"Aw, look at the baby seals!" squealed 10-year-old Lindsey Willows. Her blue eyes widened as she admired the aquatic animals while they swam in the glass tank. From her spot on a nearby bench, a smile plastered onto Catherine Willows' cherry-glossed lips, watching her daughter's `Uncle Gil' playfully imitate the seal's characteristics with Lindsey. As for Catherine, she had decided to hang back and rest on the bench. Any chance she got to watch Gil Grissom open up like this, Catherine took it. The normally closed-in-Shakespeare-fanatic- bug-raving-scientist had one weakness: the love of his life, Lindsey Willows. The young girl loved him back equally, as well. And that always enlightened Catherine.

"You see the mommy over there?" Grissom asked, picking Lindsey up and setting her on his shoulders so she could see better. He was really getting too old for this. Maybe she was just getting too big for this. Either way, his aching back was telling him something in that order.

Lindsey excitedly nodded and replied, "Yeah, she's over there with one of the baby seals. Hey, Uncle Gil, can we go see the sharks now?"

Grissom smirked. Always wanting adventure—just like her mother …

"Sure, honey, but I think we'll have to check with your mom first," he explained. He carefully set her on the ground and they began to approach the bench that Catherine was reclining on.

When Grissom had offered to take the two of them to the Reno Aquarium for Lindsey's tenth birthday, neither of them had expected Lindsey to find such interest in sea creatures; this naturally pleased Grissom. Anything knowledgeable of science that enthralled Lindsey excited him. Maybe one day, with Catherine's approval, he'd make a great CSI out of her, much like her mother …

"Mommy!" Lindsey exclaimed eagerly. "Uncle Gil is going to take me to see the sharks!"

"Oh, is he?" Catherine raised an eyebrow and glanced up at Grissom, a smile forming upon the crease of his lips.

"Do you want to come with?" the young girl asked, her blue eyes— similar to the dark-cobalt eyes of Catherine—sparkling with anticipation.

"I think Mommy is going to take a stroll through the gift shop and buy some coffee. I'm sure Uncle Gil and you will have plenty of fun without me," she said to Lindsey, again glancing up at Grissom to see his nod of approval.

"Come on, Linds. We can go see the sharks, and after that, we can visit the eel tank," he told the young girl, trying to avoid the cringe that his coworker gave him. Eels …

"Okay, cool! Bye, Mommy! We'll be back soon," Lindsey said, Catherine gathering her daughter into her arms for an embrace.

"Take care of Uncle Gil, baby."

"I will." She beamed with pleasure of the task given to her.

Grissom held Lindsey's hand, and together they walked towards the shark exhibit, where nearby followed the eel tank. Again the ten-year- old squealed in excitement as she pointed towards a large shark. Grissom smiled at that. Maybe a future diver on the reefs, he thought. But no, Catherine would never approve of that for her daughter. Too dangerous.

"Hey, Linds, see there?" Grissom gestured towards the far end of the tank.

"Ooo! Baby sharks … maybe there will be baby eels too," she mused aloud, attaching the palm of her hands to the glass of the aquarium. She settled the bridge of her nose on the glass, as well, quite enthralled by the sight. Well, at least until Mommy shark swam by, instinctively swatting her tail against the tank, teeth bore, and causing Lindsey to jump back into Grissom's torso.

"Oh, it's okay, honey. The shark is merely protecting them. It's just like Catherine protecting you in a dangerous situation," he said encouragingly, scooping her into his arms and holding her tight against his chest.

"Like the time that Daddy came home drunk?" she asked, her blue eyes wide.

Grissom winced at the thought, hoping that the rest of this story wouldn't slip out of Lindsey's mouth. He knew how Eddie had beat Catherine in the past, before his death, and it didn't surprise him to hear of the brave CSI protecting her daughter in a circumstance like that. If word of Eddie hitting Lindsey had ever reached his knowledge at the time, Grissom would've …

"Uncle Gil? Are you okay?" Lindsey asked, shattering all a thousand of his thoughts. It took him a moment to escape the deer-in-the- headlights-mood, but when he did, he shook it off and smiled at Lindsey.

"I'm fine, Linds. Just thinking. And yes, I'm sure that the shark is doing exactly what your mom did for you," Grissom explained, deliberately refusing to repeat her words about her dad.

"So I'm kind of like the baby shark, and Mom is like the mommy shark?" she asked. What a way to make science fun.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," her Uncle Gil replied with a nod.

