When I arrived at my place, I lazily stripped down to my bra and panties and made my way to the bathroom. I checked myself in the mirror to make sure I hadn't gotten too gruesomely greasy or deathly dirty from work and found no flaws except my tired, drooping eyes and increasingly noticeable skin that made me look at least five years older than my actually age.

I dropped my hands to my side and stopped looking at every imperfection before I sighed. I stared into my own eyes for a beat or two before I remembered I wanted to talk to Elise about the wedding. I flew out of the bathroom and grabbed my phone off the counter. Still in my underwear, I started to dial her number. After four rings, I reached her.

"Dennison," she answered like the starving yet confident artist I remembered.

"Lise," I smiled. "It's Sara."

"Sara! Hey, it's been such a long time since we've talked. Have you been getting my e-mails?"

"Yeah, I saw the pictures of you at the vineyard. You look good."

"I feel good. ...Anyway, what's up?"

"I was wondering," I started as I wishfully strutted around my place. "Have you heard about Jenn's wedding?"

"Yeah, I'm actually the best man...so to speak."

"Wha... Really? You're...in the wedding party?"

"Yeah," she exclaimed. "I met Kay a few summers back, invited her and Jenn up to the vineyard, and...well, we've been friends ever since. God, you would've loved it. It's gorgeous up there. We all had a great time, too."

She sounded thrilled as she recalled the event and all I could do was act like it didn't hurt me to hear how close she was with Jenn and her fiance. I definitely needed a hot date for the wedding at that point and it wasn't going to be Elise.

"Is...that all you called to ask?"

"Um...yeah, I just wanted to know if you were going."

"Of course. Are you?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

She softly chuckled.

"I can't wait to see who you bring. I bet she's a looker."

"Oh, yeah...well, I try not to talk solely about her appearance. She's got more than a great figure to love."

"I'm sure...but the bang-able body is a greatly appreciated bonus," I heard her grin as she spoke.

"Well..."

"Don't deny it. You always knew how to flatter the ladies, get them into bed with you. I should know," she flirted.

I nervously laughed.

"Are you gonna tell me anything about your date?"

"I think I'll let her tell you when you see her."

"Not even an accurate description of what she looks like?"

"Not even in your wildest dreams," I smirked and purred.

"Always so mysterious," I could hear her grin stay smugly spread across her face.

"That's me. The International Woman of Mystery."

"Your classic Austin Powers."

"Except...I have extraordinary teeth."

"Explosively extraordinary," she continued to flirt. "Just out of curiosity...what are you doing right now?"

"You seriously want to know?"

"Yeah. It's late and you called with news of a hot date. Are you with her right now?"

I wish. I wish I even knew who the hell she was.

"She's...around."

"Okay," she sighed, a little displeased.

"Sorry, I can't satisfy everyone," I tried to keep my aloof yet charming exterior.

"Why don't you call me again tomorrow. We really should get caught up. In fact...do you have a Skype account?"

"Yeah."

"We can video chat then. Sound like a plan?"

"You're the boss."

She snickered.

"I don't recall ever being the boss when you were around."

I started to blush as memories flashed before my eyes. Even though she clearly had power over me in the lab, I overruled her between the sheets.

"I'll get on Skype tomorrow, or rather...today. Say around one?"

"Good for me."

"Okay. Talk to you then."

"Goodnight, Sara."

"Goodnight, Elise."

I hung up and softly sighed as I set my phone on the kitchen table. After a beat, I remembered I wanted to take a shower and walked back into the bathroom before I stripped off the remainder of my clothing. I slipped into the shower and felt refreshed as the water washed away the embedded grime of a long shift.

When I got out of the shower, I headed to the kitchen as I towel dried my hair and noticed my phone vibrating. I picked up my pace and jogged toward it, the caller ID reading: Grissom.

"Hey," I rushed to answer in case he thought to hang up.

"Hi. Are you okay," he sounded concerned.

"Yeah, I just got out of the shower so I tried to pick up before you had to go somewhere."

"Oh, well...I'm actually free for an hour and then I've got a dinner party to attend."

"For the panel?"

"Yeah. I can't wait," I could hear his smile as well as his enthusiasm as he spoke. "David Marsh is bringing his black widow. And it's possible there's another research grant in it for us."

