Sara stepped out of the shower, squinting through the steam as she reached for her towel hanging on the corner of the cubicle wall.
As she wrapped it around herself, stepping out of the warm haze into the cool of the dressing area, she was startled to find a figure sitting quietly on the bench. Catherine wasn't looking directly at her, but she tilted her head back and released a sigh when Sara emerged. She hadn't heard a sound, so she couldn't even begin to guess how long she'd been there.
"Hey." She greeted simply.
"What are you doing in here?" Sara asked, grasping her towel tighter around her body.
"Waiting for you." Cath answered easily, flicking her eyes briefly towards her colleague, before fixing them on the wall again.
Sara remained where she was for a moment as she debated what to do next.
"Do you have to wait in here?" She asked at last, moving so she was stood behind her colleague in an attempt to reduce the awkwardness of the situation she had found herself in.
"I wanted to talk to you in private." Catherine explained, dropping her head. "And some people don't seem to want to leave me alone with you right now."
Sara nodded slowly in understanding of who she was talking about.
"They're just being protective." She said with a touch of defensiveness, crossing her arms. The cold air of the room was beginning to settle into her skin.
"Oh I know." Catherine agreed. "And it's good, I like that they're looking out for you. It's just hard to get chance to talk to you with everyone scrutinising us."
"Okay." Sara agreed with a hint of scepticism as she tentatively dropped her towel to her waist and began dressing as hurriedly as she could. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Catherine was discreet enough to keep her back turned, but she lifted her head again and released a sigh.
"I wanted to say thank you." She offered. "You didn't have to go to bat for me with Grissom. I know he doesn't want me on this case."
"Yeah, well." Sara shrugged, tugging on her jeans underneath her towel. "Grissom's never lost someone that he loved like you did with Stephanie."
It was said quite coolly, but it caused Catherine to turn in surprise, dancing her gaze over Sara's now half-dressed body.
"No, I guess he hasn't." She agreed softly.
Sara reached for her shirt on the bench and caught her eye, a small blush creeping up her cheeks. Catherine picked up the garment and held it out to her, not turning around this time. Her eyes dropped instinctively to Sara's stomach, where those telltale scars still lay.
They were the thing that had started this whole mess.
"Thank you." Sara mumbled, turning her back to pull it on.
After a few seconds of deliberation, Catherine stood up and walked carefully over to her, heels clicking on the tiled floor.
"It does mean a lot to me. I hope you know that." She reiterated. "And the last thing I'd want to do is cause a problem between you and Grissom."
"Grissom ... he's a scientist." Sara pointed out with a small shrug as she buttoned up her shirt. "He lives in a theoretical world, where everything makes sense. Real life just doesn't work like that. It's more ... chaotic."
As she was speaking, Catherine had reached out and removed Sara's hair from its untidy bun, letting the curls cascade over her shoulders. The brunette's breath had hitched, but her muscles remained relaxed as Cath's fingertips brushed against her neck.
Sara, now fully dressed, finally turned to face her, simultaneously stepping out of her reach.
"You need to work this case; even if he doesn't understand why." She said softly.
Catherine nodded, temporarily silenced by Sara's astute observations. Before she had chance to offer a response, the brunette had gathered up her things and disappeared back into the locker room, leaving Catherine stood alone in the residual wisps of steam.
x X x
After their uncomfortable encounter in the showers, Catherine almost expected Sara to avoid her for a while.
So, as she parked herself in the layout room surrounded by all the evidence in the case, she was surprised when Sara strolled in, wordlessly placed two cups of coffee on the table and sat down beside her.
Catherine shot her a grateful smile, but Sara had already picked up a folder and was engrossed in the results. Inwardly chuckling to herself, Catherine accepted the coffee and took a long mouthful, continuing to watch her colleague from the corner of her eye.
"You've stopped cutting." She stated at last, causing Sara to still.
"Yes, I have." The brunette agreed tensely.
"Good." Cath asserted softly. "That's really good."
"Do you have the trace results there?" Sara asked, attempting to end the conversation. Catherine passed her the results sheet, never tearing her gaze from her colleague's firmly set jaw.
"I meant what I said before, in your apartment." She continued. "If you start to feel like that again, I want you to call me first."
"I know." Sara agreed in a clipped tone, refusing to let any emption seep into her voice. Sensing that she was beginning to push her luck with the cagey woman, Cath debated leaving it there, but decided to go for one more try.
"Will you spend Thanksgiving with us?"
The question fell between them like a rock, as Sara's head shot up from the results page she had been scrutinising, her eyes wide and startled.
"What?"
"Thanksgiving." Catherine repeated optimistically. "You said that you don't have plans. I'd like you to spend it with me and Lindsey."
Sara continued to stare at her for a long moment with such intensity that Catherine would have sworn that she was looking right through her.
"Sand."
That was it. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet and scampered out of the room, leaving Catherine sitting bewildered at the bench, the cup of coffee still clasped between her hands.
"Sand?" She called at Sara's back, but the younger woman had already vanished.
Deflating, Catherine propped her head up on the bench sadly.
"I should have asked her in the shower." She noted to herself. "At least she couldn't run away from me there."
