I know, I know…I don't have a good excuse other than work caught up to me and blah blah blah. Please read and review, as I looooove getting reviews and it makes me smile and get the next chapter out faster!!!! Plus, I'm trying to beat my highest reviewed story, and there are only a few chapters left of this one, lol. Enjoy!

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"Catherine? What are you doing here? I thought that you were off for another week."

It was Nick that had spotted Catherine first as she slowly made her way into the crime lab, and she had to smile to herself. She hadn't expected different of a reaction from Nick, who was the acting supervisor in her lengthy absence.

Carefully, she turned, meeting Nick's confused gaze as he leaned against the doorframe to his office, several files in his arms. "Technically, I am," Catherine answered. "I just wanted to come in for a few hours to do some paperwork. I'm bored stiff sitting at home, and I know that there are a ton of reports that needed to be signed off a couple of weeks ago before…well, before the courtroom spectacle, so…yeah."

"Catherine…you gotta be careful," Nick told her. "I don't want you to overdo yourself."

Catherine smiled wryly. "Not only do you sound like my doctor, but you sound like Lindsay, too," she informed Nick. "She told me that she's setting her alarm for 3:15 AM, and if I'm not home at that point, she's coming to the lab and quote: dragging my butt home, unquote." She finished off Lindsay's quotation with finger quotes.

Nick laughed briefly, then sobered as he asked, "How are you doing, Catherine?"

Catherine considered his question, then replied, "I'm feeling better everyday. The bruise on my neck finally vanished a couple days ago, and my wrists are getting stronger by the day. I won't be lifting any weights anytime soon." Seeing the look of amusement on Nick's face, she wryly added, "Not that I would be lifting weights anyways. However, I actually sent out a long email yesterday."

"How are your ribs?"

Catherine sighed, considering her answer, then said, "They're still a little sore, especially if I get up after sitting too long or stand for awhile. But on the other hand, if I move too much or too fast, they hurt then. It's like I can't win."

Nick nodded sympathetically. "I broke a rib playing football, so I know what you mean. It can be a pain."

"Oh, trust me when I say that I can't wait for them to completely heal," Catherine said with a small smile. She leaned against the wall, her hand instinctively coming up to cradle her ribs. "How are things going here? Is everyone treating you well?"

"Yeah, everything is going well. You don't have to lecture anyone," Nick answered. "Hodges is driving me nuts, though."

Catherine couldn't help but laugh. "Welcome to my world," she said dryly. She shifted uncomfortably, hoping that Nick would be the one to end the conversation so that she could sit down. She hated to be rude, but she was really sore, as much as she didn't want to admit it.

Nick noticed her discomfort, and quickly said, "Well, it's good to see you 'kind of' back, Cath. Let me know if you need anything?"

"Of course, Nicky," Catherine answered, pushing off the wall and rubbing his shoulder as she passed him. Nick watched as she slowly made her way to her office, sighing.

She was too damn stubborn.

Catherine turned on the lights to her office, looking around. It was left the way it had been left two and a half weeks ago before the horrible day in court. She made her way into the office, closing the door gently before settling down in her chair. She looked around her office, relishing the fact that she was able to actually admire her office. She almost hadn't made it back here. For the last couple of weeks, she had been very thoughtful and pensive, tears welling up in her eyes as she thought about all that she could have lost had the events in the courtroom ended differently. Thank God for Lindsay. She had been a rock for Catherine for the last couple of weeks. There were points where Catherine would be crying in the middle of the night thanks to yet another nightmare, and Lindsay had come in her room to comfort her, much like the nights following Eddie's death.

"It's okay, Mommy…it's okay."

Catherine felt a lump form in her throat, and her eyes instinctively settled on the picture on her desk of Gil and Hank. It was one that she had taken a few months back when the pair had gone for a walk, and she had framed it and stuck it on her desk as a reminder of her best friend when he left CSI. As silly as it seemed, the picture reassured her often and she often would look to the picture for support, or even a clue when she was stumped over a case. Not that Catherine would ever admit that she was stumped, of course. She swiveled in her chair, taking in the pictures that lined her shelves. The first one was of her and Gil. It was taken at the Christmas party two years ago. The two had been dancing when Nick had snapped a photo of them, holding hands and smiling. Then, there was a picture of her and Lindsay that had been taken at a picnic many years ago that went perfectly with the one of her and Gil.

