Title: Honey and Salt.

Part one: Honey

Chapter 1/5

Author: au

E-mail: for safety PG-13

Show:CSI

Couple: Catherine/Sofia

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.

Spoiler warning: N/A

Archive: Permission granted, just tell me.

Summary: All it took was two words from Catherine and two worlds are changed forever.

A/N: This story takes place between the team and the end of season 5. This is part one entitled Honey, the 2nd part will be call Salt. If you like the story, feel free to post feedback, even if it's only 2 words.

Many thanks to Debbie for the beta and her patience.

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." (Paul Boese).

Catherine's staring at me – again.

She does that every once in a while, when she thinks I don't notice, but I do. It's hard not to from three feet away, but even if we were across a crowded room, her bright, blue eyes would still bore a hole right through me.

"May I help you, Catherine?" I ask in a level voice. As I wait for a response, I allow my own blue eyes, the guilty pleasure of raking across her body for a couple of seconds. Suppressing a sigh of regret, I finally force myself to look Catherine in the face, where I steadily hold her gaze. There's no need to torment myself with might-have-beens and fantasies that simply, will not come to fruition. She has made it quite clear that she has no need for me, or anyone else for that matter. Her tone and attitude from earlier that evening are merely a reflection of her attitude since the day we met. I just wish I knew why she's so hostile to me; I don't remember ever doing anything to warrant this attitude of hers.

"I'm sorry," Catherine says quickly, so quickly in fact that it took a few seconds for my brain to fully register her words. And even then I'm not sure I heard right.

"Excuse me?"

She's staring at the contents of her locker, pretending that whatever is in there is the most fascinating thing in the universe. I can tell she is uncomfortable at having to swallow her pride, but to her credit she does not back down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"No, you shouldn't have. I didn't do anything to deserve it."

"I know."

Placing the book I was holding on the bench, I take a seat beside Catherine. I know I'll be late for shift, but if I can make some kind of peace with her, it'll be worth it. "Did I do something wrong? Or do you just hate me on general principle?"

"No . . . I was just so pissed off at Gil for stepping in on my case! I bust my ass to finally make supervisor and he treats me like I'm still his underling!" She turns to me and stares me straight in the eye, for a brief second my knees turn to jelly. There is such intensity to her gaze that I am momentarily caught off guard. "I don't hate you."

"You don't?" I ask after a beat. "So you've been a bitch toward me all these years because . . . "

Catherine gives me an odd, unreadable look, before the walls of her defenses rise. "We're not in grammar school, why do you care whether I like you or not?"

"Because I don't enjoy this tension between us. Every time I walk into the room I can't tell whether you want to smack me or jump my bones."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"The way you look at me, the way you talk at me instead of to me." My voice softens as I admit, "Despite all that, believe it or not I still admire you."

"Then you need to get a new role model, or you need to start paying more attention to the rumors floating around this lab. I'm a hard woman, Sofia. You're better off looking elsewhere for someone to admire. Or better yet," she says with a bitter laugh, "just ask Sara, I'm sure she'll regale you with tales of how I allow my sexuality get me what I want."

"I don't put much stock in rumors Catherine, besides, Sara isn't exactly president of my fan club."

Catherine chuckles and some of the tension leaves her body. "Rumors are like postal insurance, the one time you don't buy it, is the one time that your package gets sent to outer Mongolia."

"Maybe, but what I meant was, I don't judge by what others have to say, true or not. I prefer to get to know the person myself, and then decide what I think of them. Now, I've only worked with you a few times through the years, but you are an impressive, unrelenting investigator and I don't see why we kick-ass women can't get along . . . maybe even be friends?" Catherine gives me a look filled with open suspicion. It's as if she's heard it before and is now waiting for me to announce some kind of ulterior motive. I can't help but wonder, how many people have broken her trust to make her so cynical, of even a simple offer of friendship. " Sara doesn't like me because I get along with Gil. She sees me as a threat and I don't know why, because I have no interest in him in that way. I just want to learn from him, because he's the best. And you . . . "

"Same as you, I'm not interested in Gil in that way either; we're friends – when it suits him. It's just that – Sara doesn't seem to like any woman that's friendly with Gil."

"Well, it's stupid!"

"I know. It's sad, the guys get along like brothers and yet, we women, who are suppose to be the more mature, can't even be in the same room without the claws coming out."

"Then why . . . "

"Look Sofia," she replies while getting to her feet. "I'm sure you're a really nice girl, but I've been mind-fucked by the best and the worst there are in Vegas, and, if there's one thing I've learned living in this town it's, look attainable but remain unavailable, because if you present yourself like a puppy wanting to be petted – you're just going to get squashed."

"And if there's one thing I've learned" I snap. "is that you get nowhere in this world if you don't take chances. And yes, that does mean I get squashed from time to time, but I'm not going to live my life behind a stone wall because someone might hurt me!" I mirror her actions and stand toe to toe with her.

"Are you calling me a coward?" she asks in a low voice.

"No, Catherine, I'm not" I reply with a sigh. "I'm just saying, not everyone is going to hurt you. That maybe if you poked your head from over that wall of yours, you'd see that there are people, who genuinely care about you."

"Whatever," she mumbles before retaking her seat, she looks at me and for a brief second her eyes are wide and vulnerable."I've got third degree burns – and those are the kind that don't heal – at least not without leaving scars. I've found through the years, it's just easier to attack first, saves myself a lot of pain that way."

"Do you?" I ask gently, taking a seat beside her. "I would think you'd be awfully lonely."

Catherine shrugs her shoulder. "I'm used to it – mostly."

"You shouldn't have to be." I take a chance and run my hand down her cheek. She doesn't back away, or flinch at the close proximity of our bodies or at my physical contact, but her breathing becomes quicker, her nostrils flairs slightly. I finally start to understand why she's been so rough on me. It seems that the rumor mill may have actually gotten something right. I just wish I'd known sooner, would've saved us a lot of tension.

"Right . . . Look, I gotta go . . . " she mumbles. Pulling away she quickly gets up and closes her locker door. Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she tries to make her escape, but I won't let her, not now that I know I actually have a chance with her. So I grab her hand and force her to look at me.

"Catherine, wait! I meant what I said – about being friends."

"Why?"

"Because . . . I don't know . . . I think, you're beautiful and I want to get to know you." Catherine blushes a cute pink that makes me smile, but she accepts my compliment.

"So, now what?"

"It's up to you Catherine. I won't force you to do anything you don't want." I let go of her hand and reach into my pocket for a small pad of paper and pen. "This is both my cell phone and my private phone number – call me anytime. Okay?"

Taking the slip of paper she nods her head and sticks it into her pocket. Wordlessly she leaves the locker room and several seconds pass before I follow suit. I hope she calls me, because I know there something very promising between us. I know she felt it too.