A/N: All hail Sara! She's finally starting to behave...although it might not look like it at the moment, she's definately going to be in a Nicky mood pretty soon. g
~x~
"Oh boy. Would you look at that?" Nick chuckled into Sara's ear.
She lifted her head and scanned the room. "What?"
He twirled her around so that she was facing the direction in which he had been looking, and pointed her attention to Gil and Catherine. "Looks like things are going well over there," he commented dryly.
Sara scowled and continued to watch them for a while. She noted that a great deal of smiling and laughing was going on as their bodies swayed together naturally. "I think we should go over and cut in," she said.
Nick stood back and studied her face. "What's going on, Sara?"
"What do you mean? Nothing's going on."
"You've been like a bear with a sore head all night. Ever since you . . ." Comprehension flooded his eyes. "You were bidding on Grissom, weren't you? That's why you're pissed. Because Cath has him and you don't."
"No, of course not. You're being ridiculous."
He looked at her with sympathy and colour flooded her face when she realised that he knew. "Okay, so I was bidding on Grissom. So what? It doesn't mean anything."
"Sara – you gotta know that it's never gonna happen. Griss and Cath have something special between them. Something the rest of us can't even begin to comprehend."
She knew it was true, but it didn't stop her from wishing Catherine would fall flat on her face nonetheless. "It's not like I don't know that, because I do. I see the way he looks at her when he thinks no one is watching. But I . . ."
"You what?" he prodded gently.
"I guess I just wanted him to look at me like that. Pathetic huh? Chasing after a man who is so obviously not interested."
"Not pathetic. Just human."
Sara smiled in gratitude, and wanting her vulnerable moment to disappear changed the subject. "Hey, you know, you're a pretty good dancer."
"Of course I am. All that southern charm has gotta count for something."
She laughed her first genuine laugh of the night and decided to concentrate on just having fun. The rest would work itself out in it's own time.
~x~
"You've been getting some pretty appreciative looks tonight," Catherine observed. "Most notably from a certain brunette with a not so secret crush."
"What are you talking about?"
"Sara. She's been making eyes at you all night."
Gil scoffed. "You're imagining things. Sara doesn't feel that way about me."
"Oh, for crying out loud, Gil. Wake up and smell the coffee. She's got it bad."
They'd been on the floor for five or six songs now, and had found a comfortable rhythm. Gil's breathing was slightly more irregular than usual, but it had nothing to do with the energy he was exerting and everything to do with the woman in his arms. "You know, it's kind of hard to keep a conversation flowing when you're moving like that," he accused.
Catherine felt a little flutter in her stomach and adapted her most innocent look. "Like what?"
"You know what you're doing,"
She closed the miniscule distance there was between them and pressed her body into his. She could feel the beat of his heart as it thudded heavily against her chest and fought against a shiver as his breath blew across her forehead. "You don't like how I dance, Gil?" she whispered into his ear. "That's a real shame, because I'm sure enjoying myself."
"I never said I didn't like how you dance," he drawled in a tone that left her unable to fight the tingly sensation that was beginning to overtake the shivers, "I just think that you ought to be keeping a tighter reign what your body is doing. That's all."
"This is coming from Mr. Swivel Hips, himself?"
"What are you talking about?"
Catherine ground her hips against his and smiled as she felt him jump from the contact. "Let's just say that Elvis had nothing on you, Gil."
His eyes darkened and the tingle spread. "You wanna play it this way, Cath, I'm game."
She flashed him a wide-eyed vapid look and batted her eyelashes sweetly. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."
Gil said nothing, but his gaze held hers and she was unable to look away. She felt a slow blush creep up her face, and blushed even harder when she realised that he was aware of it. She gritted her teeth and said under her breath, "It's now or never." And then Gil's night really got interesting.
~x~
Warrick and his date had moved back to the table and were soon joined by Nick and Sara. "They look like they're having fun," Warrick commented to no one in particular. Sara forced herself to look at the dancing couple, and gasped as she realised what Catherine was doing.
