Chapter Twenty

Catherine awoke when she heard her daughter's unmistakable laughter and energetic slamming of doors. She could also hear her sister's soft warning to keep the noise down.

Catherine found it extremely hard to extricate herself from Sara's embrace. Not that she wanted to but she couldn't risk her sister or daughter finding them here and getting the wrong idea. Sara's arms were curved strongly around Catherine and short of jerking them away she didn't know what to do.

"Sara." She finally whispered.

Sara shifted a little but showed no signs of waking up.

"Sara." This time a little forcefully. Sara's eyes snapped open. They were clouded with confusion for a moment, obviously trying to comprehend why she was staring at Catherine.

"Sara, Lindsay's home. I've got to go down and see to her." Catherine sounded woeful.

Sara removed her hands and as if jolted by electricity her body was up and out of bed.

"Hey, sis!" Nancy Flynn, a slender woman with hair a lighter blonde than Catherine's, greeted with a warm smile.

"Hey Nancy." Catherine kissed her sister's cheeks. "I hardly get to see you now."

"Yeah, I'm still renovating my place. You know how lazy those painters get when you leave them out of sight." Nancy chuckled. "Plus, you said that your friend was taking care of Lindsay for the time being."

"Yep, I didn't want to leave her alone so I threw her and Lindsay together." Catherine laughed.

"Do I get to meet this mystery friend of yours?" Nancy grinned.

"Too late, Aunt Nancy!" Lindsay's voice boomed. "Ladies and ladies, let me introduce to you… the beautiful, the intelligent, the really cool, Sara!"

Sara cheeks turned tomato red as she allowed Lindsay to drag her down the stairs.

"I finally meet Sara Sidle." Nancy smiled. "My sister's one critical nut when it comes to other women. But I can safely say, you are one of the very few in our gender that she actually admires."

"Nancy!"

"Thank you." Sara offered sheepishly.

"Hey Sara, this is Jeremy." Lindsay pulled a freckle-faced, scrawny boy from beside her. "Jeremy, this is Sara."

"Hi Jeremy." Sara smiled.

Lindsay was now talking a mile a minute and Sara was trying to translate it into more coherent sentences. Jeremy stuck close to his cousin, occasionally staring wide-eyed at Sara.

"Hey, I have some groceries in my car. Help me get them, will you?" Nancy had to shout into Catherine's ears to snap her attention away from Sara and the children.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Catherine followed her sister outside.

"So, this is the same Sara Sidle you couldn't stand few months ago?" Nancy asked once they were out of the house.

"That was a long time ago, sis!" Catherine barked.

"I can definitely see that." Nancy murmured cryptically. She unloaded grocery bags from her car and handed them to Catherine.

"You look great." She remarked.

Catherine frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm complimenting you, Cath. The least you could do is say thank you." Nancy rolled her eyes.

"I'm still in my work clothes which I slept in. My hair's a mess and I have zero makeup on me. How could I possibly be looking great?"

"You know after Eddie's death something happened to you. I can't describe what but there was definitely something missing. But today, I see that it's returned." Nancy observed.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"C'mon, spill it already. Who are you dating?"

"No one!"

"Right and I am the Queen of England."

"Nancy, I swear I'm not dating anyone." Catherine grimaced. "And anyways, I'm a little tired of guys walking all over and out on me."

"But there's definitely something going on." Nancy declared. "And not just you, I see it in Lindsay too. Have both of you been visiting some Buddhist retreat by any chance?"

"Yeah, Lindsay will love that." Catherine smirked.

"So what is it?"

"Dear God, Nancy, you are so annoying!"

"I don't see any recent changes in your life. I mean, you haven't modified your house according to Feng Shui or anything so that couldn't be the cause. You haven't even got a new job away from dead bodies, so that couldn't be the cause either. The only change I can see is…" Nancy's eyes widened. "Sara."

"Let's get these groceries in, shall we?" Catherine muttered.

"Sara's the reason, that's interesting." Nancy's brows were knit in thought.

"There is no reason! You just watch too many X Files reruns."

"Hey, and I thought you were the investigator here." Nancy smirked. "Okay, sis… here's the thing. Lindsay talks about nothing else but Sara nowadays. Sara did this, Sara did that, Sara talks this, Sara watches that… you get my point. But the important thing is, Lindsay's so happy when she talks about Sara. Oh yeah, she also mentions how Sara and her Mom accompanies her in the living room and watch TV together."

"Lindsay's a child and she's got a friend. Of course, she'll be happy." Catherine reasoned.

"So, what about you? What is the cause of your happiness?"

"I'm happy because my daughter's happy."

"And how about the person who's making your daughter happy?"

"What about her?" Catherine retorted.

Nancy stood silently, watching her sister for a moment. And then, unexpectedly and to Catherine's chagrin, she broke out into a loud laugh.