"Cool! I'm going to tell Mommy that she's a shark when we get back!" the ten-year-old exclaimed aloud. Grissom smiled widely at the thought of Catherine's reaction to that remark. And who could turn down something said from a girl this cute? Not even Catherine, he mused. Literally.

"Well," Grissom began, kneeling to her level and reaching over to stroke Lindsey's blond locks out of her eyes, "would you like to go look at the eels?" He pointed towards the "Exotic Creatures" exhibit, where some strange ocean fish and other various sea creatures of the unknown were displayed.

"Sure, but Uncle Gil, can I ask you something?"

"Of course—anything." He smiled as she hesitantly opened her mouth to speak.

"If I'm like a baby shark, and baby sharks and seals have a mommy like me, and if all of our Mommy's are willing to protect us …" Oh, God. Where was this conversation going? he wondered. "Then where do we come from?"

"You come from inside your Mommy, honey," Grissom answered.

Case closed—an easy one.

"Well, duh, everyone knows that! But how do we get there?" she pressured, an inquisitive look washing over her adorable features.

Case opened—not so easy.

"Lindsey, uh, maybe you should ask your mom that sometime …"

"No, I want to know now, and you're smart, Uncle Gil. You're probably smarter than my mommy too," she said with a giggle. Grissom let out a chuckle. Just the fact that a ten-year-old girl could say that with so much ignorance, and no demand in her voice at all. He had to laugh.

I can't believe Catherine hasn't told her yet, he thought, murmuring something of discouragement under his breath.

"Well, Lindsey, it takes a Mommy and a Daddy to, uh, make a baby—just like you," he started, touching the tip of his finger against her nose. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. He picked her up and began walking.

"Uncle Gil," she said reassuringly, wrinkling her nose, letting him know that he could tell her more.

"Uh, they …"

"Cool! Look at those things! Are they the eels?" she asked, wriggling out of his arms and jumping to the ground. Her attention was suddenly turned to a few long, slender creatures with a black-brownish color.

Relieved that he could discontinue their current conversation, Grissom nodded and replied, "Yes, they are, Lindsey." He heaved a sigh of relief.

"Wait a second," she said, turning to meet his eyes. He smiled, hoping this wasn't about continuing a conversation of the `Birds and the Bees.' "You haven't finished telling me how babies are made. The eels can wait." Her beam told him how persistent of a girl she was. Much like her mother …

Immediately, his cheeks turned red. Never in his life did he have to do this. Why was it that now was the time to start? He was a scientist—this shouldn't have been a problem. But telling a ten-year- old girl? It wasn't the most refreshing thought that could come to mind.

"Lindsey," he began, leading her over to a small cafeteria, hoping that keeping her entertained with an ice cream cone while their conversation continued to take place would help the moment. "You see, the mommy and the daddy have to love each other … a lot."

"So my mom and dad loved each other a lot when they made me?" Lindsey asked with a grin, evident that she liked that thought.

"Yes, I'm sure they did."

For some reason, talking about Catherine with another man didn't quite hang right with him. And suddenly, Gil Grissom felt very uncomfortable. Not that his present situation hadn't anyway.

"Then what happens?" She set her chin in the palm of her hands and eagerly stared at him, after taking a seat in a selected booth.

"Well, they, uh …" his words trailed off. God, it couldn't be that hard.

"Can I help you?" an attractive young lady in her early teens asked. Her tone made it evident that she would rather be sitting in the county morgue than waiting on customers. Grissom, being the scientist that he was, took in her appearance, as well as noticing her poor grammar. She was very Goth—black, smudgy eyes, black lipstick, black netting around her arms, encircled with gloves that cut off at her first knuckle; she wore a tutu-like skirt, which was designed with a few layers of lace and such. Of course, even that was black. Topping it off was a pink uniform coat advertising the cafeteria, seeming very out of place.

"I'll have a chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream cone!" Lindsey said excitedly, grinning at the waitress. Still, the look of boredom remained on the teenager's face. Any girl, Grissom thought, who could resist the zeal in the ten-year-old Lindsey Willows, really led a sad, sad life.

"One or two scoops?"

This time Lindsey glanced over to Uncle Gil for his approval, who merely gestured that he didn't at all mind.

"Two, please," the young girl answered politely.

"You?" the waitress asked, jotting down a few notes in her writing pad. Her eyes seemed half closed the whole time. Did she not get enough sleep last night or was she high on something?

