CSI:LV, T, Romance, Sara Sidle/Sofia Curtis

Disclaimer: CSI, its characters, places, and situations are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Alliance Atlantis, and CBS Productions. This story was written for entertainment not monetary purposes. Original characters, and this story, are intellectual property of the author. Any similarities to existing characters, fictional or real, living or dead, are coincidental and no harm is intended.

Author's note:

First of all, my sincerest apologies to everyone who might've been hoping that someday, there will be an update for 'Underway'. I have not forgotten about the story, neither have I abandoned it completely, but to use a completely trite phrase: the road to hell is paved with good intentions... I got too caught up in my multi-parter-fic, completely pushing ALL other unfinished stories to the side for the time being, and since I don't even have an ounce of the spare time left lately that I had at my disposal all throughout the past year and a half, there's not much progress happening, at least not very fast. In time, I will get around to finishing it. All of it.

This was merely a distraction. A drabble beginning it started out as, a one-shot it might remain, although the title suggests otherwise. I'm simply not making any promises.

And as always, I'm still not a native speaker. Should anyone be interested in proofreading some of the stuff I write, especially older things already posted where in rereading today I find myself falling short of my own expectations, mostly concerning my grammar, sentence structure and proper use of the right words, terms, phrases, please don't hesitate to drop me a line. I'm not without help, first and foremost when it comes to content, but I'd still appreaciate any extra set of eyes on the form. I want to constantly work on getting better... My main fandom is still CSI, other than that Rizzoli & Isles, though Season 2 kinda killed my spirit a bit, I have an unfinished Lost Girl fic out there and just recently wrote my very first Once Upon A Time-onshot, that I'm reluctant to put up anywhere before someone has read through it...


Appetiser, main course and dessert

"Are you going to finish this?"

Sara waved her finger at the plate across from her on the table, a plate loaded with leftovers obviously abandoned by the woman who'd just leaned back her side of the booth, rubbing her belly and sighing contently, and now raising both her brows at the question.

"It really, really makes me wonder time and again where you put all that, but please, go ahead."

Fishing for some french fries not completely soaked in ketchup, Sara smiled at Sofia's inquisitive gaze, following her every movement. She nibbled on the fry gone wobbly slowly, the tip of her shoe searching for and finding Sofia's calve, and while munching down the length of the salty, potatoey goodness french fries are, even cold, her foot trailed up the blonde's leg.

"I need my extra-calories, don't you agree?"

"Sar..." Sofia's response was cautious, weary even, after all it had been a long day - or rather night, and it was only despite herself that the tired Detective still wished they'd had their breakfast as take-out at her place, and not a half-hour car-ride away from either their homes in the diner just around the corner from the lab. It would have been so much more convenient to fall from the table right into bed. Convenient, yes...

"Huh?" Chewing with a smirk slowly forming on her lips, Sara dropped her boot-clad foot back to the floor with a soft thud, and reached for Sofia's plate again. "Not in the mood?" She challenged the blonde, then laughed sympathetically as Sofia's frown suddenly turned into a languid yawn.

"I feel you..." She uttered between two fries, and reached across the table for the tired woman's hand. "Want me to go to my place instead, so you can finally get a full day's rest?"

Smirk back in place on her vis-a-vis' face, Sofia knew exactly what Sara hinted to.

They'd only been dating for about four weeks, and ever since they'd gotten over their initial timidness and things had started to get physical, they had gotten very physical, indeed. Sleeping in the same bed always led to everything but sleeping, and paired with various tricky cases that meant excruciatingly long hours at work, they could well and truly say that they'd taken sleep-deprived to a whole new level.

But the scowl darkening the blonde's features was instantaneous and left no room for any argument.

"Don't you dare! I don't care how many alarm clocks, cold showers and double-shots of espresso it'll take me to force my eyes at least half open tonight, but I'm not letting you sleep anywhere else but right beside me, Sara Sidle. It's taken me long enough to get you where I've got you now. I don't intend to let you go anytime soon. But maybe-" Her thumb caressed the back of the hand holding hers gently, drawing small circles on roughened skin, Sara had been wearing tough work-gloves most of the night. "- we could really make it a quick one this time?"

"Wanna pay the restroom a visit and get it over with rightaway?" Sara chuckled, hiding her exhaustion a tad bit better than her companion.

To her surprise the blonde blushed furiously.

"You wouldn't!" She hushed under her breath.

"Don't test me..."

