Life had been good the last couple of months; work was going well, I was finding more time for a personal life, and best of all, Grissom and I had been getting along a lot better. So as the Christmas holidays approached, I found myself in a better, more optimistic mood that this holiday normally found me in.
"So Nick, what are you doing for Christmas this year?" I asked as we rounded a corner of the lab, on the way to the break room.
"Oh the usual; flying down to Texas at the end of this week to see my family. I'll be spending a few days down there. I can't wait." Nick said with a smile. "What about you? Working again this year?"
I was about to reply and say that I was when we rounded another corner and Grissom's office came into view. I don't know what it was about this moment, normally I wouldn't have looked too hard into Grissom's office, wouldn't pay attention if anyone was in there with him. But this time, for some reason, I looked and my mind froze.
I couldn't describe the feeling of seeing Sofia Curtis sitting casually if not flirtatiously on the corner of Grissom's desk, facing him; the feeling of seeing his face light up with laughter at something she said, and of seeing her lean over slightly to hit his arm playfully and of him not shying away from her touch.
I stopped dead in my tracks, and as soon as Nick noticed I had, he did too. "Sara what is it?" He asked with concern. He came to stand by my side and followed my gaze into Grissom's office. "Oh" He said lamely once he saw and understood. It took another moment of standing there before Nick said "Come on Sara, let's go, you don't need to watch this." He took hold of my arm and began to pull me away.
Once in the break room, Nick sat me down next to Greg and took his own seat across from me. Trying to act as if nothing had happened he said as casually as possible "So Greg, what are you doing this Christmas?"
Greg smiled widely and said "Well, I'm flying out to New York to see an old college friend and hit up the party scene," At this everyone laughed and Greg got a sort of hurt look on his face "Then I'm flying back to see my family."
"And what about you Catherine?" Nick asked turning his attention to the blonde standing in the corner by the coffee machine.
"Spending it with Lindsey and my mother, the usual." She said contentedly. She turned her attention to me and I felt dread rise up in my stomach "What about you Sara, working again?" A knowing smile came to her face.
I wanted to say that I was, forget what I saw happening in Grissom's office, but I couldn't and I couldn't let it go. I had to figure some things out and in the short time it had taken for me to get from Grissom's office to here I had decided something, and I was going to follow it through.
"No, actually. I have all that time saved up and I think I'm going to spend some of it."
The looks that were sent my way were ones of complete and total utter shock.
It was silent for a moment and then Catherine asked "Does Grissom know about this?"
I was about to answer with a lie when suddenly a new presence was in the room. "Does Grissom know about what?"
All of us whipped our heads around to the door to see Grissom standing there with cases files in his hands. Everyone than turned their heads to look at me, only to see me advert my eyes.
"Nothing, that is of great concern." Catherine said casually, so casually in fact that even I believed the lie. I could not have been more grateful to Catherine in that moment for not telling Grissom than I ever was.
Grissom cocked his head to the side slightly and raised and eye brow, but no one was paying attention to him anymore.
"We have a busy night ahead of us." Grissom said as he sat down at the head of the table. "Greg and Nick you have a B and E on the strip, Catherine, Sara, and Warrick you have a 419 in the desert, it's a rough one, so prepare yourselves."
"So the big man sits one out?" Catherine asked taking the folder that Grissom handed her.
"No actually, Sofia and I have possible murder scene in the suburbs." He said pleasantly.
I felt Catherine and Nick's eyes on me as I tensed slightly at the mention of Grissom and Sofia spending more time together.
Catherine nodded before saying "Warrick, Sara, I'll meet you in the Tahoe in five minutes." Before she walked out of the room.
Grissom watch curiously as she went and then turned back to say something to us, but Greg, Nick, and Warrick were already up and out of their seats, walking out the door.
"What's up with everybody tonight?" Grissom asked with genuine confusion on his face.
I stood and jabbed my jacket that was draped across the back of my chair. "I don't know," I lied and Grissom, knowing I lied, gave me a funny look "But, ah, I need to talk to you after shift, do you have some time?"
There was a deafening silence and then Grissom said "Yeah, but what's this about."
"Not now Gris, I have to go." I said hurriedly before rushing out the door myself.
Once inside the Tahoe, Catherine began to bombard the questions on me.
"Sara, what's going on, and don't lie to me, I saw the way you tensed up when Grissom mentioned Sofia, what happened?"
"Catherine, nothing is going on, I don't know what you're talking about?" I said, trying to deflect the personal questions that came my way.
"Sara, you do know what I'm talking about, and you know I know you know I know what I'm talking about. So spill!"
"What?" Warrick interjected, lost now and no longer able to keep up with the conversation.
"Shhh, Warrick!" Catherine said, turning a stern eye to him, silencing him almost immediately.
"Catherine, I think you know what happened, Grissom and Sofia are…close, closer I should say, what more do you need me to say?" I asked tiredly.
"Wait! Sofia and Grissom are together?" Warrick asked, now more than confused.
"No I said they were closer…not together."
"What Sara means Warrick, is that she saw Sofia and Grissom together acting in an unprofessional manner and would not like to jump to conclusions, but is most certain she knows what's going on, because I do too." Catherine said, throwing me an apologetic glance through the rear view mirror.
"Oh…wait…what!" Warrick, poor Warrick, always one step behind on the lab gossip.
"Sara, I'm sorry…" Catherine sincerely said.
"Thanks, but I really don't want to talk about this, I just want to work." I said as we pulled up to the crime scene, red and blue lights suddenly lighting up the inside of the truck.
I jumped out of the truck, got my kit, and ran to meet Brass who was waiting for us outside the yellow taped off area. Warrick and Catherine followed a few minutes later, all of us eager to figure this out, but all for different reasons.
"Boy, I thought you guys were never going to make it." Brass said, sighing and rubbing his eyes quickly. "This is a tough one; it's unlike anything I've ever seen."
A/N okay so here's the first chapter. Being sick has given me some time to finally finish it! So i hope you like it!