Summery: Lindsey participates in a competition in school.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: I was trying to find a story to read but this wouldn't leave me be so ... here's what I got.

Role Model

Lindsey Willows was so proud of herself. Out of the thousands of students who had participated in the competition she had made it to the top ten. Winning this would mean she would be representing the entire state of Nevada on a summer learning experience to other countries and before they return home they would meet the President. It was the first time this was being done and if it was successful it would happen again next year and the year after that. "Mom," She yelled as soon as she stepped foot into the house.

"In the kitchen," Catherine Willows yelled. Lindsey rushed in to see that her mom wasn't allowed. Sitting around the table was her old team. Ecklie had moved her to days and put Nick and Warrick back on nights. All eyes were on Lindsey at the moment.

"Guess what?" She was excited and smiling non-stop.

"I guess you jaw hurts," The junior CSIs all laughed while Grissom sat thinking of what could possibly be making Lindsey so happy.

"Mom," Lindsey said stressing the 'o' in mom. "Come on seriously. Guess what?"

"I don't know what?"

"I made it into the top ten!" She yelled. Everyone but Catherine and Grissom looked confused.

"Congratulations Butterfly," Grissom said giving her a hug. "That is wonderful."

"Thanks. Well I have to get to work I only have two weeks till I have to do my presentation. Oh and all of you have to come." She ran out of the room. Each member of the nightshift looked at there supervisor and Catherine.

"She is participating in the Round the World Competition," she informed. "In order to participate they have all these different presentations and challenges they have to do. And they have to do them all alone. Yesterday was the presentation on the different sciences. She of course," looking at Grissom she smirked. "Created an entomological timeline," Everyone laughed a bit. "I guess bugs always do win."

"Told you," Grissom smirked. "And no I did not help her at all. The only thing I did was provide the books she would need."

"Anyways," Catherine rolled her eyes. "Now that she is in the top ten she has another presentation. Basically if she wins she represents the state of Nevada as she goes and visits other countries and she gets to meet the President."

"A total of fifty pre-teens going around to different countries and meeting the President," Sara laughed. "Now that is something I want to see. How many people will be watching them?"

"There parents get to go with them," Catherine smirked. "So I get to go also if she wins. It is educational also. They will be going to museums and learning a brief history of each country they visit. And when they meet the President they will be given a tour of the White House and given a history of it. They will also go to the many different monuments in DC. Basically if you hate school you'll hate this more. But Lindsey came home and asked if she could do it. I read over the rules and everything and agreed. She is having loads of fun."

"You said parents not parent," Warrick cocked an eyebrow at her. "You are one parent not two."

"Well according to the paper if the parents are divorced the child is allowed to bring both parents or pick one and allow the parent to bring a 'date'. If one parent is deceased then the child is allowed to bring someone that they consider a replacement for that parent or the living parent could bring a 'date'."

"Aha," Nick said smirking. Warrick and Greg were also smirking. Sara looked a bit upset. Lindsey returned to the kitchen.

"Um ... Sara could I speak to you for a moment?" Lindsey said looking at Sara and refusing to look at her mom. Sara agreed and left the room. The rest moved to go out into the pool, each having brought a swimsuit with them. As they were having fun Lindsey would come out and take one away. By the end of the day everyone but Catherine had gone back to Lindsey's room and no one would tell her what it was about.

The next day Lindsey had asked to go to work with Catherine and of course she let her. Once they got there Lindsey was off running around the lab talking to people and asking question. Even though she tried no one would tell her what it was about. Lindsey had even spoken with Cavillo making Catherine even more nervous. Something was up and she was clueless as to what it was. She hated being clueless.

The day after that Lindsey and her friend had gone off for a day together and that made her even more curious. She and her friend continued to go out for the entire day after school for the rest of the week. After that Lindsey was in her room continuously making phone calls. Every time her mom asked she would refuse to answer and say it was nothing.

Three days before the presentation Lindsey had informed her she was done with her presentation. When she had asked to see it she had refused saying it wasn't supposed to be shown till the competition. So for three days she was trying to find out what was going on. Just before the day of the presentation she had cornered Greg in the locker room.

"Alright Greggy what is it that my daughter asked everyone about," she snapped. Greg looked at her in fear but wouldn't speak. "Spill it or I tell the entire lab that Jenna dumped you because of your teddy bears."