Sighing, Catherine turned back around, turning on her computer and waiting for it to boot up before starting on her paperwork.

She had only been working for an hour when she noticed the dull ache settling in her hands. While her wrists were feeling better earlier, the continuous motion of typing causing her limbs to be stiff. Catherine settled back in her chair for a brief moment, flexing her hands as she stared off into space.

"There's more to life than work. It's a lesson I learned from your predecessor."

Catherine wasn't sure why, but Hodges' words from a case a few months ago rang through her mind. While she had been puzzled as to what Hodges meant, for some reason, those words now made complete and total sense. Nevertheless…she couldn't apply them to her life, at least at the moment…

Especially since she was alone.

Catherine was startled back to Earth when her cell phone rang. She frowned when she saw the name, wondering why he was calling so late.

"Hey, Gil," she answered the phone. She winced and held the phone from her ear when a loud noise of static mixed with voices emitted through the speaker, and then the line went dead. "Hmm," Catherine murmured softly. She waited a few seconds, then started to call him back when her phone rang in her hand. Catherine smiled briefly, then answered. "You gonna hang up on me again, Gil?" she asked.

More static and voices. Catherine frowned again, holding the phone from her ear. "Gil!" she called into the phone. "Gil, are you there?"

The line went dead. Catherine rolled her eyes. She wondered if Gil was accidentally calling her somehow. She wondered where he was. Wherever it was, it was pretty noisy.

Yet again, her phone rang. With another smile, she flipped it open. "All right, Grissom, is the third time the charm?" There was no answer, and Catherine called, "Gil? Are you there?"

Finally, his voice answered her. "Hey, Cath," he said.

"Hi, Gil," Catherine answered. She shifted in her seat, resting the phone between her chin and shoulder. "Where are you? I can barely hear you."

"Ah…so you don't know where I am, huh? That's for me to know and you to find out, CSI lady."

Catherine sat up straighter. Something's not right. "Gil, are you okay?" she finally asked after a long moment of silence. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Catherine. Why does something always have to be wrong?"

"Gil…are you drunk?"

"Maybe."

Catherine closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Gil, where are you?" she asked.

"You know where I am," Gil answered in a sing-song voice, his voice giddy with laughter.

"No, I don't Grissom, or I wouldn't have asked you!" Catherine replied angrily.

There was a long pause. "You're mad at me."

Catherine allowed her head to drop, massaging her temples with her fingers. "I'm not mad at you, Gil," Catherine told him softly. "I'm just concerned for you. Where are you? Is Sara with you?"

"Sara's gone."

Catherine blinked. "I…excuse me? What do you mean?"

"She's gone."

"Well…where did she go?"

"Dunno. Don't really care, either." Gil sounded deflated. "Hey, I'll take another scotch!"

Catherine stood slowly from her chair, not wanting to jar her injured ribs as she reached for her keys. "Gil, honey, I'm coming to get you. Can you tell me where you are?" she asked softly.

"You know where to find me." With that, he hung up.

Catherine cursed, the expletive falling from her lips as she picked up her purse. She slung it over her shoulder, then held the phone in front of her as she dialed the number from heart. When it went straight to voicemail, she groaned loudly.

She exited her office, waving distractedly to Nick and Ray as she left the building. She pulled herself up into her Jeep, settling back as she dialed Gil's number again. "Come on, Gil, where the heck are you?" she asked the silence in her Jeep when his phone rang continuously. "Damn it!" Catherine sighed as his voicemail picked up.

"You know where to find me." The statement rolled through her mind, and she thought carefully.

Where are you, Gil?

She ran her options through her mind. Was he at The French Palace, where she had met Gil for the first time? She thought back to their first meeting.

Catherine slowly danced in front of the group of men at the French Palace, all of them hooting and hollering as she bent over in front of them. She shuddered slightly as she felt one of the men pull on the elastic band of her thong, tucking money between her skin and the band. She managed to smile at the man, moving down to one of the men who was seated at the table, seemingly lost in his own world.

He looked uncomfortable and out of place as he swirled his drink. Nevertheless, Catherine slowly danced in front of him; her curiosity peaked when he seemed startled that Catherine was dancing in front of him. "What's the matter, sugar?" she purred, her body dangerously close to his as she gyrated in front of him. "Never gotten a lap dance before?"

