AN: Hope everyone is doing well and your weeks are all starting out alright. Thank you so much to those of you who took the time to review the last chapter – it's amazing how much I have missed hearing from you all :)

Take care and enjoy.


CHAPTER 2

"It is better to meet danger than to wait for it. He that is on a lee shore, and foresees a hurricane, stands out to sea and encounters a storm to avoid a shipwreck."

C. C. Colton


CATHERINE POV

"Perfect, thank you," I smile, eyes glancing over the report in my hand before tucking it into a folder filled with a dozen others.

"Sure," Henry replies, attention already back on the long line of samples waiting to be processed.

Leaving him to work in peace, I make a detour for the breakroom, knowing that I am going to need some caffeine to get myself through the stacks of paperwork yet to complete on my open cases.

Things around here tend to move in fits and starts – leaving you periods of time with nothing to do, followed closely by times where it feels like you have fallen precariously behind.

Sighing, I pour myself the remaining coffee left in the pot, idly glancing around to see if anyone is witness to my drinking the last of the brew.

Turning to grab my files from the counter, I think I am safe when I hear someone step up behind me.

Blocking view of the now empty coffee pot with my body, I face the new occupant of the room with my best smile.

"Hey," I call, my smile expanding to a genuine one when I see who it is.

Sending me a funny look at my expression, Sara moves to grab a water bottle from the fridge.

"Hey."

"Want some coffee?" I offer innocently, knowing not to would raise suspicion.

Sara straightens up, pulling the cap from the bottle and taking a drink with a raised brow.

"What would you do if I said yes?" she asks, swallowing the water.

I try to keep my face neutral.

"What do you mean?" I question. "I would pour you some coffee."

"Oh," Sara says with a shrug. "Like a tea party."

I furrow my brows. "Huh?"

"You know," she says, folding her arms across her chest. "Little kids pouring imaginary tea for their imaginary guests. Like criminalists offering imaginary coffee to their coworkers."

Shaking my head with a groan, I move away from the coffee maker.

"How did you know?" I ask.

Sara smiles, "Catherine, everyone in the lab knows the 'Willows look' you give when you've just taken the last of the coffee."

My eyes widen, "That's so not fair! I'm always refilling this damn pot, even if I wasn't the last one using it! So people need to just-"

My words cut off when I notice the amused expression on Sara's face.

"You're pulling my leg," I conclude, seeing the smile pulling at her lips.

"Maybe."

Shaking my head, I close the distance between us.

"I was going to offer you some of my coffee to share, but now I'm not feeling quite so inclined," I tell her, trying to keep my own smile from my face.

"Hmm," Sara hums, her warm gaze evenly meeting mine. "Consider the lesson learned."

"Good," I tell her, trying not to get lost in her stare.

"Although," Sara says, clearing her throat, "It looks like you could use that coffee all to yourself. Were you able to get some sleep after I left last night?"

"Yes," I tell her warmly to let her know I appreciate her concern. "Don't worry, babe, I'm alright. Just a bit tired is all."

Sara looks me over, her eyes eventually fixing on mine.

"Just like you," I add quietly, taking in her own appearance.

Not able to resist, I reach out and run my fingers gently across her cheekbone towards her temple.

Sara doesn't respond, her eyes still assessing mine as my fingers trail their way down her jaw line.

"How was your case?" I ask, changing the topic and pulling my fingers away, trying to remind myself that where I am and what I'm doing don't mix.

Something in Sara's eyes shift at my question, and her body stiffens slightly under my gaze.

"What happened?" I question her, not liking the subtle signs her body is giving me.

Seeing my expression she shakes her head.

"Oh, no, the case was fine, Catherine," she assures me. "Nothing happened."

I keep my eyes on her silently, letting her know that I know something is up, whether it's case related or not.

Finally, Sara sighs.

"I came in here to let you know that I have to go back out to the scene," she confesses. "Some evidence came up that we have to take a second look at."

I breathe in slowly, catching the gist of what she is telling me.

"So, you won't be home tonight?" I ask.

Her eyes look heavy with silent apologies.

"No. Not until late, at least."

I nod softly, "Alright, I understand."

If possible, Sara's eyes grow even more saddened by my words, my defeated tone.

"Sweetheart, it's fine," I tell her tenderly but seriously, giving her hand a squeeze. "I promise."

Nodding, Sara leans forward, risking a quick kiss against my lips despite the public setting.

"Want to walk me out?" she offers, a sly grin crossing her features.

"More than anything."

Subtly, we break apart, Sara heading out of the break room towards the parking lot.

I wait about thirty seconds before I set the remnants of my coffee by the sink and follow after her.


Heading out the door, I make an immediate right, taking the back way to the lot.

The way no one ever uses.

Smiling, I quickly spot Sara up ahead, standing near a cement divider that cuts off sight of this path from the lab.

Stepping up to her, I waste no time as I take her face in my hands and kiss her deeply, pressing her back gently into the cement behind her.

Smiling into my lips, Sara reverses our positions, deepening the kiss as her own hands find a spot on my hips.

