Wow, hard to believe that The Powers That Be could mess up a good show so completely. Fire George and Jorja? Sara's the character I write all my fic about so these last couple of stories may be it. sigh
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About Nothing
Catherine left the interview room with her camera and evidence bag, hoping she had collected enough to close the case. Annemarie was coming out of the observation room, her normal intense expression distracted and worried. She smiled when she saw Catherine, and complimented her on the interview.
"Thanks," Catherine replied, her gaze fixed on the closed door behind Annemarie. "Where's Sara? I thought she was watching the interrogation with you."
The reason for the young CSI's concern was made clear with her response. "She's still in there. Said she'd be out in a minute." They exchanged a worried glance. "She seemed really quiet – do you think she's over- extending herself on her first night back?"
Catherine sighed. "Maybe. I'll go talk to her." She passed Annemarie the camera and bag. "Take care of these for me, will you?" At her nod, Catherine crossed to the door, pausing right before she went in, "We'll be back upstairs in about fifteen minutes, ok?"
"Okay." Annemarie walked away quickly, trying to make sure she caught the rest of the team and made sure they didn't page or call either of them for at least half an hour.
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Sara heard the door click shut, and she didn't have to raise her head to know who was in the room – she could smell Catherine's shampoo and feel her stare. She was leaning against the table, shoulders slumped and arms crossed, studying the floor with great interest, completely ignoring the strawberry blonde. As the silence stretched, the effort to keep her head down and avoid the inevitable grew more taxing. She knew she looked like a petulant child, but once she looked up, she would have to say something and she had no idea what to say. Their harmless flirtation had crossed that invisible dividing line from playful fun into serious business and she didn't know what to make of that. She had already ruined one friendship by allowing situations to go too far and she was damned if it was going to happen again.
Catherine's sigh echoed in the small room. "You've had too much time to think," she said softly, moving a couple of steps into the room to see if Sara would look up. "I was afraid that might happen." Sara's shoulders tighten perceptibly and she exhaled noisily, but she stubbornly kept her eyes fixed downward. "I, ah, provoked you earlier so that you would act and not think about what you were doing."
"Yeah, cuz thinking before making a mistake is always counterproductive," retorted Sara bitterly. If she had been looking up, she would have seen the pained expression that passed over Catherine's face, or the way she took a step back and caught the door handle
"A mistake?"
"Yeah, mistake, error, lapse in judgment. It's a good thing we were stopped before it went too far."
The finality of her tone expressed itself to Catherine clearly. "Yeah," she said slowly, breathing past the lump in her throat. "It's a good thing," she managed before she opened the door and backed out, her footsteps speeding up as she hurried to make it to the locker room, feeling the burning in her eyes.
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"So what did you do to Catherine?" asked Annemarie curiously, glancing up from the report she was writing as Sara entered the break room some time later.
"What? Nothing," Sara shot back, almost groaning at the defensive tone in her voice. She poured a cup of coffee, her back to the young CSI, and hoped she would drop the subject.
"It must have been something. Are you two having problems sharing the job?"
Sara shot her a warning glare as she settled into a seat. "Yeah, that must be it," she sighed.
"Huh." Her eyes narrowed, and Annemarie shrugged in response. "I just thought you'd be angry instead of that hangdog expression on your face. You look like a love-sick puppy." Sara choked on her coffee, jumping up and sloshing a third of it all over the table. Annemarie leaped up as well, saving her paperwork from the deluge as Sara, still coughing, grabbed a towel to stem the tide. She managed to mop up the liquid quickly, and she practically ran out of the break room, leaving her coffee and a bemused Annemarie watching her retreating back.
She was elbow-deep in the backlog of paperwork when Catherine opened the door to her office almost two hours after the end of shift. "You didn't have to wait for me," she said, with just a hint of malice in her voice.
"I didn't. I'm just trying to get caught up on paperwork." She scribbled a note on the pad of paper and shift her eyes back to the financial report under her hand.
"You shouldn't be overdoing it your first night back." When Sara didn't reply, she continued, "Come on, let's go."
"I'm fine."
Catherine saw Sara's face looked pale in the scant light from the desk lamp, and she fought her inclination to leave Sara alone, as she so obviously wanted. Instead, she circled the desk, catching Sara's arm to force her to acknowledge her. Sara jerked her arm away as she glared. "Don't."
"Then come on. We're going home." She cut Sara off as she opened her mouth to speak. "I'll stand here all night if I have to,' she threatened.
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Catherine thrashed her way out of the covers, drenched in sweat as she awoke from another nightmare. Strong arms caught her as she struggled blindly in the dark, and she lost herself in the comfort of the warmth of Sara's body. When she came back to herself, she became aware of Sara's hands softly stroking her back and hair while a mantra of soothing words washed over her. "Shh, it's ok, darling, it's ok. Shhh," Sara whispered over and over, her breath warming Catherine's cheek. Catherine shifted in the embrace, tightening her arms around Sara's waist, her lips searching out the Sara's collarbone to press a light kiss there.
"Cath..." Sara began as Catherine nibbled her way up her neck, nuzzling the soft skin with her nose. She felt the hitch in Sara's breath as she circled her ear with her tongue, and she ran a hand up her spine to catch her head as Sara tried to pull away. She gently teased her, blowing in her ear, and the shiver that ran up Sara's back answered her questions. Her tongue darted out to tickle her earlobe, wetting the skin before she blew on it, repeating this gesture over and over again as she felt Sara's hands tighten their grip on her back. Sara's eyes were squeezed closed when she tilted her head to brush her lips against hers.
