Coffee Break, Part 5

Jim Brass and Sofia Curtis meet for coffee once again. Spoilers for "Trends With Benefits."

Wow, zero reviews for Part 4? Come on! Hopefully this one will make up for that.

First off, thank you to Beaujolais and Spotted Horse for your kind reviews!

Second, I thought it would be interesting for Jim and Sofia to talk about the events in this episode.

I still do not own CSI

Jim Brass was heading into Frank's Diner to grab a sandwich and maybe a cup of coffee when a familiar face came to the door before he could open it.

Sofia smiled. "Getting dinner to go again?"

"Yeah, got paperwork to finish. But I got time for a cup of coffee."

Sofia smiled and Jim followed her into the diner. As they sat down at the counter, the waitress who knew them and had waited on them before, smiled. "Let me guess: two cups of coffee?" She asked with a smile.

Jim laughed. "What a shock, huh?" The waitress smiled at the two friends as she brought the mugs for their coffee.

"Oh, can I get a chicken sandwich to go?" Jim asked. The waitress nodded and brought the coffee pot over and filled their mugs with the hot liquid. When she left, Jim took a sip of his as Sofia stirred creamer into hers.

"By the way," she began, "Good job on the college professor case."

Jim groaned as he put his mug back down. "I wouldn't call this jackass a professor. The guy was a jerk. I mean, I thought he killed the kid."

Sofia nodded. "Well, he did abuse his position. The college hired him because they thought it would be a good idea to have a pop-culture course." She took a sip of her coffee. "Now they and pretty much the entire campus are pushing for his arrest."

"Yeah, the school's already fired him," Jim said. Sighing sadly, he added, "Now his victim is probably going to be tried for murder."

Sofia just stared down at her coffee cup. "Well, we can try to prosecute this...this jerk for rape, but without her testimony, it will not be easy."

"Yeah," Jim added with a frown. "I wish there was more that could be done."

Sofia shook her head. "I know how frustrating it is, but she doesn't want to have her name put out there like the fame-seekers this guy goes after. All we can do is present the evidence and hope that she gets a lesser charge."

Jim sighed. "Yeah, that's all we can do."

Sofia nodded. The young woman had been about to commit suicide when the victim stopped her. She thought he was filming her for a reality show or celebrity website. When she tried to get him to stop, he fell to his death.

"Well," Sofia began with a sigh, "judging by the public outcry for the jerk to be put away, he won't be seeing the light of day for a long time."

Jim nodded. "Yeah, all this talk about no privacy. He didn't realize that was what would put him away." The kid who was killed had installed a webcam in the man's office, and it captured his assault on the young woman.

"Look at it this way," Sofia began. "Now he'll get to see what it's really like to have no privacy." Jim chuckled.

After a moment or so of silence with both nursing their cups of coffee, the waitress brought the ticket and told Jim that his order was almost ready. He thanked her and took the ticket before Sofia had a chance to object.

"Jim, you don't have to..."

"Nah, I don't mind."

Sofia smiled. "Okay."

Jim took another sip of coffee. Just before the waitress brought his sandwich to go, Sofia said, "Next time it's on me."

Jim smiled as he accepted the food. "I don't keep track of that. Besides, this is better than finishing paperwork and closing the case with a bottle of scotch."

A slight blush crept over Sofia's face. "I can't argue with you there. At least let me leave the tip."

Jim nodded and smiled. "Okay." Getting up from his seat at the counter, Jim realized how much he'd come to enjoy these little coffee breaks with his colleague. He didn't know if anything more would come of them, but he was enjoying her company.

"Guess I'll see you next time you want a cup of coffee," Jim told Sofia with a smile.

Sofia's smile grew bigger. She had come to enjoy Jim's company as well. "Next time," she agreed.

The End.

Yes, I am planning a Part 6!

Please review!