Nick's eyes widened as he watched for a few moments. "Oh my," he sighed, "She's very fluid, isn't she?"
From across the dance floor, Catherine was swaying sinuously to a bluesy song; her arms were raised above her head and her body was gyrating smoothly against Gil's. He appeared to be in some sort of shock, but he didn't move away, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. She danced that way for a while, a secretive smile tugging at her lips, and then she wrapped his arms around her and turned so that they were spooned. Gil's body finally woke up as the languorous tempo she had set with her hips found a partner in his own, and he started rotating along with her.
Catherine's arms then wound themselves around his neck and pulled his chin down so that it was nested between the curve of her own neck and shoulder. His warm breath blowing across her skin was doing strange little quivery things to her body, and she threw her head back and allowed her eyes close.
Lost in the mood, they didn't notice when the song finished and another one started. However the new rhythm spoke to her blood, and she spun back around so that they were pelvis to pelvis. Gil's hands anchored firmly on the hips that so entranced him, and he tried to keep his thoughts away from the gentle rising and falling of Catherine's chest crushed to his. After a while she felt the need for another move, and did a little shimmy; almost using his body as a pole as he stood there with dark eyes and scarlet ears.
"Whoa!" Nick whistled in appreciation. "He's gone."
"Well and truly," Warrick agreed.
"She always said she was the best," Nick muttered under his breath. "Guess now we know that she was."
Sara gulped down her wine and poured another glass. She knew that she couldn't even begin to compete with the exhibition Catherine was putting on, but she possessed other attributes that the older woman didn't. Attributes that she was sure Grissom would fully appreciate, if she could only make him see them.
A chortle from Nick caused her eyes to narrow in sudden speculation as a game plan began to form in her mind. A mans behaviour was so easy to predict – they always wanted what they couldn't have. And if Grissom thought that he couldn't have her . . . she smiled brightly and turned her attention back to the table. Maybe Nick was just the person to force his hand.
TBC
~x~
"Oh boy. Would you look at that?" Nick chuckled into Sara's ear.
She lifted her head and scanned the room. "What?"
He twirled her around so that she was facing the direction in which he had been looking, and pointed her attention to Gil and Catherine. "Looks like things are going well over there," he commented dryly.
Sara scowled and continued to watch them for a while. She noted that a great deal of smiling and laughing was going on as their bodies swayed together naturally. "I think we should go over and cut in," she said.
Nick stood back and studied her face. "What's going on, Sara?"
"What do you mean? Nothing's going on."
"You've been like a bear with a sore head all night. Ever since you . . ." Comprehension flooded his eyes. "You were bidding on Grissom, weren't you? That's why you're pissed. Because Cath has him and you don't."
"No, of course not. You're being ridiculous."
He looked at her with sympathy and colour flooded her face when she realised that he knew. "Okay, so I was bidding on Grissom. So what? It doesn't mean anything."
"Sara – you gotta know that it's never gonna happen. Griss and Cath have something special between them. Something the rest of us can't even begin to comprehend."
She knew it was true, but it didn't stop her from wishing Catherine would fall flat on her face nonetheless. "It's not like I don't know that, because I do. I see the way he looks at her when he thinks no one is watching. But I . . ."
"You what?" he prodded gently.
"I guess I just wanted him to look at me like that. Pathetic huh? Chasing after a man who is so obviously not interested."
"Not pathetic. Just human."
Sara smiled in gratitude, and wanting her vulnerable moment to disappear changed the subject. "Hey, you know, you're a pretty good dancer."
"Of course I am. All that southern charm has gotta count for something."
She laughed her first genuine laugh of the night and decided to concentrate on just having fun. The rest would work itself out in it's own time.
~x~
"You've been getting some pretty appreciative looks tonight," Catherine observed. "Most notably from a certain brunette with a not so secret crush."
