Title: Cheek to Cheek
Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Sara/Warrick
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG
Word Count: 962
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Archive: At my site, http:helsinkibaby.ahkay.net , Fanfiction.net. Anywhere else, please ask.
Summary: Warrick and Sara, dancing.
Author's Notes: For the LiveJournal Multifandom1000 "Dancing" challenge. The song can be blamed on obsessive George Huff fangirlism.
"Explain to me again how I got roped into this?"
From the other side of the club, Sara looks up at the DJ booth, arms crossed over her chest, one eyebrow raised in teasing question. That's the sight that greets Warrick as he glances down at her, a small grin appearing on his own face as he goes back to checking that all the connectors are in their right place.
"As I recall," he tells her as he works, "You offered to come help me set up for tonight… something about wanting to see what all the fuss was about? I did offer to let you stay home…"
He lets his voice trail off, and when only silence answers him, he knows she's got no comeback to that. When his eyes find hers, she shrugs, begins walking towards him, and the closer he gets to her, the more he can see her eyes dancing. "I never get to see you DJ," she says, and he has to bite back a grin, because she's as close to petulant – for once in a good way – as he's ever heard her.
"That's because us asking Grissom for the same night off might set alarm bells ringing," he reminds her, and she shrugs, looking as if she's considering that.
"I dunno, it's Grissom," she says finally, her nose wrinkled in thought. He finds the sight strangely adorable, is so taken by it that he almost misses her next words. "You think he'd really notice?"
"You really want to take that chance?" Because even if Grissom wouldn't notice – and where Sara Sidle is concerned, Warrick really thinks that he would – there are plenty of other people on the CSI nightshift who would.
She's right in front of the booth by now, and he can see the doubt in her eyes when she shrugs. But there's something else in there too, something he's never seen before, and it tells him that she's thinking about it, even before she says quietly, "Sometimes."
He doesn't say anything for a long time, just stares at that face that's been featuring in his dreams for far longer than she's ever known. Those are the words that he's been dreaming about hearing from her, but for all that, he knows that they don't have the time to talk about them, really talk about them and all their implications right now. He has to finish setting up before this place opens, and he's sure Jack is going to be coming in any minute now to see how he's doing. Or perhaps not, because he saw the look in his old friend's eye when he saw Sara there, that knowing smile. It's not the first time that Warrick has ever DJ-ed here, but it is the first time he's brought company with him, and that's not going to be lost on Jack.
Still though, he reaches out his hand, lays it on top of Sara's. "Yeah," he says. "Me too."
She smiles, and maybe just that acknowledgement is enough for her, because she smiles, squeezes his hand back. "So, this is the famous DJ booth?" she asks, and he nods, looks around him.
"Don't know about famous…" he demurs, and she laughs softly.
"Oh come on…" she counters. "I've seen the flyers… how many girls are going to come up here tonight, try to get your number… ask you to dance with them?"
She's joking, but he's completely serious. "Only one girl I want to dance with."
"Yeah?"
She's all the way back to serious again, and he smiles, because this, at least, is something that he can handle. "Yeah," he says, letting go of her hand to find a certain CD, slide it in and press a few buttons. "As a matter of fact…" he says when he's got everything cued up, holding his hand out to her as he comes down beside her, and a laugh bubbles up from her.
"You're kidding me."
"Nope." The first strains of a jazz piano begin to float across the air, wrap themselves around them, and he takes her hand, holds it between them. "May I have this dance?"
A male vocal begins to croon about dancing with his baby cheek to cheek, and Sara steps into Warrick, lays a hand on his shoulder. "This is not the kind of music you're going to be playing tonight," she says, and she's right of course. Tonight is going to be dance music, thoroughly modern.
But it's not tonight yet.
"I'm not going to be dancing tonight," he reminds her, pulls her just a little bit closer to him, his fingers sliding up her back. He feels a shiver course through her in response, and he smiles. "I'm gonna be waiting 'til I get home…" Brushing a kiss across her temple, he rests his cheek against hers, feeling the smile on her face.
"Why do I get the feeling you planned all this?" she wonders absently, and he chuckles.
"You complaining?" he asks, and she pulls back so that she can see his face, shakes her head. "I like dancing with you," he continues. "I'd like to do it more often."
Smiling, she pulls him closer, rests her head against his. "That can be arranged," she says, and his heart soars at the words.
The music continues to float around them on the empty dance floor, and Warrick is barely able to feel the ground beneath his feet. They sway together until the end of the song, after which there are a few seconds of silence, then the CD goes back to the start, plays the same tune all over again.
Warrick could stay here all night, knows that they can't. But for the moment, he's not going anywhere.