Epilogue

"You've cleaned that once," Gil's voice uttered in her ear as his arms wrapped round her waist from behind.

"I needed something to do," she explained, her hand still moving the cloth over the work surface. "I couldn't keep up with the conversation our mothers are having, I think they're discussing names, but I couldn't be sure. I can't believe how fast Mom picked up Sign Language… But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Any opportunity to gossip."

Gil's laugh reverberated through her spine and his right hand reached out to rest on top of hers, stilling her cleaning. "We should make the most of this moment alone… It could be the last one we get for a while."

Admitting that he was right, she smiled and turned in his arms so she could face him. "That's true… It's about to get rather crowded round here. You'd be amazed how much space a tiny little baby can take up."

He nodded, strengthening his hold on her body. "Are you ready for this, Grandma?"

She grinned. "I am if you are, Grandpa."

"I think we can handle it," he stated.

She laughed. "I'd say we can… We've survived living with those two," she said nudging her head in the general direction of the door to indicate the two women sitting in the living room, "we can survive a newborn baby."

She saw the change in his demeanour as it happened, and without him taking his eyes off hers, his hand found her left arm, his thumb stroking over the scar left by the bullet years ago.

"Gil," she said, knowing what he was thinking.

"We've survived even worse," he said quietly.

"Stop it!" she ordered softly, placing her hand over his in much the same way he had done to stop her cleaning.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, turning his hand and entwining his fingers with hers.

"Don't be. Just stop feeling guilty… I'm here. And you're here… It just took us a long time to get to where we're supposed to be."

"Marry me?" he asked before she had even finished speaking.

She smiled demurely and said, "That's not necessary."

"No," he agreed, bringing her hand up to his lips to kiss each of her knuckles ever so gently, "But it might be nice."

She laughed and snuggled herself closer to his body. "We'll see how nice you think it is after our grandson has kept us awake for a few weeks."

"And if I still think it's nice?" he asked quietly, letting her hand go so she could settle it round his back, and his could weave into her hair.

"Then I'll marry you," she told him softly, tilting her head to accept his approaching kiss. "But," she added, teasingly, before he could make contact, and he stopped and looked at her impatiently, "only if you get a ring and ask me properly. I've waited over twenty-five years for this, and I gotta tell you it was a bit of a – " The end of her utterance was lost into a squeal as he pushed her backwards, pinning her between him and the cupboards behind her, before his lips crashed into hers.

He kissed her until her legs would no longer support her and she moaned into his mouth. "You are cruel!" she told him when he pulled away.

"What?" he asked, innocently. "I had to stop. Our grandson will be arriving soon, there isn't time for this."

She narrowed her eyes at him, summoning the 'death glare' and then lightly punched his arm when he seemed to think the opening of the front door gave him the right to grin boastingly.

"Hey!" he protested, following her into the hall.

Her mind was already elsewhere though, as she stood beside Lindsey and Andrew and looked down at the tiny bundle in her daughter's arms.

"Hello again," she whispered to him, as she wrapped an arm round Lindsey.

"Mom, meet William Edward."

"Oh you have a name," Catherine cooed at the sleeping child. "Hello, William."

"Yeah. William after Andrew's father, and Edward after Dad," Lindsey explained.

"And yet it took you so long to come up with it," Catherine teased, giving Lindsey a hug.

By this time, both great-grandmothers had joined the group, and Lily was telling Sylvia of the chosen names. Grissom came to stand beside Catherine, putting his arm round her waist and baby William opened his eyes and blinked up at his mother.

"Lindsey, he's gorgeous," Gil commented.

"Yes he is," the new mom smiled. "William, these are some of your grandparents, and your great-grandparents," she told her son. "And this is where we are going to be living..."

Catherine looked up at Gil as Lindsey acknowledged him as part of the family in the same way she had been doing. He held her tighter and placed a soft kiss to her forehead as Lindsey concluded the introductions with:

"Welcome home."

THE END