"I…no, actually, I haven't," he stammered, his face red even in the darkness. "I…I'm Gil."

"Well, Gil," Catherine whispered silkily, "This is the point where you stick money in my thong."

She had wanted to laugh at the alarmed look on his face as he frantically looked in his wallet, pulling out a $20. He eyed the bill warily, and then his curious eyes moved to the garter belt on her leg. "Can I…can I stick it there instead?" he asked.

"Oh, trust me, honey. You can stick it anywhere you'd like," Catherine laughed huskily. She turned her body and stuck her leg out slightly. Gil hesitantly tucked the bill through the elastic, smiling up at Catherine uncomfortably.

"Thanks honey," Catherine told Gil.

She started to go to the next client, only to hesitate when Gil called out, "Hey." Catherine glanced back, smiling at the man in an invitation to continue. "What's your name?"

Catherine was surprised that he wanted to know. Most men who came to the French Palace weren't interested in names; they were interested in getting a lap dance, or more. Contact between a stripper and clients were forbidden, but everyone knew that there was sex going on behind the scenes. But this man…he seemed genuinely curious about her, and wasn't sleazy or perverted like the other men in the building. "I'm Catherine," she finally answered him.

Gil stuck out his hand and Catherine accepted it. "It's nice to meet you, Catherine," he said. She smiled again, though this time it was in confusion, before moving along to the next patron.

It hadn't ended there. Catherine danced six nights out of the week, and then partied every night until the wee hours of the morning. She had come across Gil a few more times when she worked at the French Palace, and then one night he had surprised her and asked her to meet him for coffee. Against her better judgment, she agreed. They had talked until the sun began to rise over Las Vegas. During that time, Gil had found out that she had an interest in forensic science and had convinced Catherine to take night classes in order to earn her Bachelor's Degree in Medical Technology. Despite her misgivings, she decided to pursue the degree, and hadn't looked back since then.

Wait a minute, Catherine thought. Is Gil at the place where we had coffee that night? She started to turn on her car, only to freeze when she remembered that the coffee shop had burned down years ago thanks to arson. She remembered the sad look that had crossed Gil's features as he watched the flames eat away at the old building, so many memories between the two of them going up in flames as well.

Where could he be?

There was the Highball, where she had first met Adam Novak. However, Gil wouldn't go to a place that had caused such strain in their friendship for a point, would he? She certainly didn't expect so. Then again, she hadn't expected him to go and get drunk, and…

"Come on, Catherine, think," she said aloud. She sat there, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, ignoring the twinge of pain it was causing in her wrist. Catherine frowned slightly before a stroke of genius hit her. "That's it!"

She turned on her car and backed out of the parking spot before speeding off to the location where she was sure Gil was. Catherine thought back to that night, the night before she had gotten married to Eddie Willows.

Catherine had accepted Gil's invitation for drinks…well, drinks for him and water for her…the night before she was marrying Eddie. The two had sat in content silence for several long minutes before Gil's sad sigh prompted Catherine to ask him what was wrong.

"Catherine…" Gil trailed off, finally looking up from his drink to meet her eyes. "I don't understand why you have to marry Eddie."

"He loves, me, Gil," Catherine said wearily. "I'm pregnant, and he's the father of my child. I want my daughter to grow up with a father."

"You can do better, Catherine," Gil tried to reason. "You don't need him."

"But I do, Gil," Catherine whispered. "I know that it doesn't seem like it, but I know that he loves me."

"If he loved you, Catherine," Gil said softly, bringing his fingers up to touch the bruise under her right eye, "He wouldn't do this." His fingers moved to the cut on her left cheek. "Or this." His fingers found the material of her long sleeved shirt before they finally settled on the delicate skin on her wrist. "Or this."

He laced his fingers through hers. "Gil…" Catherine said softly. "I…I'm sorry."

"Don't do it, Catherine," Gil pleaded with her, cupping her small hand in his larger ones as he stared at her. "Don't marry Eddie. Have this baby, continue your education, and just forget about him. You'll do fine, and I'll always be here for you."

"I can't," Catherine whimpered. "I just can't leave him."