"What are you talking about?"
"Sara. She's been making eyes at you all night."
Gil scoffed. "You're imagining things. Sara doesn't feel that way about me."
"Oh, for crying out loud, Gil. Wake up and smell the coffee. She's got it bad."
They'd been on the floor for five or six songs now, and had found a comfortable rhythm. Gil's breathing was slightly more irregular than usual, but it had nothing to do with the energy he was exerting and everything to do with the woman in his arms. "You know, it's kind of hard to keep a conversation flowing when you're moving like that," he accused.
Catherine felt a little flutter in her stomach and adapted her most innocent look. "Like what?"
"You know what you're doing,"
She closed the miniscule distance there was between them and pressed her body into his. She could feel the beat of his heart as it thudded heavily against her chest and fought against a shiver as his breath blew across her forehead. "You don't like how I dance, Gil?" she whispered into his ear. "That's a real shame, because I'm sure enjoying myself."
"I never said I didn't like how you dance," he drawled in a tone that left her unable to fight the tingly sensation that was beginning to overtake the shivers, "I just think that you ought to be keeping a tighter reign what your body is doing. That's all."
"This is coming from Mr. Swivel Hips, himself?"
"What are you talking about?"
Catherine ground her hips against his and smiled as she felt him jump from the contact. "Let's just say that Elvis had nothing on you, Gil."
His eyes darkened and the tingle spread. "You wanna play it this way, Cath, I'm game."
She flashed him a wide-eyed vapid look and batted her eyelashes sweetly. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."
Gil said nothing, but his gaze held hers and she was unable to look away. She felt a slow blush creep up her face, and blushed even harder when she realised that he was aware of it. She gritted her teeth and said under her breath, "It's now or never." And then Gil's night really got interesting.
~x~
Warrick and his date had moved back to the table and were soon joined by Nick and Sara. "They look like they're having fun," Warrick commented to no one in particular. Sara forced herself to look at the dancing couple, and gasped as she realised what Catherine was doing.
Nick's eyes widened as he watched for a few moments. "Oh my," he sighed, "She's very fluid, isn't she?"
From across the dance floor, Catherine was swaying sinuously to a bluesy song; her arms were raised above her head and her body was gyrating smoothly against Gil's. He appeared to be in some sort of shock, but he didn't move away, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. She danced that way for a while, a secretive smile tugging at her lips, and then she wrapped his arms around her and turned so that they were spooned. Gil's body finally woke up as the languorous tempo she had set with her hips found a partner in his own, and he started rotating along with her.
Catherine's arms then wound themselves around his neck and pulled his chin down so that it was nested between the curve of her own neck and shoulder. His warm breath blowing across her skin was doing strange little quivery things to her body, and she threw her head back and allowed her eyes close.
Lost in the mood, they didn't notice when the song finished and another one started. However the new rhythm spoke to her blood, and she spun back around so that they were pelvis to pelvis. Gil's hands anchored firmly on the hips that so entranced him, and he tried to keep his thoughts away from the gentle rising and falling of Catherine's chest crushed to his. After a while she felt the need for another move, and did a little shimmy; almost using his body as a pole as he stood there with dark eyes and scarlet ears.
"Whoa!" Nick whistled in appreciation. "He's gone."
"Well and truly," Warrick agreed.
"She always said she was the best," Nick muttered under his breath. "Guess now we know that she was."
Sara gulped down her wine and poured another glass. She knew that she couldn't even begin to compete with the exhibition Catherine was putting on, but she possessed other attributes that the older woman didn't. Attributes that she was sure Grissom would fully appreciate, if she could only make him see them.
A chortle from Nick caused her eyes to narrow in sudden speculation as a game plan began to form in her mind. A mans behaviour was so easy to predict – they always wanted what they couldn't have. And if Grissom thought that he couldn't have her . . . she smiled brightly and turned her attention back to the table. Maybe Nick was just the person to force his hand.
TBC