I smiled at how adorable he sounded.

"That's great, Gil."

"What's new with you? How are you?"

"I'm good. I'm working a case with Catherine...and in a couple weeks, I'll be with friends in San Francisco."

"Why are you going back there?"

"My friend is having a get together and she's kind of calling all friends," I planted the seed of my white lie. "I haven't seen them in years and since I've got some vacation time coming to me, it makes sense for me to go."

"Well...I hope you have fun when you go."

"Thank you."

I heard a gruff voice in the backyard and Grissom responded with "okay."

"Honey, I have to go take care of something. I guess I didn't have as much time as I thought."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later," I kept a level head.

I was use to his unstable schedule and after a while it all seemed normal.

"I love you."

"I love you too," I truthfully spoke, which, even though I told Catherine I was unsure of our relationship, I still did love him like I'd loved him all these years.

"Take care, my dear."

"You too."

I hung up, put the phone down in the same place I'd picked it up, and slipped into pajamas. I crawled into bed about a minute later and slept off the long, somewhat successfully endured shift.

I didn't wake up until ten and made myself breakfast before I read the newspaper. At around eleven forty-five, I got dressed and watched a little TV before I wanted to get on Skype. Luckily, as I sliced a block of cheese as part of my my pre-lunch snack, one of my favorite movies played in the background. I laughed at one of the jokes as I grabbed the cutting board full of cheese and crackers and headed over to the couch.

It was times like this I never dared take for granted. I enjoyed the freedom, the silence, the peace of mind a simple day at home gave me. I didn't want to do that every day all day, but when I had some down time, I surely didn't miss the opportunity to be lazy.

Once the movie ended, I set the remainder of my snack on the kitchen table, opened my laptop, and started my video chat with Elise.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Hey," I smiled back.

"You look...astounding," she said as she looked me over.

"You look...as amazing as the day I left. ...Wow. It's like no time has passed."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Definitely. I'm actually a little jealous right now. I feel like the Crypt Keeper."

"Are you kidding? I'd jump on you if you weren't hundreds of miles away."

And if I wasn't married, I thought.

"Well, thank you," I smiled.

"Oh, I almost forgot. What about that date of yours? You've got to give me something."

"I told you...it's surprise."

"Even her hair color? Now that's hard to believe."

"Maybe because she's not just some date this time," I couldn't keep the words from spilling out of me.

"Really? Sara Sidle might finally be settling down? Jenn will never believe that," she laughed.

"I never said settling down."

"You're right," she said as she calmed down from her small fit of laughter. "I'm sorry. Why don't you want to talk about her?"

"She's my best kept secret."

Truly, since I didn't even know who she was. I didn't even know that many women, let alone women that would agree to date me.

"No, what's the real reason you don't want to talk about her?"

"You just won't give up, will you?"

"Not a chance."

"Then I guess you'll be one frustrated woman because I refuse to say anything."

"Now I think you're afraid to misrepresent her. Come on! Oh, let me guess. She's a blonde haired, blue eyed babe, probably around 5'6" and exudes confidence."

"Wow. Is that really my type?"

"Yeah," she chuckled.

"I didn't even know I had a type."

"That's a crack."

I snapped out my trance.

"It's really not."

"Just look at your history. There was Chloe, a platinum blonde with brown eyes, but never the less screamed authority. There was Heather, a dirty blonde that liked to be submissive in her private life, but on top of her game everywhere else. And of course, there's me, a sandy blonde that has rough edges, but balances her authority with the act of being a bottom in the bedroom. We were the top three serious relationships for you and we all fit your type in some way or another. ...Wait, does this mean she's not your typical choice for a girlfriend?"

"I never said anything about her being my girlfriend."

"I'm sure you want her to be. Unless you've got some kind of psychological complex that keeps you from letting yourself be happy."

She grinned.

"I just...can't believe you didn't know you have a type."

"She's a redhead," I blurted, unable deal with the truths Elise stated.

"Oh...well, that's different."

Great. I didn't know any women in the first place and I was sure I only knew one redhead.

Why couldn't I go stag, find someone there? If I was as great a charmer as Elise said I was, why couldn't I just prove that any woman would gladly hang around me? And the better question...why couldn't I have said I was married?

"She's still a woman who likes to be on top of her game, right? Because that's something I don't think you can overlook," Elise said.

