„It's so good to see you." Greg hugged Sara. She was back in Vegas. Not as a CSI but she was back. Her old colleagues had called for a meeting, a meeting of the old graveyard shift and Sara had said yes. She took a weekend off and flew to Vegas. Catherine had organized a hotel room for her in one of Sam Braun's old casinos. Sara wondered if Catherine or her mum owned the casinos now. She had never asked Catherine about this.
"Greggo, how's life treating you?"
"Good even if they still treat me as a the lab guy with the crazy hair style."
"Your hair doesn't look crazy anymore." She let her fingers run through Greg's hair. It was a little bit weird to be back with her old colleagues, to see them again. Especially Grissom. They smiled at each other when Sara came to the table where they were standing, they've greeted like they've greeted all the others. No hard feelings were between them but it was a little bit weird to see the man she was once supposed to marry.
"Even I get older."
"Looks like."
"Woa, stunning blonde on three o'clock, coming our way" Nick grinned.
Sara didn't turn but she sensed Sofia before she could see her. And who else could be a stunning blonde? There was just one stunning blonde, at least in Sara's world.
"Sorry guys I'm late."
"You were busy collecting telephone numbers?" Brass was teasing his old colleague.
"No."
"Come on, I saw you at least taking three on your last few yards to here."
"Want some numbers?" Sofia asked with a cocky smile.
"No, thanks. You can call them all yourself."
"There's only one number I call and this number is already my speed dial number one." Sofia wrapped her arm around Sara's waist who didn't say a word the whole time and kissed her.
"Whoa, what's that?" Greg asked.
"That's my stunning girl friend." Sofia grinned.
"Stunning? That was the word Nick used for you." Sara took Sofia's hand. And she had to say, Nick was right. Sofia was more than stunning in her skin tight bright red dress, that made her long legs look even more longer. Her long blond hair was falling softly over her shoulder on her back. No wonder that she had collected a few telephone numbers.
"When he said there's a stunning blonde on three o'clock I knew, it can be only you."
"You and…?" Greg looked in disbelieve to Sara. "Wow. How?"
"What can I say, we met last year in L.A. and somehow we stayed in touch and the touch became very close." Sara smiled. She hadn't tell Greg. But Grissom knew, he was the only one who didn't stare at the two women. Sara had thought it was only fair to tell him before he would see them today. He was happy for her.
"I hope you're taking care of Sara, Sofia." Grissom said with a smile.
"I try to. It's not that easy, we're still living in different cities."
"No one of you guys is ready to move?" Catherine asked amused.
"We try to figure out who has the better job. Now Sara is waiting for a free space at the CSI San Jose and I'm waiting for a place as a lieutenant in Fresno. Whatever comes up first we'll take."
"Yes, the job will make the decision. How's the baby?"
"Fine."
"Baby?" Nick's voice was full of surprise. They had a baby too?
"His name is Tobey and he's fine. I gave him his dinner and he's waiting for us."
"Tobey is a Rottweiler" Sara explained. "He's seven months and he's our baby. Or he is Sofia's dog…"
"…but he loves Sara with all his heart and soul. Right from the beginning. So yeah, he is our baby."
"As the owner as the dog." Greg grinned.
Sofia smiled. She didn't love Sara right from the beginning, but she did it now. Tobey was simply better in finding out who fit to Sofia, she had to admire that.
"So there's no chance to get the two of you back to Vegas?" Nick asked.
"No." Sara said before Sofia could say anything.
"The same answer we got from Grissom." Nick was disappointed. He was hoping this meeting could get the old team back together but it seemed like the three who left didn't want to be back in the sin city.
"Where are you at the moment, Gil?" Sofia asked.
"Philadelphia. I'm working at the university, teaching. No more dead bodies, no more night shifts."
"Plenty of bugs."
"That's for sure."
"You could be a bug man here at the university, you could be a lieutenant with the LVPD and you could be a CSI with us." Nick tried it again.
"No way." Sara stopped his idea. "No more Vegas. Nothing against you guys but I'm done with this city. I like Fresno and if I have to leave I'll go to San Jose. I don't want to live in a desert anymore, I want to have forests and the ocean not too far away. There's no way you'll get me back to sand and heat."
"And I won't go anywhere without her." Sofia added.
"She has you in her hand?" Greg tried to tease Sofia who only nodded seriously.
"Yes, she does. Even if I wanted to leave her, my dog would force me to go back to her immediately. Tobey adores Sara."
"He's a smart guy and they look so good together." Sara grinned. Tobey was almost a grown up dog now, at least when it came to his height. With his dark black hair he looked perfect next to Sofia. And they both knew it. They made heads turn around when they walked through the city or the park.
"That means we have to enjoy our weekend with you guys because you won't stay."
"No, we won't. But we'll come along the lab tomorrow to say hello to the other guys. And to see how the two supervisors manage their teams." Sofia grinned at Nick and Catherine. "What did Ecklie say when you guys told him about your relationship?"
"Will there ever be no trouble with the night shift?" Catherine quoted with a laughter.
"Probably not."
"Imagine his terror if we all would be back. He just had you two guys separated and then he would worry the whole time about Sara and me. Not to imagine we would be on the same crime scene we could…I don't know? Forget the evidence and get lost in passion?"
"How romantic, kissing while we're surrounded by bodies." Sara rolled her eyes.
"As far as I know Sara she can hold her feelings back when she's working." Catherine said. "Otherwise we'd have known earlier that she and Gil were together."
"Ecklie was very confused by that." Grissom said with a smile. "According to him, women always want that their relationship is public. I wonder where he gets his information about women from."
