"Alright guys, I think it's time we call it a night…or," Catherine paused to look out the glass walls of the lay out room to see the soft sun reflecting off the hall floors "or a day I suppose."

We all looked at each other to tired to laugh or feel really any emotion at her statement.

"Let's pack all this up and then we can go home for a couple hours and catch a little sleep." She said bleakly look at the cluttered table with dark eyes.

We all stood there for a long second, just looking at the evidence piled in front of us. Half of it was processed…the other half –the larger half- was not.

Mark was the first to start moving, taking an empty evidence box in his hands and started to carefully place things in it. We all soon followed his lead, each of us taking a box and placing the things in front of us in them.

When we were all finished, the five of us just stood there, tiredness making us freeze momentarily, none of us sure what to do with our selves for minute.

Then, all of the sudden, Catherine looked around with a heavy sigh and said "Well I'm off…Lindsey will be upset that I wasn't home to see her off to school, but I would like to there to greet her when she comes home. I'll see you all tonight then?" She didn't wait for an answer; she was out the door in a flash and down the hall before any of us could blink.

Mark was the next to leave, saying goodbye and waving before he too was out the door and down the hall. Jimmy followed soon after, leaving in the same manner as the other two did.

Then it was just Warrick and I. I stared blankly at him before his voice broke through my non-existent thoughts. "Do you want to catch something to eat?"

I gave it some thought, I was about to say 'no' before I suddenly thought of Grissom…and Sofia. I didn't want to go home to my empty apartment just yet…I didn't want to lie awake in my bed, fighting to find sleep, all the while trying to fight off images of Grissom and Sofia together…I didn't want to do any of this just yet, no matter how tired I appeared to be or actually was.

"Yeah, I think I would." I said, slowly, trying to gather some of myself that had been scattered from my previous thoughts.

Warrick smiled a small smile before saying, "Alright then…lets go"

We walked down the halls of the lab, side by side, and in silence, for talking wasn't really necessary and we weren't really in the mood for talking…not after the long night we had just had.

We ended up at the locker room and we walked in, Warrick holding the door open for me, before he followed me in.

"The diner okay?" He asked as we gathered our things for our respective lockers.

I looked over at him and said "Yeah, that's fine." Before I closed my locker and went to stand near him, waiting for him to be ready.

When he was ready, we walked out of the locker room, and continued to walk the lab's halls, again side by side, until we stepped out into the high and unforgiving Nevada sun.

"I'm not used to being out…hell up for that matter when the sun is this high." Warrick said on a light heartless laugh.

I nodded my head in agreement. I rarely saw the sun in this magnitude, normally stepping out when it was just setting and getting in just before it rose.

It just so happened that we had parked next to each other, and we each got into our cars at about the same time. Warrick led the way in his black BMW. How he ever came across the cash to pay for, I will never know, because I will never ask…but I have my speculations about how he came across it.

Within ten minutes we were pulling into the local diner…the entire lab's favorite place to go after a long day. We again parked next to each other.

Once we were both out of the car and standing next to each other, starting to walk in I said in casual passing "I could get used to this sun thing…working in it I mean. Getting up and being able to see it all day…and going to sleep when a regular person does…it'd be nice I think."

Warrick gave me a look filled with an emotion I couldn't place, but ignored it and it was gone before we even stepped into the cool, air conditioned diner.

A waitress came up to greet us with a friendly, familiar smile "Two?" She asked.

Warrick nodded and we followed her to a table, where we sat down and she placed menus in front of us.

"I'll be back in a minute." She said before she left us to look over our food choices.

We mulled over our options in silence, both of us already having decided what we were to have. The waitress was back soon, took our orders and then left again…promising our drinks soon.

We sat for another silent moment, I could feel Warrick scrutinizing my face, but I wouldn't look at him…I couldn't look at him. I was too afraid that if I did chance a peak at his eyes, I would give away all the things I was keeping bottled up. Warrick had always been good a prying the truth out of me…somehow he always knew just how to make me talk.

"Sara…are you okay?" He asked slowly, almost cautiously.

I finally looked up at him, seeing the emotion I expected to see…worry.