"You know...I really wanted it to be a secret."

"The cat's already out of the bag. You might as well tell me about her."

I sighed, fed up with questions and incessant teasing.

"She's about 5'6", a natural redhead, blue-eyed bombshell that knows how to get her way and also happens to be my supervisor."

Elise looked shocked for a moment, but it soon passed.

"Well, well, well. Haven't we been busy," she stated with a smirk. "And she's your boss. That just takes the cake."

"I prefer not to think of it like that. She's good to me and I watch her back."

"So...she's not just some piece of ass."

"No! Look, can we talk about something else?"

Anything, please, I screamed in my head.

"Fine," she smiled. "Why don't you tell me what else you've been doing other than your boss."

I gladly moved on to another subject and spent the next hour telling Elise about my travels to Coasta Rica and Paris, and why I came back to the lab. I didn't skip any details except the fact that the friend I mentioned I was with during that time was actually my husband.

"That sounds amazing. I remember...before you left, when we were planning that big vacation...you talked about wanting to see the world. You said, 'I don't know where I'd go, but it'd be anywhere I'm not already familiar with.' You were always such a dreamer...but I guess you finally turned fantasy into reality."

"Wow. You remembered what I said? Verbatim?"

"As I recall, you were naked in the tub with me. Of course I paid careful attention to what you said. I wanted to see you naked again."

"That's the only reason you remember?"

"Honey, I was holding a beautiful, naked woman in my tub. Why else would I remember," she joked.

I smiled.

"Yeah, well, when you're a burn out..you need something to clear the slate. Traveling did that for me."

She nodded.

"I knew you took certain cases too personally, but...I never thought you'd lose yourself."

"I think I knew. I guess I just...didn't want to stop."

She seemed to sympathize.

"But enough about me. What have you been up to? How's the old gang?"

"I've been good. I'm getting a lot more sun than I use to. I'm still single. My last girlfriend didn't gel with the team and definitely didn't hold a candle to you. Tim's as gay as he was the day you met him. Jeff settled down. He got married four years ago and is currently expecting his second child. Uh, Rachel is still straight so...we both lost that bet we made years ago and, um...everyone's great...aside from the fact that we all miss you."

"Jenn's wedding gives me the perfect excuse to come see you guys then, doesn't it."

She smiled and waited a beat before she spoke again.

"Oh...it's getting late. I should get going if I plan to work on my latest project before I start shift."

"Latest project...What are you working on this time?"

"Cartoon painting based on a memory."

"Don't tell me I'm in that memory."

"Actually, you are, but don't be flattered. The way I see it, it's got amazing composition and it's the epitome of carefree joy, a perfect piece for me to concentrate on."

"Always the artist."

"Not when I'm working."

"Even then! You saw things in ways none of us did."

"And you had that neat trick where you could look at a room once and find the tiniest, maybe the most important, piece of evidence. Do you still have that ability?"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "In fact, I used it last night to help my supervisor with her case."

"Mhm," she grinned.

I knew she thought something other than work took place the night before, but I ignored that thought.

"I guess I'll talk to you later."

"You will talk to me later. If you don't talk to me at least two times before the wedding, I'll kick your ass when I see you."

I gave her my number and she sent me a text so I could have hers before we ended the video chat. I continued to text her as I sat around and read for a while, but as I opened the fridge for something more than a snack but less than a meal, someone knocked on my door.

I grabbed a sandwich bag of baby carrots and headed to the door as my phone vibrated with another text from Elise. I made it to the door with half a carrot in my mouth and my phone in hand, the text open and ready to read.

As I pulled open the door, I was surprised to see Catherine on the other side.

"Hey. What's up," I asked.

She stood in front of me, staring at me, like she had something to say but feared to say it.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Lunch," she finally said, her eyes wider than normal, but not as wide as saucers.

"You want...lunch," I asked as she let herself in.

I stepped aside to let her through and watched her as she sauntered into my kitchen as though she lived here.

"Yeah, I'll eat anything...just give me something to eat."

I furrowed my brow.

"Okay. ...Why?"

She appeared disheveled, her hair a mess, her clothes barely on her body.

"You know what? I'll help make lunch," she rushed through her words.

