Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or the characters I write about. I'm just too lazy to create characters of my own so I borrow them.

A/N: This is the first story I 'publish', so please, be gentle. First borns are always some kind of practise pieces. (I'm the oldest child, trust me, I know.) And English isn't my first language, even though I secretly hope you won't notice that in my stories... Just tell me if I should practice more or just find another hobby, ok? I'd really apreciate it.


"Sidle?" Sara answered her phone.

"What did I do wrong?"

"Catherine?"

"Yeah, that's me. Now tell me why you left!"

"Excuse me?"

"And don't you dare to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!"

"Catherine, please, could you calm down and explain what's going on."

"Me?!? You're the one who should be explaining!"

"Ok, this is getting nowhere. Are you at home?"

"Hell yeah I am! And you know that just as well as I know!"

"Ok, listen, I'm coming there, ok? This sounds like something we should talk through face to face."

"You could just give me the answer!--"

"Catherine, I'm hunging up now. I'll be there in ten."

"Don't you dare to hung--" And then she was gone. Catherine paced around her living room, furious and defeated, still holding the phone in her hand.

Eleven minutes later there was a knock on her door. The blonde opened the door and stared at the brunette standing on her stairs.

"Can I come in?" Sara asked and Catherine stepped aside but didn't say anything.

"Could you please explain?" Sara tried to start a civilized conversation.

"You left."

"Excuse me?"

"You left. What did I do wrong?"

Sara walked to living room and sat on the couch, giving the blonde a puzzled look.

"Just pretending it didn't happen doesn't make it undone!" Now she was shouting again, standing in front of Sara.

"Make what undone?" Sara tried to stay calm.

"You know, I checked the house three times. But you were gone. You could have waken me up. Or leave a note. Or just stay and say it doesn't work. That it meant nothing more." Now she sounded sad and betrayed.

"Catherine..." Sara whispered softly finally starting to understand what this was about. "We didn't have sex last night."

"Yeah, you're right. We made love. There's a difference."

"I wasn't here. Not last night, not ever."

"Huh?"

"I was at the scene whole night. Call Grissom, he'll confirm my alibi."

"But..."

"It was a dream. Those can be really vivid, trust me, I know." Sara smirked.

"But... My bed..."

Brunette shook her head slowly. "I wasn't there with you."

Catherine sat down and looked at Sara still trying to understand what was going on. "So I had no reason to yell at you?"

"Yeah, at least as far as I know."

Catherine buried her face in her hands and whispered. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I feel so stupid... I just managed to ruin everything..."

Sara stroke the blonde's arm gently and then started to stroke her hair.

"Sara..." the blonde whispered shivering. "If you're doing that just to make fun of me and my reactions to your touch, I'll have to kill you."

"If wanted to make fun of you, I'd call the boys and we'd laugh together." Sara drew the blonde closer and wrapped her arms around her. "Wanna know something that helps you make a difference between dreams and reality?" she whispered in Catherine's ear.

"Tell me."

"If I'm gone, it was a dream."

"Huh?"

Sara rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to tell you that in reality I wouldn't have left."

"So if I pinned you right here and had sex with you, you would still be here when I wake up?"

"Wanna try?" Sara smirked and kissed the blonde's forehead.

"Too much to think for a one day. First you're gone when I wake up and then I'm told you weren't even here and now you are here saying you wouldn't leave I you were here. I'm sorry, honey, but I think I'm having a headache." Catherine buried her face in her hands.

"You want me to leave?"

"God, no!"

"Ok... How about sleep? That might help with your headache."

Catherine smiled. "Are you just trying to talk your way to my bed?"

"If sex was all I wanted, I'd take you right here. And I dare to guess you wouldn't fight back."

"True." Catherine got up, took Sara's hand and helped her up, too. "Let's go."

They walked to Catherine's bedroom holding hands. Catherine let go the brunette's hand and walked to other side of the bed.

"Close your eyes."

"This show I wouldn't miss even for a million." Sara smirked and stared how the blonde took off her clothes one by one so that in the end she was standing face away from Sara wearing only her panties. She reached for an old T-shirt under her pillow and put it on.

"Oh... Pity..." Sara mumbled.

"Huh?"

"I'd prefer you without that."

"Instead of helping you're giving me more headache." Catherine got under the blanket.

Sara smiled. "I don't have a nightgown or pyjamas with me."

"As long as you don't sleep naked I'll be fine." Catherine whispered and closed her eyes. Few moments later Sara was next to her, reaching her hand.

"You ok, Catherine?"

"I'll tell you when we wake up. In case you still are here." Catherine mumbled.

"Like I told you, if I'm gone, it was a dream."

"That's what I meant."

Sara leaned forward and kissed Catherine's forehead softly. "Good night." she whispered, but the only answer she got was the peaceful breathing of the blonde lieing next to her. Within seconds she was asleep, too.

Four hours later

"Catherine?" Sara whispered softly.

"Mmmm?" the blonde mumbled and moved a little but didn't open her eyes.

"Your cell phone."

The blonde opened her eyes and stared at hazel eyes which were looking at her. She was mesmerized.

"Yeah, I'm here. Now, the phone?" Sara said and smiled.

"Huh?"

Sara rolled he eyes and then reached over the blonde to catch the vibrating phone from her night stand. She put it in the blonde's hand and finally Catherine seemed to wake up.

"Willows."

--

"Huh? No, I don't have a minute to answer few questions about my consumption habits."

--

"Yeah... Maybe some other time."