"Well," he paused and quickly read her nametag, "Jen," Grissom continued, "I would like a small cup of dark roasted coffee—decaf," he added.

"That it?" This time Grissom swore that her eyes closed completely.

"Yes please, that will be all," he answered.

Leaving them, the Gothic teenager disappeared behind the counter, her petite form exiting into the kitchen. A trail of steam from a nearby stove seemed to follow her with a warm whirl.

"You're not getting any ice cream?" Lindsey asked, bewildered.

"Nope. I'm afraid Uncle Gil just feels like some good ol' coffee, Lindsey," he replied with a smile.

"Yuck! Coffee is so gross," she told him, sticking her tongue out a making a face. Finally, something that she and her mother differed in; Catherine's love for coffee nearly drove Grissom nuts at the crime lab. He had lost count of how many cups of Greg's famous Hawaiian blends she had during shift.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll grow to love it," he replied with a laugh.

"Uncle Gil …"

"Right. Well, the mommy and daddy have to, uh, have …" his words trailed off. How happy would Catherine be when Lindsey bounded back to her, eagerly explaining the basics of her most recent science lesson from Uncle Gil? It was either now or never. The girl was ten. She'd be facing `the facts of life' within her friend's conversations sooner than expected.

"Well?" Lindsey pressured in a very adult-like matter; folding her hands on the table and peering up at Gil like they were in a business meeting.

"The daddy releases something called a sperm into the mommy, which soon forms an egg deep inside of the mommy's stomach." Okay, so technically it wasn't her stomach. But what was he supposed to say to her?

"How does he do that?" she asked.

God, let's not go this far, he almost blurted aloud.

"Would you just believe me if I told you that a stork dropped you on your doorstep, honey?" Grissom smirked in exchange for Lindsey's light laughter.

"Nice try. Mommy said that before, but I don't believe it." Her blue eyes danced around his face. Now that was the scientist in this little girl. Always wanting more proof … more evidence.

"Here you go. We don't take no checks or credit cards. Just cash," the waitress said, setting Grissom's coffee on the table and handing Lindsey her ice cream cone. He cringed. Poor grammar …

"Thank you," the ten-year-old said with a warm smile. Grissom only nodded his gratitude towards the Goth, doubting that she even took time to notice it. He handed her 4.67 in cash and change, the waitress practically snatching it up and taking it back to the cash register in one breath take.

"So, you were saying something about a spam?"

"Sperm," he corrected Lindsey. "It's the male's reproductive organ that he releases into the female's vagina, sending it through the …" He stopped. Lindsey blinked.

I'm talking to a ten-year-old, not a science class, he reminded himself, chuckling out loud.

"Maybe I was wrong. I think I should ask Mommy—you're too smart, Uncle Gil," she said with a grin.

"How about I find a better way to put this while we take a walk. Huh?" She nodded her blond locks and jumped out of the booth.

"Okay, that sounds fine with me."

Lindsey linked her hand in Grissom's, and they continued their walk throughout the aquarium. But that wasn't the only thing that they were continuing. A conversation was at hand, and Grissom spent the next half-hour explaining the `Birds and the Bees' to Lindsey, she returning his lectures with grossed-out faces.

:: ::

A fish key chain. A pencil filled with water, a few sea creatures floating around inside of it. A light-up blowfish. Some sort of infamous contraption known as the `Make-A-Wish-On-The-Fish-Dish,' which was merely a pool filled with goldfish and pennies. Stuffed Animals. Where did her childhood go?

Catherine Willows wandered through the Reno Aquarium gift shop, admiring the many creative entertainments for children. Her Styrofoam cup felt warm in the palm of her hands, and she raised it to her lips for another sip. White Chocolate Mocha. God, they were to die for.

It had been nearly an hour since Grissom had disappeared with her daughter. She really didn't mind, having bought her coffee and a magazine, and wandered through the shop for a while. All was good. Life was good. What more could she ask for? Maybe some more money in her pocket so she could buy some useful magnet to stick in her locker at work. How about one that read `Fishy, fishy in the brook …' or `Pork: the other white meat.' A small laugh escaped her lips and she shook her strawberry-blond locks.

"Hey, Mommy," came a quiet voice from behind. Catherine whipped around and found her Linds standing there, Grissom tagging along behind her. They were both getting too old to keep up with the ten- year-old.

"Hi there, baby. You and Uncle Gil have some fun?" Catherine knelt down and set her hands on her knees, gazing into her daughter's eyes.

