Jealousy

By Ria

www.csichaostheory.co.uk

Ok she'd admit it. She was jealous. Such an ugly emotion, jealousy. Not very becoming, as her mother would say. But what could she do? It wasn't like she wanted to be plagued with the green eyed monster. Why was it called the green eyed monster anyway she idly wondered.

She shook her head, lowered her eyes once more to the eyepiece of the microscope, but as she still had no clue what the hell was on the slide, she looked up again, straight through the glass window at them. Like she had done, on and off, and not very subtly, some might say, for the last…ummm…nine minutes and thirty-six seconds.

What were they looking at that required that much concentration? From her viewpoint, she couldn't see what was actually on the table. What she could see was them, standing far closer than anything in their job description required them to do. "This is a lab!" she wanted to say. "Personal space, remember?" But she stayed quiet, watching, jealousy mingling in with anger as they both lifted their heads, looked at each other to grin before finally, FINALLY, standing up, putting some distance between them. They cast furtive glances around and Sara ducked her head back to the microscope quickly before remembering the lab glass was two-way mirror and while she could look out they couldn't look in.

She wasn't used to these emotions, she surmised as her eyes stayed connected to the microscope even if all she could see was them. Wasn't used to feeling this way about another person. Not to this extent, not to the point of feeling jealous at another women. She frowned. Yes that was it, another woman getting close to her man. Ok, so that woman didn't exactly know about the possessive clause that she now held the man in. No, she had done a fantastic job of keeping that quiet.

And they were working together. On a case that was hers. She felt the anger surge but suppressed it. That was just petty.

She could cope with other women, surely? People looked at him all the time. And not just women. He was a good looking guy. She looked at him for hours at a time, could never grown bored of watching him. No, the problem she decided was in who this particular women was. After all, this woman was beautiful. Golden hair, blue eyes, petite figure, no nonsense attitude. Next to Catherine, she felt like an overgrown frump at times. She might have youth on her side, but Catherine had a history with Warrick far longer than her own. And probably with less arguing and expletives involved. And she hadn't, of course, been brought in to investigate Warrick. And then done it again, just for the hell of it.

Sara looked over at them now, chatting easily by the door. Probably about her case. Solving it without her. She pushed down the mini crisis in confidence. They couldn't have solved the case anymore than she could identify what the hell was on the slide. Time for the GC:MS on that one. No brainer really. She slid the slide out. Eyes returned to the pair. Why couldn't they…uh oh…they were moving from the room. Sara quickly busied herself preparing the slide to burn it, feeling crimson creep up her neck threatening a full blown blush as the door opened behind her.

'Hey, was looking for you.' His voice warm, pleasant, sending an involuntary shiver up and down her spine. The door closed shut and she felt rather than heard him move closer into the room.

'You found me.' She said, pleasantly enough as a sarcastic voice inside her head asked, "Where were you looking for me? In Catherine's eyes, or perhaps on the lab table?"

'Anything from trace yet?' He asked, not seeming to catch her mood. Sara could see him now, although she refused to turn, meet his eye for fear of jumping up, screaming "you don't want Catherine, really! Take me! Please." Probably beg as well. Cry in front of him. Lose all pride and have to move to Alaska.

He sat, easily on the desk watching her it seemed.

'Just letting the machine take a look.' She told him, loading the slide, hitting the go button. Settling back in her chair to wait. Regretting that action because she could see the whole him, not just a periphery version of him.

They sat in silence for a moment, Sara beginning to understand why so many criminals cracked after a long silence. Questions weighed down on her like a physical burden looking for a release. She cracked first; she'd be a terrible liar. 'Saw you talking to Catherine. Find anything?' She tried for casual. Tried being the operative word in that sentence.

Warrick glanced through the two way, eyes growing imperceptibly wider in shock as he realised she had probably seen everything, recovering almost immediately to look back at her. 'Not really, nothing of use.' He said, casual as you like.

She immediately lost any upper hand she had won with that however by saying 'I thought this was our case.' Two meanings to that. "What the hell were you doing sharing our case with Her."

Warrick's lips twitched but he held any amusement at bay. At least for the moment. He moved closer, or his head did, his voice lower. 'Why?' The question, Sara knew should be easy to answer. She didn't get the chance. 'Jealous?' Warrick added, eyes glinting wickedly.

'No!' Sara answered, far too fast and with way too much feeling. See? Terrible liar. Warrick lost the battle with his lips, smiled, clucked his tongue, shook his head as if in disappointment at her. 'Now Sara,' he whispered, head close to hers, warm breath on her ear. 'We're all professionals here.'

Sara knew the blush had changed to full blown attack of the killer tomato. Felt the heat burning her cheek. Wanted to ask if he was as professional with her as with everyone else in the lab. Abruptly he stood up, 'come on' he told her, pulling her up by the hand. 'Got something to show you.'

'But…results.' Sara tried, gesturing at the large white machine.

'Will wait.' He told her.

He dragged her towards the break-room. 'Let's get this sorted once and for all.' He was saying. Sara was dreading what he meant by getting it sorted. Cornering Catherine in the break room. Warrick asking her to tell Sara that nothing was going on between them. Revealing Sara not only as Warrick's girlfriend (or perhaps she already knew that, who knew how close they were), but worse as a jealous girlfriend. Sara didn't want to be seen as jealous, and especially not by someone she had to see everyday, who would hold that power over her. Cringing was not a strong enough word for what Sara was doing. 'Warrick, please.' She tried. Yanking him back on his hand. Which was next to useless. She could try that begging thing and was about to when the door to the break room opened.

The first thing she noticed was the colour in the usually dull institutional room. Completely not understanding. Why were they having a party- she hadn't realised that it was someone's birthday. Had she forgotten to give money to another gift collection? Nick normally collared her in the locker room to get money off her. But Nick was smiling at her, as were Greg, Grissom, even Catherine.

And then the others were singing, and she read the banner strung up rather haphazardly between cupboards and realised that the date had crept forward again and unfortunately it was her birthday and she could swear that her face was now on fire.

As they finished the off-key version of Happy Birthday Sara turned to Warrick, narrow eyed. Oh, he was in trouble for this. But Warrick just smiled, motioned toward Catherine. The blonde stood there with a cake, candles burning, smiling at her.

'This is what we were working on.' Warrick told her.

'Blow them out.' Greg said excitedly, 'make a wish.'

Sara complied, blowing them out, wishing very hard for the moment to be over so that she could escape.

But Warrick had one more thing up his sleeve. Turning to her, he smiled gently, his hand sliding down her cheek, 'Happy Birthday' he whispered, his lips moving over hers, erasing any doubt or illusion about their relationship.

Sara should have been embarrassed. Should have been thinking about every one seeing this. That this wasn't meant to be the way the others found out about them. However, she didn't have any thoughts other than the here and now. Warrick's lips on hers.

Didn't even hear Greg whine to Nick as he dragged him out 'but what about the present?'