She hung up, put the phone back to her night stand and then turned to face Sara again.

"Well, maybe not the most romantic way to wake up." She smirked.

"Actually I thought about making you breakfast but didn't want to take the risk that you'd yell at me again." the brunette smiled.

"Look, I'm really sorry about that."

"I know. And hey, I wouldn't be here right now without it."

"True. And I'm very happy you are here." Catherine cupped the brunette's face and was about to kiss her when they heard a loud 'bang' when the front door was closed not so gently.

"Mom! I'm home!"

"Lindsey..." Catherine mumbled, got up and started to put on some clothes.

Sara did the same, even though she had only taken off her jeans and slept with her tank top on so she was done pretty quickly.

"I guess I should be leaving." she glanced at Catherine who was strugling with the zipper of her jeans.

"No, no. Stay, please." The blonde never lifted her eyes from the zipper. "I'll make breakfast. Or dinner, whatever--" She finally managed to zip her jeans and looked at Sara who was smiling. "Food."

"Yeah, I'd love to."

"Mom?" the little blonde opened the door and looked in. "Were you sleeping?"

"No, we were..."

The girl then noticed Sara. "Oh, hey. Did I interrupt something?"

"No, we were just--"

"Talking." Sara continued her friends sentence because she noticed the blonde was really strugling to find right words. And what were they doing, after all? Sleeping might have been the closest thing, even though they had been awake for few moments already. And most of those moments they had talked.

"Right... In a bedroom instead of kitchen or living room. And mom, your shirt... It's upside down. Or more like inside out." The girl rolled her eyes. "Busted." she whispered, pulled her head out from Catherine's room and closed the door again.

Sara looked at the door and then at Catherine. "Should you go and talk with her or something?"

"And tell her what?"

"Well, maybe you should at least turn that shirt before you go make food"

"Yeah... That might be a good idea. Are you still going to stay?" Catherine asked while taking off her shirt and putting it on again.

"Why would I have changed my mind?"

"Well, maybe because of my twelwe year old daughter who thinks you're my girlfriend."

"I'm not?" Sara tried to look offended.

"We haven't really talked about it yet, have we." Catherine walked towards the brunette and took her hands in hers.

"I'd love to be your girlfriend."

"Really?"

"No, I'm just making fun of you." Sara rolled her eyes again. "Of course. This is real, which means I'm not leaving, just like I promised."

Catherine nodded. "And I don't want you to leave. Ever. Again."

"You can't say again 'cos I never left."

"Oh, I can say a lot of things. Some of those you might not like about, but I'm sure some of them you'll like very much..."

"Is that your flirting tone? 'Cos is sure sounds like one."

"Maybe..."

"Ok, that definitely is your flirting tone. Could you drop it, please? Your daughter can walk in any moment. And I don't want her to get more traumatized than she already is."

"Aww... How sweet. You think about my daughter."

"Sure. And I think about my stomach. And I think about Grissom and how I don't want to explain him why we're late."

"Ok, ok, I get the point. Let's go."

Women walked downstairs and Catherine made breakf- no, dinn- well, food for the three of them. They chatted about all kind of things while they ate. Weather, Lindsey's school, movies, all that kind of things. Nothing important.

After the dinner they all sat on the couch in living room and Sara decided it was time to talk with the little girl. Well, not so little anymore, she was twelve, after all.

"So, Linds. You ok with this?"

"By this you mean you and mom, right?" the girl glanced at Sara.

The brunette nodded and Lindsey turned to TV again and shrugged. "It's not like you're the first person I found in mom's bed."

"Lindsey!" Oh, so that was Catherine's warning tone. It was quite cute, Sara had to admit. Especially when she said it with the slight blush on her face.

Sara squeezed her girlfriend's hand and then turned to the little girl again.

"Well, I'm hoping I'll be the last one."

She could have mentioned that Lindsey didn't actually find her in Catherine's bed, but she decided not to.

"Yeah... Whatever."

Women smiled and Catherine leaned her head on the brunette's shoulder.

"You will be," the blonde whispered.

"I know," Sara answered and tangled her fingers in Catherine's hair. "I know..." she mumbled and leaned her cheek on top of the blonde's head.

Lindsey turned off the TV and glanced at the women.

"I think I'll go to my room, now. Listen to music. Loud. In case you want to talk. Or something."

The girl got up and walked into her room. Soon the air was filled with loud rock music. Catherine and Sara made some space between them, glanced at each other and burst into laugh.

"You know, I really like that girl." Sara said when she was able to speak again.

"Yeah... Me too. She really is special."

"Comes to her mother."

"Thanks." Catherine smiled. "And don't worry. She likes you. Otherwise she wouldn't leave us alone for a second."

"Protecting you, huh?"

"Something like that, I guess." Catherine shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad to know she trusts me enough to leave me alone with you. It's quite risky." Sara smirked.

"Is that your flirting tone?"

"No. Trust me, my flirting tone is much better. But I'll save that for later use. Maybe with something little bit more romantic playing on the background."

"I'm looking forward to it." Catherine smirked and leaned her head on the brunette's shoulder again.

Few minutes they just sat there holding each other, watching the TV.

"Should we put it on?" Sara finally whispered.

"Nah. This is just perfect."

"Ok." Sara smiled.

It had been quite a day... It started with an angry phone call, and ended with her and Catherine cuddling on the blonde's sofa, watching TV which wasn't on, and on the background there was this loud rock song which she didn't recognize, but which she was starting to like. And after all that, Sara had to agree with the blonde: it was just perfect.