A/N: Because this little plot bunny wouldn't leave me and Rain alone... This is going to be a mini-story...because Sancino is far too awesome to be contained in just one chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone in this fic with the exception of Isabella Pacino, Denver Sandusky is owned by RaiN-n-Rizzlesgal blah blah blah...

And I don't know why

But she's changed my mind

Would you look at her?

She looks at me

She's got me thinking about her constantly

But she don't know how I feel

And she carries on without a doubt

I wonder if she's figured out

I'm crazy for this girl, yeah I'm crazy for this girl

Evan and Jaron — Crazy For This Girl

Women. There was something about them that never ceased to amaze Isabella. She didn't believe in labels; she did whatever she wanted with whoever she wanted, men or women. She'd had her fair share of boyfriends, girlfriends, and one-night stands, but none that had ever really meant anything.

Until Denver Sandusky. The dirty-blonde woman had this sense about her that made something stir in Isabella and she didn't know what.

Denver had a strong, sensual way about her that never ceased to capture the attention of everyone in the room. Isabella didn't even know how her attraction to her best friend had gotten started, but all she knew was that it had happened.

Yes, she did. It had all gotten started when Danny had flirted mercilessly with Denver a few months ago and she had felt a strong, protective surge run through her. It had taken Isabella everything in her to not go over there and corral Denver away from him.

When her heart had raced just those few beats faster when she looked into Denver's pretty brown eyes, Isabella knew she was in trouble. The two were exact opposites from height to physical appearance to attitude. Denver was a mild-mannered dirty blonde with brown eyes standing at five foot six, Isabella was a feisty, raven-haired, blue-eyed fireball standing at five foot two. Of course, they had joked about men, but lately, it seemed as if Denver were serious lately.

"Who needs men when you've got the best girlfriend?" Denver had declared boldly. When her brown gaze had fixed on Isabella, her heart rate had accelerated.

Isabella rubbed the back of her neck, her head craning a bit as she stood in the bathroom. When the mess that was her relationship with Don Flack had gone down, Denver had been her saving grace.

Isabella Rae Pacino wasn't the type to ever consider a relationship, one with feelings and commitment...she was more of the hookup, friends-with-benefits type for sure. In a perfect world, Don Flack was her match. The two were peas in a pod, but she had difficulty seeing him as anything but a hookup or a FWB.

But she was having trouble getting the taller CSI out of her head. Everywhere Isabella went - try as she might - everything reminded her of Denver. She found herself scanning the room for her and felt a sense of calm when she did find her. The two were inseparable; they were never without the other and the times they were together were some of the best in her life. There more inside jokes between them than actual jokes that could be explained, such as 'little mini guitar.'

It had happened when they had gone to a music store to look at some new strings for Isabella's guitar. Denver had stood to watch a man play a ukulele to the tune of Train's "Hey, Soul Sister."

"Look, Izzy! It's a little mini guitar!" she had called to her. Isabella took one look at the ukulele before dissolving into a fit of giggles. "Isn't it cute?"

"Den, that's a ukulele. Like they play in those dorky Hawaiian movies?" she tried to explain in a way without embarrassing her.

"I like those allegedly dorky Hawaiian movies," Denver declared as she strode over her.

Ever since then, it had been a running joke between them.

Isabella sat down in her car with her eyes tightly closed and her head against the seat. There was no escaping it now.

She, Isabella Rae Pacino, was in love with her best friend.

When Denver thought of Isabella, she thought of a panther. Panthers were sleek, seductive, and purposeful with killer instincts — literally. The tiny raven-haired woman was a wildcat, in more ways than one. According to Don, she was a wildcat in the bedroom. Everyone at work saw the Isabella that the North Carolina native put on as a mask, but Denver saw the real Isabella. She saw the goofy, little-girl, carefree side of Isabella that had never ceased to make her laugh.

"What an embarrassing cliche," Denver sighed aloud. Danny gave her a strange look as he turned to face her. When she realized she had spoken out loud, she felt her face warm. "I just remembered something I watched last night. How stupid it is to be in love with your best friend when he or she doesn't even think about you like that in the beginning."

Or in Denver's case, at least - at all. When she met Isabella's pretty blue eyes with her brown, she saw a smile spread across her best friend's face.

"Sheesh, with the affection that goes down between you two, I wouldn't be surprised if you were lesbians," Danny commented. In a flash, Isabella's hand went across his arm with a deep frown.

"Shit like that will get you into heaps of trouble, Messer," she snapped in her cute little Southern accent. Her arm slithered around Denver's waist, pulling her closer. "But we'd make one hell of a couple, wouldn't we?"

The contact of her body didn't go past Denver and she felt her face warm. "Damn straight. Makes you wish you could tap both of us, right?" she snarked. Danny shook his head with a laugh before scratching his jaw.

"Hell, Flack would be heartbroken that he'd lose that little trick to a chick," he replied before walking out of the lab. Isabella pulled away, rubbing the back of her neck. It was the same thing she did when she was uncomfortable or flustered.

"We still on tonight for the geek-end?" she said. Denver nodded mutely and the raven-haired beauty nodded curtly. "Good. See you at eight."

She could only watch as Isabella left the room.