"She wanted to know what it was like working at the crime lab," He said quickly. "Said her presentation was about what job she would like to have and she choose this."

"Oh ..." Catherine said and walked away. Turning back around she smirked. "So Jenna did dump you because of the teddy bears," Before Greg could answer she left.

The six CSIs all sat front and center. Right in front of them there was a podium where each student would come up and present there presentation. Sadly Ecklie and his wife were sitting not that far away from them. The family of the students had the first two rows. Catherine looked around behind her and gasped.

"What is he doing here?" She whispered but it was loud enough to catch the attention of Grissom who was next to her. Warrick on her other side wasn't paying attention and was arguing with Nick who was next to him.

"Who," Grissom said not seeing who she was talking about then his eyes spotted Sam Braun and some of his friends. "What is he doing here?"

"I don't know," She turned in her seat. "But I'm not going to admit to his presence. Oh and I spotted some other people from the lab. Like Cavillo and the Sheriff. Wonder if they have kids in here to," she said. The other CSIs having heard that looked around and spotted some of there friends. Mia, Archie, Bobby (from Ballistics), Dr. Robbins, Brass, and many others were gathered not that far behind them. All of them had been questioned by Lindsey. Sam also was near them with Lily sitting by Mia.

"Attention," A bulky man said standing in front of the podium. "Before we begin we would like to congratulate each and every one of our finalists. Their parents and themselves must be very proud of their work. The presentations will be going in alphabetical order. Each participant was given a different topic to write about. After the presentations we will be having a nice dinner for each participant and there quests. The winner will then be announced. First up is James Ecklie," the man stepped away from the podium and off the stage.

James had to write about his parents careers. Following him was a girl named Ally who wrote about her favorite subject. Then they was another girl who wrote about the pet she never had. Then a boy who wrote about his older brother's career. A boy who wrote about what he would like to be when he got older. A girl who discussed her hobbies. Another girl who wrote about her favorite animal. The second to last person was a boy who wrote about his childhood friend.

"Hi," a nervous Lindsey Willows said standing behind the podium. She had surprised everyone with the thick vanilla folder in her hands. Looking around the room she searched for her mom. Seeing her in the front row her smile grew and all her nervousness went away. "My name is Lindsey Willows."

At the moment Lindsey truly looked like a miniature version of Catherine. Both were wearing a pair of jeans and a baby blue spaghetti strap shirt under a jean jacket. Nancy had done Lindsey's make-up to look just like Catherine's and had also curled her hair like Catherine's was. Each was in a pair of baby blue flip-flops.

"She looks as beautiful as her mother," Grissom whispered to Catherine. Lindsey beamed when she saw that and giggled slightly, that received some odd looks. Catherine blushed and tried to suppress her laughter.

"Sorry but I was giggling because my Uncle Grissom just told my mommy I look like her," she said. Catherine gasped at how well her daughter could lip read and how she referred to her as mommy. Lindsey though just continued to smile. Ecklie looked over at Grissom and Catherine. "On with my presentation. I was told to dress and speak of my role model." Again Catherine gasped and glared at Greg.

"What that wasn't what she told us," Greg said defensively. Lindsey frowned slightly.

"Of course that would normally be a very easy topic but for me it was hard," she said. "For me I had to run all around Las Vegas to get information on my role model. I guess your wondering why. Well I'm about to tell you why." She opened her folder and picked up a stack of different papers and placed them on one said. She looked straight at her mom. "First I want to apologize to those I talked to for lying about my reason of doing so. I know that some how my role model would have gotten it out of them so I lied.'

'My Role Model by Lindsey Elizabeth Willows," she recited still looking at her mom. Catherine had forgotten to turn the camera on and was looking straight into her daughter's eyes. "When you ask someone who there role model is they normally say someone famous or some dead person. Someone they will never meet and probably never get close enough to touch. Well I've meet my role model. I've hugged my role model. I talk to my role model every day. Even comforted my role model at times. But most of all I love my role model with all my heart. My role model is Catherine Marie Willows." By then Catherine had a silent tears coming down her checks and a hand over her mouth. But she was smiling which made Lindsey smile.

"Catherine Willows is my role model not because she is my mother but because of who she is. She is a strong and independent woman who is up for any challenge. Everyday she faces danger by confronting the bad guys of the world. Catherine Willows is a crime scene investigator for the Las Vegas Crime Lab. She is supervisor of the day shift and looked up to by the 'lab rats' and CSIs under her command and by the junior CSIs on the other shifts. But before she was all this she was a child.'