Pulling up for air, we are both breathing heavily, our faces flushed and our bodies nearly vibrating with tension.

"I've wanted to do that all morning," I admit in a hilted whisper.

Shifting her body closer to me, Sara moves her hand from one of my hips, trailing it up my side instead as she leans forward to place her mouth against my neck.

"Oh, God," I moan as her lips make their way down my skin, trailing kisses in their wake.

My hands clench tightly to her back in a futile effort to keep myself centered.

As her mouth continues its journey towards my clavicle, Sara's leg comes to rest between my own. My breath catches immediately at the contact and the sensation it elicits deep within me.

Reaching down, I grab hold of the waistband of her jeans, pulling her hips flush against mine.

"Sara…" I whisper, somehow finding it necessary to warn her just how close I am to ripping off her clothes right here and now.

"Hmm," she mumbles distractedly, her attention clearly focused elsewhere, namely on the discoveries her hands are making as they move upward along my body while her kisses travel downward.

Bucking my hips against her, I increase the contact between our bodies, my hands sliding along her waist towards her belt.

"Sara…" I try to warn again, feeling I should probably advise the girl that I am about to relieve her of her pants.

Before I can utter anything more, I feel Sara's motions suddenly cease, her body grow eerily still.

She says nothing, does nothing, simply standing there as if frozen in time.

"Sara…?" I question, my own hands slowing but not stopping as they slip her belt out of the loop in her jeans and unfasten the buckle.

Sara doesn't respond, not to my words nor my actions, remaining silent and stationary.

Pulling back from her slightly, my hands now fall completely still.

Looking at her closely, I watch as Sara's head angles itself to the side, her posture tense.

"Sara?" I question more forcefully, but for some reason feeling the need to keep my voice low.

Wordlessly, Sara turns her body outward, leaving me with only her profile to search for some sort of answer.

Eyes narrowing, she scans the area around us, her expression alert as she searches for something unspoken.

Straightening my posture so I am standing fully upright, I look around as well, trying to see what it is she is looking for. What it is that has her suddenly so on edge.

Noting nothing out of the ordinary, I return my focus to the anxious brunette before me.

"Sara," I call again, reaching out to place my hand on her arm.

The physical contact seems to finally break Sara's spell, and she casts one last glance to our surroundings before turning her attention back to me.

"Sorry," she offers, her voice sincere.

"What happened?" I ask curiously, a bit concerned.

"I...I just thought I felt someone," she says vaguely, her tone hesitant.

"Felt someone?"

"Felt someone watching us," she clarifies quietly.

Feeling my own body tensing, I cast another glance around us.

Still not seeing anything out of place, I watch as Sara does the same.

Finally, Sara lets out a breath, her eyes slowly returning to mine.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired," she offers.

"Maybe," I state quietly, knowing that it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination that Sara's instincts be a bit off due to the sheer lack of sleep she's been getting lately.

However, I also cannot shake the knowledge that Sara's instincts are very rarely simply wrong or mistaken.

Glancing around her one last time, Sara turns her body fully back to me with a sigh, her posture finally relaxing as she places a kiss upon my lips.

"I guess we should part ways, anyway," she says reluctantly. "Process our scenes and all that…"

"Yeah," I agree with about as much enthusiasm as her. "We probably should."

Letting out a smile, Sara leans forward and runs her fingers through my hair.

"I'll remember where we were…you know, so we can finish this later," she says lowly, a glint playing across her eyes.

Smiling back at her in return, I fix her with a look.

"I'm counting on it, Sidle."

Reluctantly, we pull apart, breaking the remaining contact between our bodies.

Before she can walk away, I remember something with just enough time to grab her wrist and gently turn her back around. When her eyes meet mine, I send a suggestive look towards her pants.

Glancing down, Sara raises a brow when she sees her belt.

Sending me her own look, a look that is colored with both amusement and desire, Sara shakes her head and refastens the buckle.

With one final glance, she steps away towards the parking lot.

Not able to suppress a smile, I make my way to the front doors of the lab, looking back at the lot as I pull the door open.

Seeing Sara now standing by her Tahoe, I note that she is watching me, politely waiting until I'm back inside before she leaves.

I send her a smile and a wave as I step over the threshold.

Entering my office, I groan as I see the stack of papers waiting for me in my inbox. Taking a breath, I decide it's best to simply dive in and get it over with.

As I'm sorting through them, about to reach the bottom of the pile, I'm suddenly struck by a random thought.

While I know Sara was waiting by her car to be polite, something she's always done even before we were together, I can't help but wonder if today she wasn't also waiting to be sure I made it back inside the lab safely.

Making sure that, if there was someone watching us, they weren't watching with malicious intent.

Repressing a shiver at the thought, I finish my sorting before grabbing a pen and heading out into the hall, decidedly returning my focus to the day ahead.

This job has enough horrors without adding ones that may not even exist.


AN: Hmm. As always, I hope you will share your thoughts with me. Thanks for reading.