A/N: Here is my next update. I know you all want/need them to get back together, heck I need it too. But there are still a couple issues I need to work around. So please, be patient for a little longer!

The words in italics are Sara's thoughts. Enjoy!

Chapter 36

Don't look at me like that, please… Catherine steps closer towards me, her stare fixed on my eyes. Oh no don't bite your lower lip… She looks me up and down, unmistakably checking me out in a most seductive way. Not so close, please don't touch me. Her hand runs up my arm ever so slowly, my breath hitches and my temperature increases with every inch of flesh she touches. I feel dizzy from her proximity, if she doesn't step away from me I'm going to kiss her senseless. I can already feel her lips on mine when vivid images run through my overactive mind.

'Are you coming down with a cold? You feel hot? Sara Sidle do you have a fever and still came to work?' Cath you have no idea. I keep staring at her, not able to move nor to speak. 'Oh no the cold already affected your larynx.' You're so funny.

'I'm fine.' I squeak.

'Doesn't sound like you're fine.' She's smirking, she knows just what she's doing to me. I gulp audibly which did not go unnoticed. She licks her bottom lip and I almost faint from the overwhelming sensations running through me like a wild fire.

'You…have…to…stop…' I breathe out indistinctly. She stands on tiptoes bringing her lips closer to mine, my sharp intake of breath makes her eyes darken with desire. I feel her hot breath on my lips and know I'm lost.

'Cath, Sara you still in here? Everything okay?' Damn Warrick and his bad timing.

Catherine immediately steps back, still looking at me like she's about to ravish me on the spot. 'Everything alright in here, isn't it Sara?' she shouts back at the door with Warrick behind it.

'Uhuh.' Is all I can bring out.

'I'm relieved to hear that…you weren't up to something um… incriminating at the workplace, were you?' we hear the big grin he's sporting through the tone of his voice.

'Actually I was just about to rip Sara's clothes off and ravish her with my hands and tongue until she screamed my name several times.' My knees give out on me and I land hard on my ass.

Warrick heard the bang and steps in with a troubled look, when he sees me he breaks out in laughter 'Cath, you should be ashamed of yourself. Look at her, I think she's going to faint.'

Cath is laughing until she's hiccoughing, then she grabs her sides. I assume they hurt from the way she was laughing. I don't see the amusement in the situation, she was about to kiss me. A kiss that would have lead to so much more, I don't care we're at work if she was going to ravish me she could just as well do it on the street see if I would give a damn. No way I would turn her down and deny my body endless pleasure.

I scowl at the both of them before standing up 'Funny, very funny.' my words are full of sarcasm. Catherine and Warrick immediately end their laughter looking at me with apologetic faces, then they take a quick look at each other and erupt into giggles. I roll my eyes and walk away from them.

This is how it has been for weeks, not the laughing but the thing between Cath and me. We have slowly but steadily grown closer to each other, we started our breakfast routine again, spent our nights off with each other and Lindsey. Sometimes we even seek each other's company with no apparent motive. We steal glances at one another when we think nobody notices, when we work together we touch each other a lot more than is necessary.

Last week I took her out on a date, we went for a long walk in the moonlight we enjoyed the food and the bottle of wine I brought with us and we talked. Afterwards we went to my place, I prepared a nice bath for her (she had to take it alone otherwise my narrative would become a little less PG) when she came out of the bathroom I gave her a foot-massage. The guys are hopeful that we might get back together like it should be according to them.

I don't quite know what's been holding us back but we haven't made any real steps towards a romantic relationship yet. Until today we have behaved in a totally appropriate manner, but our building desire for each other is beginning to make it difficult not to ravish the other on the spot.

Actually we have talked a lot about life, work and Lindsey but we haven't talked about us, not once. I have been trying to tell her I want her back, but something holds me back. Is it fear, I don't know. I don't think there's an actual reason for it, just me. I keep telling myself when the time is right… but so far it's never been right. I should have taken the opportunity when I still had a chance.

Ecklie who's been promoted to lab director has a sick sense of humor, he decided to break our team up. He has been after Grissom for as long as I can remember but can't find anything against him. So in a way of punishment or just pure cruelty he split us up. Catherine has been promoted to swing shift supervisor instead of day's like she applied for. Nick and Warrick work for her. That leaves Greg and me working for Grissom. And poor Sofia who had to run the inquiry against Grissom but couldn't find any incriminating evidence has been demoted and has to join our team.

Catherine is furious when she learns about the change, this means she will be able to spend even less time with her daughter and of course with me. I don't know how we're going to manage but somehow we will. Don't make promises you can't keep. In some way I feel responsible for the split-up, we never had the conversation about my therapy and I knew Ecklie would benefit from even the smallest piece of wrongdoing on Grissom's part. Grissom told me I should never have to cover for my boss and it made me feel a little better.

My Catherine-time has been reduced to a couple of hours a week, I can't take her away from the little time she spends with Lindsey and when they manage to do something together I'm either sleeping or working. I sometimes see her in the lab, but not more than a couple minutes, when we're really lucky we have time to say hi otherwise we just get to nod and smile. I can't spend any time with her after shift because that would mean she would have to stay awake for hours before my shift ends… But what I feared the most were our nights off, we had arranged them to be almost the same without anyone becoming aware of it. Now her nights or days or whatever… off are on completely other dates than mine. We don't have one time off together, so much for dating her. Even if we would be together now I don't think we would see each other often. How am I supposed to have a relationship with her now?

I hate Ecklie

Poor Sofia indeed… what Ecklie did to her is even worse than what he did to our team. He not only demoted her but took her away from her friends and colleagues. Working days meant she worked like regular people from 9 to 5, then she went home and could spend her evening like she wanted. Her friends all have a regular daytime job too, they can still get together but now without Sofia because she has to work.

I don't exactly know how long she has been a CSI but her life is turned upside down by this simple switch. It takes months, for some people even years, before you are used to having little sunlight in your life. It's also totally different to spend your mornings like evenings, fair enough in Vegas it doesn't matter that much because you can always find a bar even a restaurant to be open 24/7 but it's not the same.

Also she has to work with people she barely knows and who barely know her. I have seen her around the lab when I pulled a double but I didn't know who she was or even what her name was, I only knew she was a CSI working for Ecklie which meant not a friend. When we were finally introduced it was under the worst circumstances ever, she was investigating Grissom therefore also Grissom's team, us.

That means she has to work with people she investigated add the fact there are people with trust-issues and you can imagine how tough this has to be for her. I for one don't trust her, me and my trust-issues had a hard time to come around the fact that she played for Ecklie's team. She is a nice person and she has a special ability which I admire, she can talk to Grissom in a way no one can not even Catherine. They have natural chemistry, at first I found it pretty annoying but now I think it's cute.

Sofia tried to be friendly, of course I shot every attempt down. She's attractive, smart, funny, well-read, she has blonde hair and clear blue eyes everything you would want in a woman still I don't want her. Not even as a friend, not yet. First she'll have to gain my trust a bit more. And since she also has her way of sweet talking Catherine…I don't think it will be soon. I made it unmistakably clear to her that I don't trust her when I was looking through some files and she offered a helping hand, I told her I didn't need help.

Although we're not the best of friends, I still pity her and what she has gone through and I respect her for the fact she comes to work with a smile every day, she's always friendly and ready to help anyone. I would never be able to do that, every day coming face to face with the fact that I was demoted and still wear a big smile. I have to admit she's an amazing woman and given time we will learn to be friends…

Thanks for reading! If you want them to be together... then review. Maybe then I'll speed the process a bit ;-).