After Curtis abducted his and Kate's two children, he staged a car accident to make it look like the kids had died. However, he faked their deaths and changed their names. At the time the children were very young, and Kate believed Curtis when he told her about the car accident. Several years later, "Days of Our Lives" viewers met Billie Reed (Lisa Rinna) and her brother Austin Reed (Austin Peck). The siblings came to Salem to build their lives, but Curtis followed them and caused trouble for the duo. It was revealed that Curtis had abused Billie and Austin as children, causing lifelong problems and trauma for the siblings. While in Salem, Curtis also told Kate that they had never officially divorced and he blackmailed her for money to keep the secret from her second husband Victor.

Eventually, the truth came out that Billie and Austin were actually Kate and Curtis' children. Kate, Lucas, Billie, and Austin were all stunned by the revelation. When Curtis was eventually found dead, Kate, Billie, and Austin were all considered suspects in his murder. However, it was ultimately discovered that Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) had killed Curtis.

"Days of Our Lives" fans watched Kate build solid and loving relationships with both Billie and Austin over the years. However, that wasn't the last time that Kate would find out that she had been estranged from a pair of her children.