She went straight to my fridge and pulled out the first alcoholic beverage she saw. She looked over her shoulder to see my confused expression and my bag of baby carrots. Within seconds, she glided across the room and grabbed a carrot from me.

"Are you...okay?"

She chugged down half of the bottle she had in her hand only moments after she chowed down on the carrot.

"Clearly you're not okay," I rushed to separate her from the bottle. "What happened?"

She attempted to get the bottle back from me, apparently determined to forget something with the way she had poured it down her throat.

"No, give me the beer," she demanded as she reached around me to grab it.

"Talk to me, Cat," I insisted, the beer still firmly in my grasp.

She reached behind me with both hands to get the beer I held behind my back and our bodies pressed against each other. When she was about to get her hands on the bottle, I bucked my hips and pushed her against the counter. She grunted when her lower back connected with the edge of the counter top, but she still tried to fight me for the drink. I doubted that was what she really fought me for, though.

She emitted sounds of frustration as she realized she wouldn't be successful at retrieving her drink. It didn't take much longer before she gave up.

"I spent all night with Lou. He finally fell asleep an hour ago and I took off."

"When you say you spent all night with him...do you mean-"

"I'm almost one hundred percent sure that I had the most sex I've had in my life last night! Considering I was a stripper once upon a time and the fact that I'm fifty-two, that says a lot!"

"Why couldn't you just say no," I asked as I put the beer bottle, my bag of carrots, and my phone on the counter behind her.

"I don't know. I couldn't. It's like...I want to have sex...but not with him."

I tried to sympathize, but it was hard for me to wrap my head around how a woman like Catherine could be disgusted and put off by sex with her boyfriend.

"I'm crazy, aren't I."

"No, no. I'm sure this is some...phase. It'll pass."

"I've only had sex with him for the past two months because I knew I'd be frustrated if I didn't get off. That's the only reason."

"Oh...long phase."

"It's not a phase!"

I sighed, trying to think of what to say next.

She collapsed in my arms and clung to me.

"Something's wrong with me."

"Catherine-"

"Tell me the truth. Tell me how screwed up I am."

"I...can't."

"Why not," she sunk her nails into the backs of my biceps.

"Because I don't think you're screwed up. I think you're strong and beautiful...and whatever's going on in your head right now...you'll figure it out."

I gently ran my fingers up and down her spine, between her shoulder blades, to calm her down. She immediately started to relax and brought her hands down to my waist for a more comfortable embrace.

"Thanks," she said into my shirt.

"No problem."

After a beat, she let go and I backed away to give her some pace. She took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure.

"God...I can't believe I bawled my eyes out to you. That's completely unprofessional."

"Hey...in my house...we're friends not coworkers."

She smiled.

"Now...let's get some real food in our systems and enjoy the rest of the afternoon."

"You're...not...going to tell me to go home? To make sure Lou doesn't wake up alone?"

"You can tell him you went into work early and I'll back you up or you can tell him you stopped by the Eclipse before work for whatever reason. ...Weren't you already planning to tell him that," I stayed calm, cool, and collected.

"What's with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're different. Congenial."

"As opposed to every other day when I'm hostile and aggressive," I sarcastically said.

"I meant... Hell, we both know you weren't always this mellow."

"And ever since I came back nearly two years ago...I haven't had many issues with my anger."

"True...but...this is...something else. For god's sake...it's you and me!"

"The two the lab voted most likely to kill each other?"

She chuckled.

"Exactly."

"Catherine...when's the last time I ever 'attacked' you," I asked as I used air quotes to describe my past actions.

She paused, a contemplative expression on her face.

"Huh...I guess it has been a while."

I raised my eyebrow in a way that silently said, "What did I tell you?"

"All right...so maybe I'm just not use to you being there to pick up the pieces."

"That's because you don't always need me to save you."

Not like I need you to save me, I thought.

She smiled and slowly nodded.

"I guess Sam scared you really well to get you to look out for me like this."

"I would've done the same thing just now even if Sam hadn't told me to take care of you."

She waited a beat before she spoke again.

"Well...I owe you."

I bit my lip.

"How much do you owe me?"

She knitted her brow.

"What? Already have something in mind?"

"Yeah..." I slowly and nervously started. "Will you be my date to that wedding I told you about?"

Not as long, but just as good? What do you think? Make sure to REVIEW! :)