Gil sighed heavily, pulling his hands from Catherine. Nevertheless, she grabbed his hand back, causing Gil to look up at her. He was shocked at the intense look in her eyes. "Cath…" he trailed off.

"Please, promise me, Gil, that you'll still be here for me. Don't leave me just cause I'm marrying Eddie," Catherine begged him. "I can't bear to lose you."

Gil squeezed her hand before pulling Catherine into a gentle hug. "I'll never leave you."

It hadn't taken Catherine long to arrive at the bar, and his words washed over her repeatedly. I'll never leave you. She pulled her license and wallet out of her purse, tucking the leather bag behind the passenger's seat. She pocketed the two items, then exited her vehicle.

She made her way into the bar, her inquisitive eyes searching the patrons for the man she was looking for, her eyes settling on the lone figure at the bar. Catherine walked over to him and sat down next to Gil, not speaking as she watched him forlornly stir his drink. He glanced up, meeting her gaze with glassy eyes. "See," he slurred, a lopsided grin playing at his lips, "You knew where to find me!"

"That I did," Catherine patronized him. "What are you doing?"

"Drinking away my sorrows," Gil answered, squinting at Catherine. "I've done a lot of stupid things today."

Catherine cringed inwardly. "What have you done, Gil?" she asked. Seeing the waiter gesture to her if she wanted a drink, she shook her head. As tempting as it was to order the strongest drink possible, she was apparently playing designated driver tonight. Not only that, but the pain medicine she was on had a multitude of warnings on the label about not mixing them with alcohol, so she could imagine what would happen if she were to mix alcohol on the medicine. One of the two had to be level headed tonight, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be Grissom.

"Well, to start, I kind of gambled away the wedding fund…who would have thought a red two, a black jack, and a black…something wouldn't have made a good poker hand?" Gil laughed loudly. "Oh, well, it's just money! It's not like I need it for the wedding now!"

"Gil…what did you mean when you said Sara's gone?" Catherine asked him. "What's going-"

Gil held up a finger in her face to silence her, and Catherine stopped talking. She frowned. This isn't my Gil…

"Here you go, Catharino!" Gil laughed loudly at her apparently new nickname as he held a folded piece of paper in front of her face. It had obviously been folded and refolded several times. "Read 'em and weep!"

Catherine had to resist rolling her eyes. Instead, she focused her energy on unfolding the crumbled note. She could almost hear Sara's voice as she read over the handwritten words quickly.

Gil –

I've always loved you. You know that. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you more than I can describe. However…I know that you aren't ready, nor will you ever be, for the commitment to spend the rest of your life with me. It's something that I should have realized from day one. From the first day I came from San Francisco to Las Vegas, I saw the way that you two looked at each other. Whether it was at breakfast or during a case, the two of you had a connection. Even when you were fighting, there was a spark between the two of you.

When we started to date, I thought that I had a chance. You stuck with me through so much: my kidnapping and my initial departure from Vegas. When Warrick died, we found each other again. But then I left, but you still found me in Costa Rica. I thought that we had a chance. Then, James Cena entered our lives.

Gil, that day in the courtroom was horrible, from Catherine to the witnesses who saw what happened. All of us, even you (even though you will never admit to it), were traumatized. I was terrified too, Gil. However, the only focus for you in that room was her, Gil. You completely ignored me, and in those moments that I watched you, I realized something. You love Catherine Willows.

Don't try to deny it. You've done that for way too long, Gil. The way your hands ran over her body as you comforted her, the fear that was in your eyes, the way that you focused on nothing but her…There's no denying that there's still that spark between the two of you that I saw when I first came to the team.

I cannot compete with that, Gil, emotionally or mentally. Therefore, I'm calling off the wedding. I'm going back to Costa Rica, but don't bother attempting to find me. I'm finished with us. I will always love you and care for you, but we're done. Follow your heart, Gilbert Grissom, and don't let her slip away again.

Yours,

Sara

Catherine closed her eyes, the magnitude of the implications in the letter hitting her full force. She tried to control her breathing, and after several long moments, she opened her eyes. Gil was watching her, his gaze mixed with loneliness and anticipation.

"I don't know what to say, Gil," Catherine told him honestly. "I'm really sorry. Maybe I can find Sara-"

"No, don't do that," Grissom interrupted her. "She'll likely sick her crazy friend on you."