'Catherine grew up in Montana with her three younger sisters, mother, and step father. She was raised on a ranch and was riding before she was walking," she smiled. "Throughout her childhood she watched her sisters spend time with there father and always asked her mom where her dad was. But she did have a father figure in her life that wasn't her step father-Sam Braun. Sam Braun would come all the way from Vegas to visit Catherine and her family. Her mother, Lily Flynn, told me that every time Sam came Catherine would go out for a horse ride with him. When she was 16 she ran away from the ranch with her boyfriend Ricky.'

'A year later she came back to see that her mother and step father had gotten a divorce and sold the ranch. Her mother refused to take her back in and her step father told her 'You are not my daughter so I don't have to care for you.' So that was that and again she left Montana. So of course needing somewhere to stay she went to Las Vegas in search of Sam Braun. But he did the same thing her mom did refused to let her live with him. He told me 'She had chosen to live on her own so she was going to live on her own.' Well she did. She got a job as a waitress and got her own apartment.'

'When she discovered a different job she went for it. She became an exotic dancer," Lindsey paused at seeing her mom wide eyed. Smirking at her mom she continued. "Her former boss Ted Beaton said 'Cat pulled in a lot of money when she danced for me.' While she was dancing she meet my father Edward Willows everyone called him Eddie. Eddie pulled her into the world of cocaine. One night she meet a man by the name Jimmy Tadero. He would stop by the club and every time he went up to her she would ask 'What's the case of the week?' Even as a dancer she was interested in solving crimes and she used the money she made to pay for college.'

'Eddie of course didn't like the fact she was going to college and trying to change her life around. When she meet Gil Grissom Eddie got even more upset. Grissom recruited her to the lab and helped her kicked her coke habit. Of course Eddie wanted to show Grissom up so he proposed to her and they got married five months later. Marriage wasn't all that it was made out to be. At first it was perfect but after a year Eddie began to get abusive; verbally not physically. But eventually verbal abuse turned to physical abuse," When she said that Grissom looked at Catherine in shock.

"Cath ... is that true?" He asked her softly. Lindsey had stopped talking and was wondering if she could continue. Catherine looked at Grissom and mouthed yes turning back to her daughter she nodded. Lindsey nodded and looked around the room.

"Catherine never informed anyone of the physical abuse but everyone knew of the verbal abuse. Everyone knew because Eddie would show up at the lab and degrade her in front of all of them. The only one who knew of the abuse was Sam Braun. She never knew Sam knew because he never said anything he just did what he always did, looked out for her. When she told Eddie she was pregnant, with me, he accused her of having an affair and she cried. After I was born though the beatings stopped and things began looking better. But then one night she had to work late and he accused her of having an affair. And again the beatings began," She lifted up a think book. "Eddie wrote in his diary all about it.'

'Six years ago Catherine finally kicked Eddie out after finding out he himself was the one having the affair," Again she paused. Catherine smiled at her and Lindsey beamed. "A year later she got a divorce. Of course I never knew why they did it so I asked her. She told me 'Sometimes two people who love each other just gotta go their separate ways.' I knew that couldn't be it because if you love someone you wouldn't want to leave them. So I asked Eddie and he told me 'I left because I caught her in bed with Gil Grissom.' I never believed him but I too used it against her.'

'Three years ago was the first time I had to comfort my mom. I woke up to the sound of her crying. She was crying because Eddie had been killed and Sara Sidle hadn't found the killer. But I knew that she was mainly crying because she had almost lost me in the process. She had saved me that night from his car that was slowly filling with water. Shortly after my mom ended up blowing up the lab because of all the stress. In the process of doing so she harmed Greg Sanders, but he still looks up to her the most. She was suspended for five days and we spent some time together.'

'A couple weeks after she got back to work she found out something that hurt her more then the beatings Eddie gave her. More then me yelling at her. She found her dad. But in the process of doing so she compromised a case and was betrayed. She found out that Sam Braun was really her father. When I talked to him and I asked why he never told her he looked at me and simply said 'I was married.' That I say is no excuse, which is what I told him and then left his office." She received some laughs with that.