"What's so Goddamn funny?"

"You are so dense, it's unbelievable." Nancy wiped tears from her eyes. "It's a good thing it was me who caught you. You should have seen the way you were staring at Sara a few minutes earlier or the way your eyes glisten when Lindsay is holding Sara's hand… or maybe the way you blush like a new bride at the mention of Sara."

"Shut up!"

"Cath, you are attracted to Sara! If you don't already know that, then it's confirmed, I'm the sister with the brains." Nancy clucked her tongue. She dodged when Catherine threw a tissue box at her.

"You better keep your theories to yourself." Catherine threatened but she was already catching her sister's infectious humor and found herself smiling.

"Hey guys, you need any help?" Sara's voice made Catherine literally jump out of her shoes. She glared at Nancy's devilish expression.

"No, we were just coming in." Nancy grinned. "Catherine here is pretty slow. See how long it takes her to bring a few bags of groceries out of the car."

That earned Nancy a smack on her shoulders. Catherine walked through her door, cursing under her breath.

Catherine convinced Nancy to stay until dinner. She was half-eager to catch up with her sister and half-afraid to spend time alone with Sara. What happened that morning between them was both wonderful and disturbing. Added to it were Nancy's teasing innuendos and now Catherine found it hard to talk or look at Sara without blushing.

Nancy had now taken it as her personal mission to find out more about Sara and the two were chatting like old ladies as they marinated the corn cob. As for Catherine, well, she was struggling to not ogle at the way Sara smiled or the curve of her hips when she leant against the wall.

All through dinner, Nancy barraged Sara with questions about San Francisco, Harvard, Physics, school life, college life, coroner work to less serious topics like surfing and music. Catherine had heard much of it before but she couldn't tear her eyes from the way Sara moved her hands when she talked or the way the gap between her teeth made her smile a hundred times cuter.

Several times Nancy had caught her staring and had winked at her sister. Catherine had shot her a warning glance before turning her attention someplace else. It was a rather difficult task seeing how she was the only one quiet at the dinner table. Lindsay and Jeremy were discussing some video game whose name eludes her. Sara did her best to include her in the conversation but nothing more than monosyllables flowed out of Catherine's dry throat. All her attention was focused on not gawking at Sara's lips or anywhere lower.

Damn Nancy for putting ideas inside my brain! - Catherine shot eye daggers at her sister.

Seeing that it was a day off from work for Catherine, Nancy stayed a little longer than usual. However, when the children couldn't hide their yawns any further, Nancy decided to go home with Jeremy.

Nancy and Jeremy's departure brought about a serene quietude in the house. Lindsay had drowsily sauntered into her bedroom. By the time Catherine went to kiss her goodnight, the girl was fast asleep.

Catherine was far from sleepy. Her body clock had been timed to stay wide awake at night thanks to the hectic graveyard shift.

Sara was settled on the couch, deep in thought. Something was happening to her and even though she liked it, she wasn't sure it was a good thing. Whatever had ensued between her and Catherine that morning had completely jostled her feelings out of dormancy. She wouldn't deny that she was attracted towards Catherine from that very first day she had opened her eyes in the hospital. Okay, now that she thought about it, she had felt a little attraction even during the first day when she had come to Vegas and met Catherine. But this, whatever this was, felt stranger than she had ever experienced or correctly, remembered experiencing. Suddenly a mere attraction had crossed all boundaries of friendship or lust and arrived… where?

She wondered if she had the legendary spider sense because she could feel she wasn't alone in the room. She looked up to find Catherine watching her. Their gazes locked and time both stood still and rushed past.

What the hell is happening to me? – A small voice screamed inside Sara.

"Would you like a beer?" Catherine asked, her hands were holding two bottles.

"Sure." Sara took one of them from her.

Catherine sat opposite her. They sipped their beer in awkward silence.

"Sara…"

"Cath…"

They both spoke in unison. They stopped, blinked and then bubbled out laughter.

Catherine gestured for Sara to speak first.

"I just wanted to thank you." Sara spoke, softly. "You listened and… it felt really nice telling you. Thank you. Thank you very much."

"I should thank you." Catherine's lips curved in the warmest of smiles. "I want to thank you for trusting and confiding in me. It really meant a lot that you shared your deepest pain with me."

"I… usually… don't tell anyone." Sara swallowed. "As far as I remember, I never even told Grissom."

Grissom! – Catherine momentarily flinched at the mention of his name. She mentally shook away the emotion. Now was not the time to bring up Grissom's subject with Sara.

"So, now what?" Sara asked carefully.

"Now we dance." Catherine simpered. Before a perplexed Sara could respond, Catherine had turned on her CD player. The smooth notes from a piano filled the room.

"May I?" Catherine offered her hand.

Sara looked at the hand and then at Catherine and then gave a coy smile. "Catherine, I suck at dancing."

