Budding
Chapter Two
"Well, let me get ya'll to the hotel, and then when you get settled, you can drop by our lab and get debriefed on the sitiation."
Catherine looked back at Warrick and mouthed, "Sitiation?"
He only shrugged his shoulders and followed her lead.
Frank Halloway talked Warrick and Catherine to death on the way to their hotel. The rain was coming down hard, and Halloway had to make several detours to get to their destination, and it just seemed to prolong the drive. Catherine groaned almost inaudibly as she rested her head on Warrick's shoulder and fell asleep.
They finally made it to the Plantation Inn, a mansion style hotel.
"Well, it looks like the little lady went to sleep," he observed. "Why don't we get the luggage to the rooms and then wake her up?"
Warrick could only agree.
When he came back down, Warrick woke Catherine up and she climbed out of the car and stretched.
When the entered the lobby, the Chief of Police was waiting for them.
"Hi there," he said. "I'm Chief Charmaigne, and I'm going to make this short as possible. Welcome to the great Parish of New Orleans, and uh, we're honored to have two of the top CSIs from the number two crime lab in the country."
"Thank you sir," Catherine said.
"Thank you," Warrick repeated.
"We should be thanking you," the Chief said. "Now, ya'll look bushed, so, I'll just move the briefing to tomorrow afternoon at three. Get some rest, and again, on behalf of the Parish of New Orleans, welcome."
Catherine smiled and she crashed on the plush pillow top bed.
"Bed," she moaned happily.
"Somebody's sleepy," Warrick teased.
"Shut up," she growled. "Oh, wait until you feel this bed, you won't be laughing, you'll be sleeping your ass off."
Warrick chuckled. "You've got major jet lag."
"Shut up and go away," Catherine said, turning over in the fluffy bed to face him. "Or are you afraid of the dark?"
"You are too much," Warrick chuckled.
Catherine darted her eyes at him and got up off the bed. She swayed her hips sensually until she was mere inches away from his body.
"Goodnight, Warrick Brown," she whispered huskily before closing the door. She added to the drama by locking the door so that it was loud enough to hear.
Warrick ran a hand over his face and sighed.
***
Sara paced around the water logged car, contemplating where to start. She had her jumpsuit on, and she had a box of tools waiting for her. She fondly remembered her father teaching her how to fix a car. Before her father was an innkeeper, he was a skilled mechanic, and since his daughter was trying as hard as she could to not be ladylike, as her mother tried to teach her to be, he figured he may as well teach some basic mechanics.
She decided that she would start on the undercarriage, since the car did drive over a cliff.
She got on the slab and slid under the car. Everything seemed in tact, so Sara moved on to the interior.
The upholstery was ruined, and there were tiny fish inside on the floor. The windshield was cracked at the driver's side, and the front was smashed in, indicating an accident before the car went over the cliff.
"Sara," she heard Grissom call.
Sara stood up straighter and took down her hair and swished it around before turning to face him.
She had no idea what she did to him just doing that string of poetic motion.
"What?" She asked. "You broke my chain of thought."
"Sorry," he said, coming out of the spell she cast on him. "I came to see what kind of progress you were making."
"Oh, well," she started. "It's pretty obvious that this car was involved in a head on collision, no doubt about that," Sara explained. "Now, the only thing that's bothering me about this is, why would a guy involved in a high speed head on collision, drive over a cliff? I mean, there's no sign that it was pushed, or that the vehicle was altered in any way."
"So, what?" Grissom said as he stepped closer to her. "Are you ruling an accident?"
"Not entirely," she said. "There was another set of wheels at the scene, Hodges is looking at them right now."
They were very close to each other and Sara knew that she had to move right away before her body reacted. The last time they were in close proximity, they almost kissed and would invariably had sex up against that sheet. That's how much she wanted Grissom. If her career was going to be on the line, so be it. She loved him longer than she'd been holding down her job as a forensic scientist.
Sara stepped aside and went to the other side of the car to be safe.
"Hey Gris," she started. "I'm not one to spread gossip, but what's going on with Warrick and Cath?"
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Well, I've heard some stuff about them and people wondering what exactly happened down in New Orleans," Sara explained. "You know that people down there are a bit strange. They were just fine when they left, and they come back totally changed."
"Changed how?" Grissom asked, now curious about Sara's observations.
"Well, for one, they've been sneaking off a lot just in this shift alone," Sara said. "And earlier tonight, I saw them talking, and they were standing close to each other in a non friendly, more than friends way."
"Don't believe everything you see," Grissom said.
"I know, but we've known those two for years," Sara said. "This sudden change, I just don't get it."
***
Catherine was breathing hard.
"People are talking," she panted to Warrick.
"I know," he whispered, equally breathless.
He kissed her deeply again before pulling away. He took in the sight of her against the locker before coming closer to her to button up her shirt. He kissed her again as he did so.
"You're beautiful," he whispered.
He took out her necklace from his pocket and reached behind her neck to put it back on her. He kissed her on her neck just below her jaw before he pulled away.
She smiled. "God, this thing we've started now," she whispered. "It's so intense. I've never experienced anything this deep before. It's so bad, I don't even want to sleep with you."
"That's pretty bad," Warrick chuckled.
"I'm serious," she insisted. "Look, I can't explain what happened in New Orleans, but you're okay with it, right?"
"Of course I am," Warrick said, putting his hands on her hips. "I want us to take this slow because I respect you, I respect your body, mind, and soul."
They kissed tenderly before pulling away and heading separate directions.