"I'm gonna need some guys on this with me," Catherine called out to Grissom as he left the scene.
"You've got Sara," he answered as he walked away.
"She's all I need," Catherine smiled and said to no one in particular. She went back to working the scene while she waited on Sara to arrive. She couldn't quite put her finger on when her feelings toward her stubborn coworker had first began to change. For the first few years, she was intent on making Sara Sidle feel like an outsider. She cringed inwardly as she thought of some of the things she had said to Sara over the years. I guess whenever the spirit moves you. In your case, that would be never.
And then there had been the way she treated her when she was investigating Eddie's death. Sara was probably the most intense and thorough CSI at the lab and Catherine had managed to treat her like she wasn't capable of cleaning a crime scene much less investigating one. She basically told her that if she had been doing her job, she would have caught Eddie's killer. Inside though, Catherine knew that Sara had done a better job than anyone else could have done.
And then there was the jerk that Sara had been dating. Sara had no idea she was the other woman. It took her investigating a case that Hank was involved in as a victim to uncover the truth. She had been so crushed. Catherine suspected it wasn't so much her feelings for Hank, but the fact that she had been so easily deceived by him that had hurt her so. They had shared a drink the next morning. Catherine tried to so hard to cheer her up. It was their first foray into a possible friendship. For once, the invincible Sara was showing that even she had feelings. It was most likely at this point that Catherine's feelings toward Sara first began to change.
It was shortly after this that Sara revealed to Grissom that she had feelings for him. Grissom, in his typical Grissom fashion, had rebuffed Sara's advances. This, of course, left the door wide open for Catherine to pursue her. Then again, before she could pursue her, she would have to actually become friends with her. A friendship had to precede a relationship.
Catherine was brought back to the moment—and the crime scene—by someone placing a hand on her shoulder. She swung around and met Sara's eyes. "Gris said I was working this scene with you. What do you need me to do?"
What do I need you to do? I need you to notice me. I need you to see how hard I'm trying to be your friend. I need you to want me as badly as I want you.
"I've been photographing and sketching the scene. Why don't you take the interior of the vehicle and see what you find," Catherine answered blankly. As Sara took her kit and walked to the crushed SUV, Catherine couldn't resist watching her. She has no idea how sexy she is. Catherine finished up her work on the perimeter of the crime scene a short time later and approached Sara. Sara was on her knees with a flashlight looking under the seat on the driver's side of the vehicle. Catherine eyed the patch of skin revealed by Sara's shirt riding up her back. Unable to resist, she placed her hand on the small of her back and leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Anything catch your eye yet?"
She had immediately felt Sara stiffen under her touch, but still asked her question. Sara cleared her throat and answered, "Uh---I think I'll wait til we get this back to the lab to finish going over it." She stood up and backed a few feet away from Catherine and said, "Unless there's something else you need for me to do—on this case—I'm heading back to the lab. Page me when they get the vehicle there and I'll go over it again." With that, Sara turned and walked back to her Denali.
Sara
What the hell was she thinking? Placing her hand on my back like that and basically whispering in my ear. She's been acting differently since she found out about Grissom turning me down. I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd think she's flirting with me. Nah—not Catherine. First of all, she's straight. Second of all, she has a kid—and I don't do well with kids. And thirdly, we work together. Lastly, I'm not attracted to her—am I? I can't be…can I?
The driver in the car behind her brought her back to the present as he laid on the horn. Sara woke from her reverie, saw the green light, and gunned it. Thoughts of Catherine ran through her mind as she finished driving to the lab. Catherine's truck was missing from the parking lot so she didn't have to worry about bumping into her as she entered the lab. She'd have a few minutes to collect her thoughts before the fiery woman returned. What am I going to say when she gets here? Maybe I should just pretend like I didn't notice anything. Yeah, I think that's what I'll do.