"Never you mind, Ma'am. I will teach you a few simple steps. Come on." Catherine shot her a charming smile.

Sara gulped and then placed her hand in Catherine's. Catherine tugged her fingers and Sara was on her feet. She brought the brunette closer and then sunk her fingers onto her shoulder blades.

"Now just follow my rhythm." Catherine instructed. Sara linked her fingers into hers and brought her other hand to rest against the slender waist.

The music was now punctuated with a male voice soulfully crooning out the words. Sara immediately realized the lyrics weren't in English. A hauntingly romantic tune played in the background coupled with the still playing keys of the piano. She understood what Catherine meant by a rhythm as her body automatically began to sway in response. She stumbled a little at the beginning as she clumsily tried to move. But Catherine's grip steadied her and her body started to synchronize itself to Catherine's movements.

Very soon, they had swayed towards the center of the room. Catherine, being shorter had placed her head in the smooth curve of Sara's neck. Sara breathed in the floral scent of Catherine's shampoo.

Sara began humming the tune. This pleased Catherine who brought her nose to nuzzle against Sara's jawbone. Without thinking, Sara kissed the top of the blonde head and stroked the forehead below with her lips. Their bodies had shifted considerably nearer so that now their curves fit against each other.

"Sara…" A tiny vestige of reason flashed a warning inside Catherine's head.

"Cath…" Sara cuddled her face with her own. Her fingers slightly increased their pressure against the sensitive skin. That warning was getting dimmer and dimmer by the second.

Catherine had now moved her hands to curl around Sara's neck. She used it to propel the other woman's head forward. Sara closed her eyes and Catherine kissed the lowered eyelashes and the incredibly soft skin below it. Sara was in turn showering her face with feathery light kisses.

Passion flared between them with an intensity that couldn't be bridled. As their lips met, their tongues darted out in a frenzied excitement. They tasted and devoured. Sara reluctantly left the lush lips to capture the sensitive arch of Catherine's neck. She moaned as the skin of her neck encountered the wet sharpness of Sara's teeth. Tongue suckled and soothed the pain. Sara had dug her fingers in Catherine's hair and brought her closer to give her better access to all the warm skin. Catherine clung to her, scared of being swept away by her own passion.

"Cath, if you don't want this, tell me…" Sara's huskily whispered as they both plopped down on the sofa.

"I want this… I want this…" Catherine chanted as Sara's breath in her ear brought a shudder inside.

They were both balanced precariously against restraint and wanton abandonment. The heated flesh beneath them wasn't making matters easy. Catherine's fingers had already started to crawl beneath Sara's shirt.

Sara grunted as she felt teasing fingers play with her nipples. She proceeded to unzip Catherine's jeans.

Catherine threw her head backwards and allowed Sara to climb over her. She was about to explode as her veins filled with burning lava. Her entire body convulsed under its pressure.

Just as she felt Sara's fingers encountering her bare center, a soul-jarring noise pounded into her eardrums.

Sara looked at her dazed, carnal fervor still smoldering in her dark eyes. The sound came again. Catherine eventually recognized it as her ring tone.

"What the fuck!" She swore, torn by the desire to answer what could be an emergency or to continue reveling in what was almost the height of rapture. The evil cell phone rang and rang until it iced through their heated embrace.

"I should get it." Catherine muttered. Sara wordlessly moved aside.

"Willows." This better be really good and really important or else I'm committing murder tonight!

"Catherine, are you alright?" Grissom's cool voice buzzed at the other end.

"Grissom? No, I'm fine. Any reason you called?" She asked, catching her breath and fumbling with her jeans at the same time.

"I know it's your day off but I was hoping to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Um, if you didn't have anything important to do tonight, could you stop by the lab right now?"

"Now!"

"Yes, if you are okay with it."

Catherine frowned. Grissom sounded slightly nervous which was very unlike the Grissom she knew.

"Is everything alright, Gil?"

"Yeah… yeah… I just wanted to talk.'

That was pretty scary.

"Ok, I'll be there in a few." Catherine answered. She flipped her phone shut and steeled herself at having to face Sara.

Sara was guzzling down the remaining beer when Catherine turned around.

"Grissom called. He wants me to go to the lab right now."

"Everything ok?" Sara frowned with concern.

"I don't know. He sounded strange on the phone." Catherine gave Sara a contrite look. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's ok." Sara stood up and enveloped Catherine in a quick, reassuring hug. "You should go. I'll wait up. I still have to work on my notebook thing."

"Thanks Sara. I'll be back as soon as I figure out what's eating Gilbert Grissom." She grinned.

Catherine's feet seemed to have grown some extra springs as she almost bounced her way towards her car. She didn't know what this new direction in her relationship with Sara meant. But whatever it was, she was determined to enjoy it and strengthen it.

With one long lingering look at her house, she drove away.