"Oh, I guess you could say that," said the CSI behind Lindsey. He walked forward and placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. "Let's see," he continued, "we did some exploring, some investigating, some biology lessons …" That's where he stopped, a smirk upon his lips. "You know, Catherine, you should really educate your daughter more often. What she doesn't know."

"What?" asked Catherine, completely ignorant to the situation.

"Uncle Gil taught me …"

"Lindsey, honey, why don't you run off and take a look around the gift shop. I think your mommy and I should have a little talk, ourselves." Grissom winked at the young girl, who nodded her consent and took off towards the beanie babies.

"You want to update me on these biology lessons?" Catherine asked, she and Grissom walking towards a ledge outside of the gift shop, which encircled a fountain. They sat down on the hard marble and exchanged a moment of silence.

"Yeah. The Birds and the Bees, to keep it simple," he replied. Catherine's eyes widened in less than a second and she faced him in disbelief.

"You … what?"

"Well, she's ten-years-old, Cath. She asked. Every child is bound to get curious at some point. The fact that nearly every creature in this aquarium has a new batch from this spring didn't help it any." Grissom smirked.

"But, Gil, you actually …"

"Yup. I did." His smirk turned to a grin, which Catherine felt like slapping off of his face.

"Oh my god, my little baby knows about the Birds and the Bees," she mumbled, turning away from him, jaw dropped.

"Yup."

"It just seems like yesterday that she asked me, and I told her a stork dropped her at our doorstep, Gil."

"Yup."

"And I can't believe she's already old enough to start digging deeper; to start asking questions about it. I can imagine she was grossed out."

"Yup."

"Gil?"

"Yup?"

"Stop saying `yup' already!" she ordered, meeting his gaze and rolling her azure eyes.

"Y … eah," he continued with a grin. This time she really felt like slapping him—right across the face. He flashed her one of his angelic smiles.

"Hey, Gil."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for taking her—us—today. It was fun, and I'm sure Lindsey enjoyed it, even if she does know the basics of life now," Catherine said solemnly, gratitude ringing in her tone. Grissom nodded and dropped his smile to a bit more of a casual facial reply. "So, you for coming over for supper tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Really? I mean, you don't have to. I can understand if …"

"Yeah."

"Gil?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up already!" Catherine stormed. But her fury was soon replaced by a large grin, and she leaned her head over to quickly brush it against his shoulder. "Sometimes you can be an ass."

"I know," he said innocently, smirking.

:: ::

The whole way back to the Willow's home, Lindsey seemed to come up with more questions than Jim Brass did during an interrogation. Naturally, they all revolved around one subject: the Birds and the Bees.

"Lindsey," Catherine reminded her daughter, as she began to set the table in the small, but large enough kitchen, "I told you that Uncle Gil doesn't want to answer any more questions. And I think you've learned enough in one day." Her stern expression sent Lindsey through the floor.

"Alright, Mommy," she said disappointedly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, baby, but enough is enough."

"I won't ask any more about it for the night," the ten-year-old promised.

"I'm glad to hear it, Linds," she said in her familiar motherly voice.

"Catherine, thanks for having me over tonight. I'm glad we can all celebrate Lindsey's birthday together. She sure is getting to be a big girl, isn't she?" Grissom asked with a hint of obviousness in his voice, which was only recognized by Catherine.

"She sure is," Catherine agreed, raising her eyebrows at Gil and shaking her head. "I can't believe you're already ten, baby."

"Neither can I!" Lindsey squealed. She ran over to the table and sat down, delighted to find a few wrapped packages set on the seat next to her. "But I thought I already got my birthday gifts … this morning." An inquisitive look washed over her face. "Oh, Gil," Catherine scolded as he walked to the table and took a seat across from Lindsey.

"Hey, my little Princess deserves something special for her birthday," Grissom explained, shrugging and smirking all along.

"But, Gil, you paid for the Reno Aquarium … that's enough …"

"Please, Cath, let the girl open her presents," he said, grinning.

Lindsey devoured the wrapping paper, hardly taking time to notice the cute smiley-face design. Her eyes widened and fresh laughter escaped her lips. Before her sat a fish tank, the clear glass sparkling and contrasting against the sparkle in her eyes. But sight of it being empty confused her, and she looked up at Grissom with a curious expression.

"Why don't you open the next gift, Lindsey," he gestured. Meanwhile, Catherine had wandered over to Gil's back, peering over at the three wrapped presents, finally getting the hint. She gave him a light tap on his shoulder and he only continued grinning up at her.