I sighed heavily, partly out of tiredness, and partly because I knew I had just lost a small battle. "I'm fine…same as always."

Warrick gave me a knowing look, seeing through my lie and getting ready to make me spill my guts.

"Are you sure?" He asked as if he were talking to a five year old.

I looked at him, an emotion similar to anger flaring up inside me. "And if I say I'm fine again…will you drop this?"

Warrick gave out a short laugh and said "What do you think?"

I was silent for a moment and then said in defeat "Fine…what is it that you want from me…what do you want to know…what's your concern this time?"

I knew he would have been slightly offended by my slightly sarcastic tone if he hadn't been so worried about my mental and emotional well-being.

"You've been working late again." He noted off-handedly, but I knew where he was taking this.

"Yes…and so have you." I said as calmly as I could.

"So then Sara…tell me why the forever workaholic suddenly wants to take a Christmas vacation?"

This comment did anger me slightly "Am I not entitled to the occasional break?"

"No of course you are…but you must understand when and where my radar went off. You…who works every Christmas…every holiday for that matter…you who pulls doubles regularly and even comes in on her days off. How do you expect me to react when all of the sudden you declare you're taking a couple days off out of the blue?"

I gave Warrick a weary look just as the waitress came by with our drinks. Warrick looked a little put off at being disrupted from his rant, his heavy flow of accusations now cut and less meaningful…less affective.

When the waitress had gone, Warrick fixed me with his knowing and intense gaze. After a few minutes of being under his intense scrutiny I snapped in a way and said tersely "Okay…I give up…ask what you need to ask…do it…you win."

Warrick smiled tightly, but it never reached his eyes for in the next second he was somber and serious almost resentful.

"Sara…I don't know how to say this…because I don't know where the line is…but does this have anything to do with Grissom?"

I gawked at him. How could this not have anything to do with Grissom? How could my sudden need to get away not have to do with Grissom being and inconsiderate ass? Jesus…men sometimes are so dense, it irks me.

"I take that as a yes then." He said when I didn't answer his question. "Sara…I know I'm not Catherine and I don't have these super female powers…but please talk to me…I want to help you."

I sighed, my defense broken. "Alright then…all of this has to do with Grissom…everything I do has to do with Grissom." I said half yelling.

Warrick looked at me with the sympathy I dreaded…it seemed as if he didn't know what to say.

"Don't look at me like that." I said quietly, looking away from him in shame.

"Hey," He said suddenly, making me look at him. "If he can't love you the way you love him…than he in NO way deserves even to have your thoughts sent his way, let alone be able to stand in your presence."

We sat there in silence for a while longer until I let out an uncontrolled, uninhibited laugh. Warrick joined in soon after he looked at me like I was crazy.

"A little too much comforting?" He asked once he had gotten much of his laughter under control.

I sighed as I allowed the feeling of my sore abdominal muscles to turn into pleasure, for I hadn't laughed that hard in a while. "No actually…not at all."

Our food came then, the mood shifted slightly, but not by much.

"So…they went out to dinner?" He asked suddenly.

I looked at my food for a long while, suddenly losing my appetite "Yeah…I guess they did."

Warrick, hearing the sudden sad note in my voice quickly said "Don't worry about it…I'm sure it's nothing."

"Don't lie to me…he lies to me enough as it is…not you too." I said not really speaking to him, but more to my food.

He was silent again and then he said "He's just…doesn't know a good thing…a great thing when he sees one…that's how normal asses are." Warrick was trying to cheer me up…it wasn't working.

And then…all of the sudden…I heard his voice. Warrick's and my head both spun around to see him just entering the dining space, getting ready to take his seat.

I was vaguely aware of Warrick asking more than worriedly "Sara are you okay…you look like you're going to be sick."

He was right, because as he said these words my stomach gave another sickening churn…and she sat down with him…laughing heartily, smiling a smile that reached the eyes, looking more than at ease…and that's just what he was doing…no where near the lines she was suddenly crossing.

A/N Okay so i know it's not the conversation you were hoping for, but now just imagine the conversation they're (Grissom and Sara) going to have in the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews! and i hope you enjoy reading this chapter!