The smug grin on Sara's face gave Sofia an inkling that she might have been underestimating Sara's sense of adventure, and yes, propriety.

"Don't tell me you've never-" Sara started, but Sofia cut her off by squeezing her hand hard.

"Oh, shush! It's just that I'm not like, 22 or something anymore. I've had sex in toilet stalls, in the back of sports cars, on a plane once - totally overrated by the way-"

"I agree."

"-in the utility shed at the police academy- You what?"

Sara laughed good-naturedly at the belated, flabbergasted expression settling on her girlfriend's features, and stated very matter-of-factly.

"I totally agree that sex on planes it completely overrated. There's only so much space in those toilets, the air is awful, you have to be real quiet almost to the point of holding your breath through the whole thing, and I can say nothing about that whole 'heightened senses' myth. Nope. But I'm glad it's off my bucket-list. I can move on to more important points."

Sofia took a deep breath, then snorted.

"Good that we've cleared that up. Why have we never even done it anywhere else than the bed then?"

"Which places would you suggest?"

"On top of the washing machine in full spin cycle?" The not completely serious undertone wasn't lost on Sara.

"I'm just not so sure if I could stand any ah-ah-ah-ah-a-h-oh-go-o-o-o-o-d-" Her imitation of the assumed sounds was so spot on Sofia burst out laughing. "-noises you'd be most likely to produce if I fucked you like that for much too long."

The raised brow at this made Sara smirk again.

"When did you ever get so damn sure of yourself, Sidle? Sometimes I think I only just get to know you at all."

"Well, don't you? It's not like we've been very close before-" She waved her free hand around in the space between them. "-this happend, have we?"

Sofia let the comment slide, but stored it in the back of her mind to be picked up at a more convenient time.

"Where else, Sofia?" Sara asked, not as innocently as moments ago anymore, her voice dropping into a lower, raspier register. "Any fantasies I should know of? Something you've always wanted to do or have done to you that you never got around to actually doing?"

As the blonde's gaze dropped momentarily from her eyes to her lips and back up, and a faint pink glow manifested on Sofia's cheeks, Sara knew there was something. Something particular. And she instantly knew that she wanted to know what had run through Sofia's mind as soon as possible.

"Don't you think it's a little early to dive into that territory, Sara? We've barely been together a month. It's one thing to joke about taking each other on every available flat surface of each our homes, but another one to inquire about our very intimate desires. I just don't know if we're there yet. No offence."

Sara sobered instantly.

"None taken. You're probably right. Though I always thought it'd be me having to toil more with coming to terms with my trust issues."

"You're not the only one who carries those around with themselves."

Their gazes met in slient understanding. Another matter they'd sooner or later would have to talk about.

"It's just that-" Nibbling on her lower lip, Sara got sidetracked, at a loss for fitting words.

"That we seem to have hit it off quite smoothly so far." Sofia kind of finished the thought that had been running through both their minds.

"Something like that, yeah..." A moment's pause. "I trust you."

"Thank you. So do I."

The gratitude in Sofia's tone was raw and most genuine, just as her own confirmation.

"Who would've thought..."

One corner of Sara's mouth turned upwards into a lopsided, gentle smile, their hands upon the tabletop gradually intertwining even more.

"One thing though-" Sofia swallowed against the lump that had formed in her throat.

How could that have happened that fast? She looked Sara right in the eyes and huffed in unspoken understanding. It had been a long time coming. She was taken by the complex brunette, and had been not only just lately.

"What? You can tell me. I promise I'm not gonna laugh, I'm not gonna judge you, whatever it is. Unless you really don't want to - yet. That's okay. I never meant to push you. I was just kinda pulling your leg. Well, not completely, I do want to know, but- Yeah, you now what I mean."

This openness, this level of understanding, of comfort she was feeling with the scientific-minded CSI who almost babbled now, she had never anticipated.

Sofia hesitated, then quickly scooched out of the booth, never letting go of Sara's hand, dragging her along, it was all she could do to just reach for a napkin in case there was still some evidence of her ample breakfast slash dinner on her mouth before they reached the counter.

They settled their bill, then - more slowly - walked back to Sofia's sedan in the back of the bright parking lot, the sun already high in the clear blue sky, promising a typical Vegas late-spring day, which they'd not see much of, either way. Beside the passenger door, Sofia tugged Sara into her arms, delivering a quick peck to lips that still tasted a bit of sweet black coffee and potato.

"I'd rather show you, okay? Let's go. My place it is."