"Wow!" Lindsey's teal-cobalt eyes dazzled with excitement as she tore open the next present to find a lovely assortment of saltwater fish. From clownfish to starfish, all floated lightly in some jars that Grissom had from past bug experiments. "Oh, Uncle Gil!" she gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "You got me f-fish?"

"Yes, I did, honey."

Tears were now stinging Catherine's eyes.

"Then what's in the next present?" the ten-year-old asked. Catherine had a pretty good guess.

"Well, why don't you open it and find out?" He winked at her and Lindsey giggled.

"Okay, I guess I could do that." This time her small fingers carefully undid the wrapping and found tank supplies: fish food, colored rocks, fake plants, and all kinds of things to that sort. "Uncle Gil, thank you," she whispered, standing up and wrapping her arms around her neck.

What a sweet sight. Sweet was good, but she was really about to break. Catherine turned to look away from her Gil and her daughter. She was not going to cry, of all things. No crying …

"You're welcome, Lindsey," he returned. He pulled her back and smiled as they met gazes. "I'm sure you'll make a great scientist someday— and taking care of fish is a good way to start," Grissom told her. There was nothing but sincerity in his voice.

Grissom set Lindsey down as she admired her new fish collection and turned back to find Catherine looking away, her eyes filled with tears yet waiting to be flooded down. He could tell she was choking and stood up. He approached her and touched her arm. Her eyes channeled right through his. Managing a smile was probably the hardest thing for her to do, but she accomplished it.

"Gil, I can't believe you did that for her. I mean, you already took her to the aquarium …"

"I know what I did, Cath, and I've enjoyed ever minute of it. Now, let's talk about what we haven't done." He grinned and gestured towards the table. "Food?"

The next hour was well delighted in, as the three ate the roasted chicken meal that Catherine had cooked, along with wild rice and steaming corn on the cob. Of course, Lindsey's favorite course was the delicious double-chocolate-wacky-cake that her mother had worked long and hard to bake. It was carefully decorated with "Happy Tenth Birthday, Lindsey!" atop the delicious chocolate frosting. Naturally, ten candles layered the top in a circle around the cake. Lindsey blew with all her might—in the end, she only had one `boyfriend,' which greatly relieved Catherine.

"So, baby, we've had a long day, huh?" Catherine asked her daughter once she had willingly offered to help with the dishes.

"Yeah, but it was so fun!" Lindsey agreed with a grin, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She turned around and watched Grissom put together her fish tank and laughed. "I think I'm going to go help Uncle Gil. He's having trouble over there …Hi, Uncle Gil!" she exclaimed, entering into the living room and setting her hands on her hips.

"Hi, Lindsey," he mumbled, taking a second to flash a smile her way.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to put your fish tank together."

"It shouldn't be that hard." She picked up the instructions, which had been tossed to the other side of the living room. "You have to read the directions, you know," she teased. But the truth was, Grissom hadn't read the directions. Men …

"Well, those directions won't help me any. I just can't see how this cover is supposed to attach to the end glass pieces," Grissom mumbled. It was evident on his face that concentration was his main motive. Lindsey shook her blond locks and sighed.

"Look." She placed her small fingers around a little, nearly hidden latch on the side of the glass and connected it with the cover. "There you go, Uncle Gil." Lindsey beamed and Grissom eyed the maneuver that had just taken place.

"Why I …"

"All done. Now can we fill it with water?" she asked, bounding into the kitchen to get the package of salt water that Grissom had purchased at the pet store. Obviously a rhetorical question …

Lindsey bounded back into the living room, jug in hand. Grissom helped her pour it atop the assorted rocks and artificial plant life he had creatively variegated into the pit of the tank. Next came the fish. They let them sit in bags on top of the water surface for a few minutes; Grissom explained several times to Lindsey that the fish had to become adjusted to the water temperature before entering into their new home. She didn't quite like that patience part of it all.

"How do you like it?" he asked, showing off his pearly whites.

"I love it! I want to show Mommy now!" Lindsey said, running back into the kitchen. "Mommy, Uncle Gil and I finished my fish tank! They're so cool—you have to come see them all!" Grissom lost track of how many exclamation points could've been added to her lingo.

"Oh, baby, they are cool, aren't they, Gil?" Catherine entered into the living room and stood in awe of the colorful fish tank.