'Catherine continued to have to work more hours and her cases were taking up most of her time. I wasn't helping by misbehaving all the time. When I was picked up for hitch hiking and she asked me what was next I muttered stripping. Of course she grounded me. I told her dad always said she was a drama queen. Then she remarked that he was always high and I being the person I am told her I rather have him high over her any day. The truth is ... I hated my dad," she shrugged. "I hated him but loved him. Anyways she did something that quickly straightened me up and I realized then that she was only doing all this because I am what makes her weak.'

'She is strong and doesn't take crap from anyone. She fought to prove herself to everyone and prove she isn't who she was in her past but she is Catherine Willows. Everyday she deals with victims, suspects, witnesses, lawyers, and Conrad Ecklie." She received some laughter from the lab rats and CSIs that had come. "Everyone I talk to says she is a great CSI and a great person. Says she is strict but allows them to joke around every now and then. She helps not only the victims and the families but she also helps those who work at the lab get through there own problem.

'Greg Sanders told me 'She is the mother I never had.' Warrick Brown told me 'She is very observant but blind to the most important thing of all -Grissom.' Nick Stokes told me 'She is every ones surrogate mother.' Sara Sidle was the first person I question and she told me 'She is everything I'm not.'" At that Catherine looked at Sara who was now trying to hide herself. "Everyone else at the lab seems to agree with Nick, Greg, and Warrick. But even though they are all right only one person has gotten who she really is correct. She is Catherine Willows mother of Lindsey Willows. Gil Grissom, her former supervisor and her best friend, told me 'Your mother may be a great CSI but she is an even better mother. She is Catherine Willows.' He is correct and that is my reason for choosing her as my role model. Catherine Willows is my role model because she is Catherine Willows." She nodded her head and picked up her stuff. Everyone was applauding as she began to walk off stage. Catherine though jumped up from her seat and then onto the stage. She ran after Lindsey who had disappeared off stage.

Catherine was standing alone in a corner. She was watching the table in the middle of the room where Lindsey sat with Grissom, Warrick, Nick, Sara, Greg, and Mia. All were laughing at something Greg just said. Looking around the room her eyes rested on Sam Braun, who was looking at her. Making her way over she sat in the vacant chair that was at the table. Lily too was sitting with Sam and his friends. "'I was married.' What type of excuse is that? Especially to give your granddaughter."

"Nice to see you to Mugs," Sam replied. He looked over at Lindsey. "Don't you think you should be with your daughter?"

"Why don't want me sitting at your table," she cocked an eyebrow.

"The reason I never told you is because I never believed you could possibly be mine. You worked Tony's case," he spoke. "I never thought that I could actually have done right with one of my children. One a murderer and one a drug addict that was killed by his own brother."

"The problem is you didn't do right with me. Mom did. Mom raised me to be who I am not you," she looked at mom. "I never told you thank you." Before Lily could reply Lindsey ran up to her.

"Mom," Lindsey exclaimed grabbing her by the arm. "Uncle Grissom said he wants to tell you something. Come now before I scream."

"What if I don't want to come," Catherine kidded.

"Mom," Lindsey yelled grabbing every ones attention. "I said move it now!"

"Yes ma'am," Catherine stood and saluted her.

"Not funny," She whined grabbing her arm and pulling her across the room. "You're a heavy role model."

"Hey!" She picked Lindsey up and held her under her arm. Using her free hand she began to tickle her.

"Uncle Grissom!" Lindsey yelled pleading for help as she giggled and squirmed slightly. Grissom though wasn't much help and just came over and held her for Catherine.

"Thanks Gil," Catherine said coming to a stop. "Now that I don't have to move what is it you wanted to tell me."

"Um ..." he looked nervous for a moment. "I was... um ... wondering if ... uh ... wow who knew this would be so hard."

"It wouldn't be so hard if you just said it," she smirked. Lindsey smiled whispered something in his ear since he hadn't put her down yet. He placed her on the ground and she rushed off to the table leaving the two adults alone in the middle of the room. "What's going ..." He silenced her by placing his lips on hers. At first she was shocked but then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him. She parted her lips slightly allowing him access into her mouth. A round of applause pulled them apart and both blushed as they quickly made there way to there table.

The room fell silent as the bulky man from earlier walked up in front of the room with a microphone in his hand. "The winner is ..."

A/N Who is it going to be? Review to find out