A faint knock invaded her subconscious, pulling Catherine out of the first fitful sleep she'd had in months. She ignored it, turning over and laying her arm across the chest of the man next to her. There was no moment she could recall that was as perfect as this one. Warrick Brown, alive and well, asleep next to her.

"Hey," came his low baritone, thick with sleep.

She smiled. "Hey."

"Who's at the door?"

"No idea. I'm ignoring it. It couldn't be that important." She nuzzled her head into the hollow of his shoulder, breathing deeply to capture his scent. Suddenly, her cell phone screamed from her bedroom, and she groaned. "And I'm ignoring that too."

He lifted her chin and placed a light kiss on her lips. "Fine with me."

As the moment began to heat up, the knocking became more fervent, and the cell phone continued to blare. Catherine struggled, but ignoring it became a lost cause, and she looked at the clock.

"Whoever this is, they better have a damn good reason to be showing up at this hour." She got out of bed and collected her clothes, heat rushing to her cheeks as she felt Warrick's gaze on her nude form. "Knock it off."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She threw her shirt at him, realizing her mistake as he grinned. "Can I have my shirt back?"

"Come and get it," he coaxed, only receiving a glare in response.

"Forget it." Her voice was light, a sign she was joking, and the mischief in Warrick's expression melted away at her smile.

He tossed the shirt back to her. "You owe me."

"Oh, don't worry," she said with a sly smile. "I'll definitely pay up."

After dressing in her room, Catherine answered the relentlessly ringing cell phone on her nightstand.

"Mom, how long are you gonna make me wait out here? It's freezing." Lindsey's teeth chattered audibly over the line.

"I'll be right there, Sweetie." Catherine was baffled as she tossed the phone on the bed. What was Lindsey doing in Vegas?

When she walked into the hall, Warrick was standing, fully clothed, in the doorway of the guest room. "Who was on the phone?"

"Lindsey. She's outside." She thought for a minute. "I think you should wait in the guest room. She may think she's seeing a ghost."

"Can you handle explaining everything?" he asked, a hint of concern woven into the comforting tone of his voice.

"Yeah. How hard could it be?" He nodded and stepped back into the room, closing the door behind him. She took a deep breath and continued down the hall to the living room, and then to the front door. She unlocked it and pulled it open.

"About time!" Lindsey exclaimed, practically jumping on Catherine to embrace her tightly. "I was almost an icicle!"

"It's not that cold, Linds. It can't be nearly as bad as Cambridge."

"I guess not. I just expected Vegas to be warm, so I dressed for it." She step back and gestured to her attire. She was wearing a denim skirt that reached just above the knees, a pale pink T-shirt covered with a white cashmere button up sweater, and her long red hair was pulled back in a classic ponytail.

"You lived here for eighteen years. You should know winters here are unpredictable." Lindsey was looking past her, and Catherine turned to see what she was staring at. The light in the guest room was on, and Lindsey knew all the lights were turned off unless someone was in the room.

"Is somebody here, Mom?" Catherine nodded, taking a deep breath to prepare herself. "Who? Do I know him?"

"Yeah. You know him really well, actually."

"Is it Nick? I thought he was seeing that print analyst, Mandy."

"He is, and no, it's not Nick." She held up her hand as Lindsey went to continue guessing. "Listen, this is going to be hard for you to believe, but then again it wasn't easy for me either."

Catherine went and sat on the couch, patting the spot next to her. "What is it?" Lindsey asked as she sat down.

"It's..." Her voice faltered, and she took a moment to collect herself. "It's Warrick. He's alive."

He paced back and forth, running a hand through his hair as he waited. Warrick was more than anxious. As grateful as he was that Lindsey was here, safe and sound, he had no idea how she'd react. She'd only been sixteen when Warrick had 'died'. She'd still been mourning the loss of her father, rebelling against her mother every chance she got. He only had a vague idea of the woman she'd become, so he had no idea how she would react to him still being alive.

He whirled on the door when it flew open, bouncing back as it reached the limit of its hinges. Lindsey stood framed in the doorway as she caught the swinging door, her expression a mixture of stunned disbelief and anger.Crap, Warrick thought as she started toward him.

"You son of a bitch!" Her hand connected with his cheek, and he felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. Like mother, like daughter, he mused. He didn't say anything. He just stared past Lindsey to Catherine, whose expression of helplessness to control her daughter was betrayed by the inability to contain her laughter at the coincidence. "How could you do this to us. You were like a dad to me. Do you have any idea what I went through?"

He didn't speak. He couldn't speak. She had thrown him a curve ball. Not only was she defending her mother against what he'd done, but she was admitting the pain it had caused her. You were like a dad to me. His heart clenched with guilt, and he stared mournfully at the beautiful young woman in front of him.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, or are you just gonna stand there like a deer caught in the headlights?"

"I-I-" he stumbled, and he dragged his hand over his face, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "I'm so sorry, Lindsey. It's like I told your mom. It sucked, but it was all I could do to keep you guys safe. I loved you guys."

She stared at him, eyes blazing. After a moment, her gaze softened. "I guess I believe you. But don't think you're off the hook. I'm still pissed." She turned and pushed gently past her mother, and the sound of her bedroom door slamming signaled that Warrick and Catherine were alone once again.

"I think I should go back to my room for now. It'll be way too much for her to see us together today. We'll tell her tomorrow." Catherine smiled apologetically. "She and I have changed a lot since you saw us last. We're closer now."

"I can see that," Warrick said softly, rubbing his cheek. "And I'm lucky she didn't punch me. She must have one hell of a right hook."

She grinned. "Like mother, like daughter."

He laughed quietly as she voiced his thoughts from earlier. "You read my mind."