"I'm going to name this one … Nemo; this one … Dory; this one … Marlin. Oh, there's so many!" Traditional Finding Nemo names, Grissom mused.

"You going to name one after your Uncle Gil?" asked Catherine with a grin, squatting down to peer into the tank. Grissom blushed and shook his head.

"Catherine, I really don't think that would be necessary …"

"Yeah! This one is …" She pointed to the blowfish. "Gil." Lindsey giggled and hugged Grissom tightly. "Thanks again, Uncle Gil. This fish can be yours—every time you come over you can play with it, if you want." She released from the embrace. "Mommy, can I name one after you too?"

"Sure, honey."

Lindsey thought for a moment and then motioned towards a beautiful fish with a long, flowing tail. "Mommy, this one is you, because it's beautiful just like you." Lindsey grinned and went to hug Catherine, who just sat there and gathered her daughter into her arms.

"Oh, Linds, thanks, baby." Again tears were forming in her eyes. "You know something? I think we should name the last one Lindsey. How about that starfish?" Catherine pointed her freshly manicured nail to a lovely starfish, and Lindsey nodded in approval.

"I like that one. Oh look at—I think the Gil likes Catherine." For a moment, Catherine and Gil exchanged glances, only then realizing that she was gesturing towards the fish. The blowfish was swimming rather close to the beautiful fish dubbed `Catherine.'

"It could be true," Grissom murmured, as if that comment was meant to be only for his ears. Catherine shot her head up and gave him a half smile.

"You really think so?" she asked, standing up and walking over to his place on the living room chair.

"Yeah, I do." He smirked. Both of them ignored Lindsey's muffled giggles by her fish tank. Catherine raised an eyebrow. She was completely lost in his pale blue eyes. She loved his eyes.

"Mommy, can I go call Megan?" Lindsey asked, trying to break up the moment. Catherine snapped into reality and turned towards her daughter, nodding her consent.

"Sure, Linds. I'm sure she'll be excited to hear of your new birthday presents."

Once Lindsey had disappeared through the kitchen door, Catherine smiled and turned her attention back to Gil, who was absentmindedly trailing his eyes down her hips, mesmerized by all of her curves. You'd think that a man who'd known a women for this long would have memorized them all by now—but Catherine's curves seemed to grow sexier every day. How could he possibly memorize them?

"Gil," Catherine said with a smirk, realizing where his eyes were. He shot his head up and smiled.

"Yes, Catherine?"

"Thanks for today."

"You're welcome."

"No, I mean it, Gil," she told him, sitting on the ledge of his chair. "It was fun … even if all I did was watch Lindsey enjoy herself. That's all that matters to me."

"She's growing into a beautiful young lady, Cath. Before you know it, she's going to be a teenager. She reminds me so much of you more and more everyday." His words seemed to linger on a bit longer than expected, causing Catherine to blush at his compliment. She looked to the floor and smiled widely, her teeth appearing through her glossed lips.

"It just seems like yesterday that I was making room for her in my home," Catherine said. It was evident that she was holding back tears behind the lids of her eyes.

"It just seems like yesterday that I bought her that kit for her seventh birthday," Grissom remarked. How the years just passed by …

"Gil?" she asked, sliding down the arm of the chair and into his lap. He accepted her waist into his hands and smirked at the sudden change in proximity. He didn't mind it at all.

"Yeah?" She leaned her head against his shoulder and let out a slight breath from her lips, in response to the touch of his palms against her torso.

"I could use something," Catherine replied with a smile plastered onto her lips.

"And what's that?"

She turned her head and closed the proximity, setting her lips atop of his. No one decided to widen the kiss. Their mouths only moved firmly against each other's. He pulled back to look into her eyes, before crashing their lips together once more and parting her lips with his tongue. It was as if he was searching for something inside of her—some answer, some sort of proof that he was still sane. Finally, out of breath, she released the kiss and gasped.

"A lesson," Catherine continued.

"Really."

"Yes, a lesson."

"What kind of lesson?" he asked, smirking a smirk that curled up on one side of his soft whiskers. His grip around her waist tightened and he picked her up, her legs straddling his waist and her arms around his neck. They moved down the hallway, ignoring Lindsey's soft echoes in the kitchen as she talked to Megan on the phone.

"A science lesson," she continued, his arm reaching around her shoulder to grasp the handle to her doorway.

"Any particular subject?"

"Yes."

"And what would that be?" He shut the door with his foot and paused to look into her eyes once more.

"The Birds and the Bees."

::The End::