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About Nothing
Catherine left the interview room with her camera and evidence bag, hoping she had collected enough to close the case. Annemarie was coming out of the observation room, her normal intense expression distracted and worried. She smiled when she saw Catherine, and complimented her on the interview.
"Thanks," Catherine replied, her gaze fixed on the closed door behind Annemarie. "Where's Sara? I thought she was watching the interrogation with you."
The reason for the young CSI's concern was made clear with her response. "She's still in there. Said she'd be out in a minute." They exchanged a worried glance. "She seemed really quiet – do you think she's over- extending herself on her first night back?"
Catherine sighed. "Maybe. I'll go talk to her." She passed Annemarie the camera and bag. "Take care of these for me, will you?" At her nod, Catherine crossed to the door, pausing right before she went in, "We'll be back upstairs in about fifteen minutes, ok?"
"Okay." Annemarie walked away quickly, trying to make sure she caught the rest of the team and made sure they didn't page or call either of them for at least half an hour.
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Sara heard the door click shut, and she didn't have to raise her head to know who was in the room – she could smell Catherine's shampoo and feel her stare. She was leaning against the table, shoulders slumped and arms crossed, studying the floor with great interest, completely ignoring the strawberry blonde. As the silence stretched, the effort to keep her head down and avoid the inevitable grew more taxing. She knew she looked like a petulant child, but once she looked up, she would have to say something and she had no idea what to say. Their harmless flirtation had crossed that invisible dividing line from playful fun into serious business and she didn't know what to make of that. She had already ruined one friendship by allowing situations to go too far and she was damned if it was going to happen again.
Catherine's sigh echoed in the small room. "You've had too much time to think," she said softly, moving a couple of steps into the room to see if Sara would look up. "I was afraid that might happen." Sara's shoulders tighten perceptibly and she exhaled noisily, but she stubbornly kept her eyes fixed downward. "I, ah, provoked you earlier so that you would act and not think about what you were doing."
"Yeah, cuz thinking before making a mistake is always counterproductive," retorted Sara bitterly. If she had been looking up, she would have seen the pained expression that passed over Catherine's face, or the way she took a step back and caught the door handle
"A mistake?"
"Yeah, mistake, error, lapse in judgment. It's a good thing we were stopped before it went too far."
The finality of her tone expressed itself to Catherine clearly. "Yeah," she said slowly, breathing past the lump in her throat. "It's a good thing," she managed before she opened the door and backed out, her footsteps speeding up as she hurried to make it to the locker room, feeling the burning in her eyes.
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"So what did you do to Catherine?" asked Annemarie curiously, glancing up from the report she was writing as Sara entered the break room some time later.
"What? Nothing," Sara shot back, almost groaning at the defensive tone in her voice. She poured a cup of coffee, her back to the young CSI, and hoped she would drop the subject.
"It must have been something. Are you two having problems sharing the job?"
Sara shot her a warning glare as she settled into a seat. "Yeah, that must be it," she sighed.
"Huh." Her eyes narrowed, and Annemarie shrugged in response. "I just thought you'd be angry instead of that hangdog expression on your face. You look like a love-sick puppy." Sara choked on her coffee, jumping up and sloshing a third of it all over the table. Annemarie leaped up as well, saving her paperwork from the deluge as Sara, still coughing, grabbed a towel to stem the tide. She managed to mop up the liquid quickly, and she practically ran out of the break room, leaving her coffee and a bemused Annemarie watching her retreating back.
She was elbow-deep in the backlog of paperwork when Catherine opened the door to her office almost two hours after the end of shift. "You didn't have to wait for me," she said, with just a hint of malice in her voice.
"I didn't. I'm just trying to get caught up on paperwork." She scribbled a note on the pad of paper and shift her eyes back to the financial report under her hand.
"You shouldn't be overdoing it your first night back." When Sara didn't reply, she continued, "Come on, let's go."
"I'm fine."
Catherine saw Sara's face looked pale in the scant light from the desk lamp, and she fought her inclination to leave Sara alone, as she so obviously wanted. Instead, she circled the desk, catching Sara's arm to force her to acknowledge her. Sara jerked her arm away as she glared. "Don't."
"Then come on. We're going home." She cut Sara off as she opened her mouth to speak. "I'll stand here all night if I have to,' she threatened.
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Catherine thrashed her way out of the covers, drenched in sweat as she awoke from another nightmare. Strong arms caught her as she struggled blindly in the dark, and she lost herself in the comfort of the warmth of Sara's body. When she came back to herself, she became aware of Sara's hands softly stroking her back and hair while a mantra of soothing words washed over her. "Shh, it's ok, darling, it's ok. Shhh," Sara whispered over and over, her breath warming Catherine's cheek. Catherine shifted in the embrace, tightening her arms around Sara's waist, her lips searching out the Sara's collarbone to press a light kiss there.
"Cath..." Sara began as Catherine nibbled her way up her neck, nuzzling the soft skin with her nose. She felt the hitch in Sara's breath as she circled her ear with her tongue, and she ran a hand up her spine to catch her head as Sara tried to pull away. She gently teased her, blowing in her ear, and the shiver that ran up Sara's back answered her questions. Her tongue darted out to tickle her earlobe, wetting the skin before she blew on it, repeating this gesture over and over again as she felt Sara's hands tighten their grip on her back. Sara's eyes were squeezed closed when she tilted her head to brush her lips against hers.