"Catherine didn't say anything, I did." Nick said and gave the old team another example for Ecklie being wrong.
"Well women change." Brass said. His ex-wife was exactly like the women Ecklie has described. But she wasn't the best thought for a good evening out with friends.
"We become scary to the men world." Sofia grinned.
"Seeing you in this dress isn't exactly scaring me." Greg countered.
"If I tell you I'm sill wearing my gun, would it scare you?"
"You're not…!?" The eyes of the young CSI went huge as he looked again from Sofia from head to toe, wondering where she might have a gun and then coming to the conclusion, he better didn't think about that.
"She goes hiking with a gun." Sara chuckled.
"When you force me to go to places full of bears, yes, I take my gun."
"Bears usually don't attack human." Grissom said.
"Usually, yes. But what if when we meet a bear that didn't pay enough attention in bear school and doesn't know it has to avoid us? What if when it thinks we might be a lovely dinner? Or if it thinks my girl friend should be his? For cases like that I need my gun."
"It was King Kong who took the blond woman, so Sara should be the one who's worried." Nick grinned.
"I'm kind of used to that most guys try to hit on my girlfriend. That's why I'm happy she has Tobey."
"I think, Sofia knows how to get rid off guys." Cath said dryly.
"I do but Tobey is good. Last week there was a guy in the park and he started to talk to me, was trying to hit on me. When I called Tobey back, he went quite white. First of all he must have been thinking my dog was the little poodle, when the huge black Rottweiler came to us and Tobey started to growl at him, he turned very white. When I adjusted that my dog is very jealous and only accept my partner on my side, he was gone."
"As I said I love that dog. You told him I'll be there tonight?"
"Yes he knows and I think, he's sitting in front of the door, waiting for you. When Sara once told him via web cam she'd be there in three hours, Tobey was sitting in front of my door waiting for her as soon as she had locked of." Everybody started to laugh.
"How is Hank?" Sara asked Grissom.
"He's fine, he found himself a little girlfriend. The daughter of my neighbor, twelve, she takes him out for walks every day. Her mother told her, if she wants a dog, she has to prove she'll take care of one. Hank is her training dog, she has to take him out for six month, every day, no matter how the weather is. The first three weeks were no problem, but her mother thinks, as soon as there's a week with rain, her daughter will turn back to a computer game."
"What would be sad, children should spend time with animals and not with computer." Nick said.
"Look at Lindsey, they prefer virtual pets. They've their pet in the internet, they take care of and when they're tired of it, they just start another game."
"Better than chasing guys."
"Don't even mention that. I'm so happy she kicked her boyfriend out. What an awful guy, I guess, that was the worst guy she ever brought home."
"You say that about every guy." Nick laughed and got the evil eyes from Catherine. Yes she was concerned about the kind of guys her daughter chose, Lindsey had too much a taste for guys like Catherine's mother. She was sure, if there was somewhere a young Sam Braun, Lindsey would fall for him. But hadn't Catherine done the same? She was afraid, it was a family thing.
"I guess it was fun." Sofia kissed Sara as soon as they were in the room and before Tobey could manage to tear them apart. He was so happy to see Sara, he pushed Sofia simply away and placed himself in Sara's arms.
"Tobey, hey, did you miss me?" Sara hugged the dog and kissed him on the head.
"Tobey, don't ever do that again!" Sofia stared at her dog. "Don't you ever dare to come between my girlfriend and me! Do you hear me?" Tobey did hear her, that was no question, but he didn't look like her cared. He was completely focused on Sara, trying to climb on her lap.
"Jealous?" Sara smiled to her girlfriend.
"Yes!"
"Cute. I still love you, Sofia."
"Tell him. He acts like I'm nothing to you."
"I love Sofia, Tobey." Sara rubbed the ears of the Rottweiler. "You know, she was so stunning tonight, everybody turned around when she entered the club, everybody wanted to be by her side, they tried to give her telephone numbers, they tried to keep her away but she didn't care about them, she came to me, she took me in her arms and showed everybody, she belongs to me. She made it very clear the most beautiful woman belongs to me." Sara's hand touched Sofia's leg and gently run over the silky skin.
"So tell me, do you really have a gun with you?"
"Do you want to search me?" Sofia offered with a cocky smile.
"You'd like that, I know." Sara moved her hand to Sofia's other leg and found the gun at the cnemis of her lover. "Oh Sofia."
"What?"
"Why?"
"I'm a lieutenant, I've to be ready for an emergency all the time."
"You found the only place on your body where your dress is not skin tight."
"Yes. And I tell you, as much as I enjoy wearing this stuff, it's not handy. Maybe I should get a handbag next time."
"Mind if I take your gun away? Or do you want to secure the room first?"
"No, I think, Tobey did that." Sofia took Sara's hand and got her up so that she could look in her eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing." Sofia kissed Sara gently.
"Nothing?" Sara smiled. She knew Sofia had something.
Sofia pulled Sara closer to her and kissed her neck, her ear. "I love you."
"I love you too." How could it be that these words still gave Sara a shiver? It wasn't the first time Sofia told her she loves her, but everytime she did, Sara's hair stood up and she felt goose bumps all over her body.
"What do you think of going to bed with me?"
"I think I'd really like that." Sara took Sofia's hand.
"Good. I want you to get me out of this dress and replace it with your lips."
"I think I'd love to do that." Sara started to kiss Sofia's shoulder.
"Sorry Tobey, you have to stay outside." Sofia grinned when she closed the bedroom door in front of her dog. "I want this woman for myself. You're allowed to go for a walk with her tomorrow. Sleep tight, black boy."
"Good night, Tobey. I promise I'll take care of Sofia."
"As will I of you."