Catherine shuddered inwardly at the thought of Elizabeth. "It's okay," she said with a small smile. "I could take her."

Grissom stared bleakly at her, finally smiling a bit. He turned his attention back to his drink, stirring the amber liquid before speaking. "It's not like she's even worth it anyways."

"What do you mean?"

"This is the third time she's walked away from me. You would have thought I would have learned my lesson the first time, but no. What a fool I was," Gil said, taking a long drink of his scotch. Catherine watched worriedly as the liquid vanished from the glass all too quickly. "Another one, sir," Gil called to the bartender.

"No," Catherine said quickly, and the bartender and Gil looked at her, surprised. "Sorry, Gil, but you've had enough," she told him.

His eyes flashed with anger, and Gil said, "I think I'm adult enough to decide when I've had too much to drink, Catherine."

"I'm sure you are, Gil," Catherine replied. "But I'm not going to allow you to drown yourself in your sorrows. I've been there, done that, and it's not worth it." She turned to the bartender. "Can you get him water, please?"

She turned back to Gil, not shocked to see him glaring at her. She met his steely gaze, blue on blue battling for control. "I'm glad that you decided to turn into my mother, Catherine," he finally spat bitterly.

"I'm trying to keep you from doing something that you're going to regret in the morning," Catherine explained patiently, slipping the bartender a five dollar bill as he slid the water in front of Gil.

"Why do you even care?" Gil muttered, turning his barstool so that he was facing away from Catherine. He stirred his drink with the straw before begrudgingly taking a sip.

Catherine reached forward, laying her hand on his. She didn't speak for several long minutes, silently imploring Gil to look at her. When he finally did look at her, she spoke up softly. "I care because I always have. For as much shit as I've put you through, Gil, you've always stuck with me. And I'm not going to turn my back on you when you need me the most."

Gil was silent for a long time before finally turning back to her and replying, his voice thick with emotion. "Why would she leave me, Cath?" he asked softly.

She sighed in response. "I don't know, Gil. I really don't know. I wish that I knew the answer to that. But you know what?"

"What?"

"You have people who care for you, still. I do, Lindsay does, Nicky does…heck, I'm sure that even Hodges contacts you daily with emails or phone calls, right?" Grissom smiled briefly. "People still love you, Gil. I know how bad it hurts for someone you love to leave you…believe me, Gil, I know that. But it will get easier for you. It takes time for the hurt to ease, but you're going to be okay."

Gil slowly nodded. "I still miss her."

"I know, honey," Catherine replied. "Believe it or not, I still miss Eddie at some points."

"Why?" Gil asked incredulously. "Cath, the way he treated you…you didn't deserve that!"

"I know, I know," Catherine replied. "But just…he was the father of my daughter, Gil. Not everything was horrible. Granted, I will never forgive him for the abuse, or the cheating, but…there was still a part of me that loved him." She shrugged, unsure of how to continue.

Gil contemplated this, then answered, "I suppose that I can understand that."

Silence fell over the duo. Gil stared at the liquid swirling in his glass, and Catherine finally spoke up. "Look, you've had a lot to drink tonight," Catherine finally said. "Why don't I take you to my place so you can sleep off whatever you've drank and tomorrow we can come back here for your car?"

"I don't want to impose, Catherine. I'm sure that I'll be fine driving."

"Like hell," Catherine answered. "You're not driving, so hand over the keys." Gil stared at her blankly, and she slid off the barstool carefully, a hand on her ribs. "Buddy, I'm sore, tired, and hurting, and if you make me wrestle those keys away from you, you're going to regret it." Finally, Gil dug his hand into his pocket, handing over his keys begrudgingly. "Thank you," Catherine said, pocketing his keys. "But if you puke in my Jeep, you're paying to have it cleaned out."

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Gil stood quietly behind Catherine, his hands in his pockets as Catherine fumbled with the doorknob, unlocking the door to her house. God, she's so beautiful…Gil thought to himself. He could see the outline of the bandages wrapping her ribcage through the thin shirt that clung perfectly to her body. Shakily, he reached a hand forward, resting it against her lower back, feeling the outline of the bandages.

Catherine turned when she felt his hand on her back, her eyes seeking his. Gil never touched her except professionally. This, however, was an intimate gesture. Her eyes questioned him, and Gil spoke up sheepishly. "I…do they hurt?"

