There is a difference between me doing my job and you wanting to do it for me. You don't want to get the job done. What you want right now is revenge," she bluntly told Catherine.

Catherine wasn't sure what to say at first, then challenged, "You're gonna tell me what I want, huh?"

Sara didn't hesitate as she stared at Catherine. "Go home, Catherine," she said evenly. "Be with your daughter. She's the one that needs you." It wasn't often that Catherine was rendered speechless, but as Sara turned and walked down the hall, she had nothing to say back.

Catherine sighed to herself, wondering if she was in over her head. She loved Gil, there was no doubt about it, and being part of his wedding party was going to be nothing but pure torture as she watched the happy couple dance the night away at their wedding. She was shocked that Sara had actually asked her. While they were good friends, they had a history of arguing, including one case that nearly got Sara fired…

"You can't arrest someone for marrying the wrong person," Catherine had tried to reason with Sara after she had verbally attacked a suspect in the interrogation room.

Sara just scoffed, muttering, "You would know," as they walked down the hall.

They had bickered for a few more moments until finally Catherine stopped in the middle of the hall, turning to Sara. "You know…" she started, attempting to keep in her anger. It wasn't easy, though, as Sara was pushing her last nerve. "Every time we get a case with a hint of domestic violence or abuse, you go off the deep end. What is your problem?"

Sara hadn't backed down from the challenge, and stepped closer to Catherine as she shot back, "Yeah, I probably do, and you let your sexuality cloud your judgment about men, and I'm gonna go over your head!"

Whatever Catherine was going to say was cut off by Ecklie, who came up, unbeknownst to the two ladies arguing in the hallway. "Sidle! Get in my office now!"

Catherine and Sara had exchanged heated glares before Sara pushed past her, stalking behind Ecklie. Catherine had glared at the lab rats who had converged to watch the exchange before walking to her own office, slamming the door behind her.

"That's awesome, mom!" Catherine glanced at Lindsay, smiling weakly at her daughter as she tore her mother from her thoughts. "Are you going to dress in a really fancy dress?!" Lindsay asked.

"Well, that's up to Sara," Catherine answered, glancing at Gil. They held each other's gaze for several long moments before Gil finally nodded subtly. So much was conveyed in that one nod: gratitude and relief being the two most dominant feelings. Catherine nodded back before turning her attention back to her salad, halfheartedly listening as Lindsay excitedly told Gil and Sara about how amazing the University of Delaware's Forensic Science Unit apparently was.

In a matter of minutes, so much had changed in her life, and she wasn't sure that either of the bombshells dropped on her were good.

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Finished Chapter 5/?