She shrugged in response, turning so that her back was against the unopened door and that Gil had to reluctantly move his hand. "A little bit," she admitted uncomfortably.

Gil didn't hear her response, however…he was too busy watching her lips.

Her soft, luscious, kissable lips.

"Gil, what are you doing?" Catherine asked, pressing herself even more into the door, as if she could melt through it.

He didn't answer; rather, he gently pressed his lips to hers.

Catherine felt his hand come up to the base of her neck, pulling her even closer to him. Her eyes instinctively slammed shut, and she moaned in pleasure as his lips covered hers.

This isn't right…

"Gil, I can't," she muttered breathlessly, pulling away. She reached behind her, opening the door and walking in, Gil following closely.

"Why not?" he asked, snaking an arm around her waist. He held her carefully as he looked into her eyes, his own dark with desire. "I could take you right here and now."

Again, his lips pressed against hers, and she fought her body's natural reaction to this. "Gil, please," she pleaded, pulling away and backing up. "I don't want this right now."

"Why not?" he asked again. "Don't you want me?"

"I…I do want you, Gil." Hope rose in his eyes, and he advanced. She held up her hands, placing them on his chest. "I do want you," she repeated. "However, I don't want you when you're drunk and not in control of your thoughts. I don't want you to regret this in the morning."

"Oh, trust me, I won't," Gil grinned. Before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her again. "You're so gorgeous, Catherine." She didn't reply, only moaning in pleasure as Gil kissed her gently.

Catherine grunted as Grissom backed her against the wall roughly, his body close enough to hers so that she could feel exactly how turned on he was. She again moaned in content as his lips found her neck. Grissom pressed light kisses down her neck, his hands coming up underneath her shirt.

Once again, reason rose up in Catherine's brain, and despite the pain in her wrists that it took to do so, she shoved Gil back yet again. "Gil, stop," she warned, putting some distance before her and the drunk man once again.

His head dropped, and then he looked at Catherine. "Don't you want me?" he asked, his voice laced with hurt. Catherine didn't answer, and he sighed. "I'm gonna go," Gil muttered, turning to the door. "I'm not wanted here either."

"No, Gil," Catherine shot forward surprisingly fast for someone who was recovering from broken ribs. She grabbed his wrist, only to squeak when he turned suddenly, crashing his lips against hers once again. It threw Catherine off balance, and the two tumbled to the ground, and Catherine groaned slightly at the twinge in her ribcage when she hit the hard floor. Nevertheless, Gil's arms gently encircled her waist, holding her protectively against him as he grinned at her.

Oh, Jesus…Catherine thought. This isn't good. "Gil," she said softly. "This isn't comfortable for me to be lying on the floor. It's hurting my ribs."

"We can go to the couch," Gil suggested, raising his eyebrows at her.

She wanted to groan again. In his drunken stupor, Gil honestly thought that she wanted to sleep with him. "Gil…please, just try to listen to me," she said softly. "This isn't you. You don't do one night stands, and if we were to do anything, I know that you would regret it in the morning."

"I wouldn't regret it now," he answered, his lips again assaulting hers.

Catherine pulled her face back sharply. "What if I would?"

Her words stopped him cold. "You don't want to be with me?" Gil asked, the hurt in his voice obvious once again. Catherine didn't answer, and he struggled to stand.

Wincing in the pain that was coursing through her ribs and wrists, Catherine clamped her arms around his waist. Gil struggled to stand, surprisingly strong for someone who was drunk. He got to his feet, but Catherine twisted her body, using her legs to tangle up his, and he fell gracelessly to the ground on his stomach. She quickly moved her body over him, attempting to pin his body to the ground.

"Damn it, Gil, stop moving!" Catherine hissed in his ear, the adrenaline surge quickly wearing thin as she attempted to get Gil to stop moving. Shit, this isn't good, she thought as Gil stood despite Catherine clinging to his back. She clamped her arms around his neck in case he decided to attempt to shake her off, then blurted out, "Of course I want to be with you! I just don't want this to be a mistake or a rebound, or something that we'll regret in the morning!"

"Mom, what is going on?!"

Catherine and Gil both looked toward the stairs, shock on their faces as Lindsay stood there, a mixture of shock, fear, and anger on her face.

~/~

End Chapter 11