Catherine leaned over the snoring body in her bed and nudged gently. "Sara, honey, wake up. The guys will be here soon." The brunette on the bed rolled over with what sounded like a growl, snagging a pillow and covering her face. Hands on her hips, Catherine shot her a mock-glare and tugged on the covers, revealing Sara's half-naked body. "You need to get out of bed,' she commanded as she saw Sara peak out from under the pillow.
"Come get me."
Catherine contemplated the invitation Sara issued before sighing. Nick, Warrick, and Greg were on their way over to see Sara during this, her first trip to Nevada that hadn't been a short, secretive overnight when the two of them were able to synchronize their night's off. Sara was actually there for a three-day vacation, an amazing event in and of itself that had sparked endless break room conversations. Sara and the concept of time off did not come naturally to most people, especially Sara herself, so Catherine was amazed to see her still in bed and determined to stay there. "I think getting caught in bed is a lousy way to tell everyone about us."
"Could be fun." Catherine saw a glint of amusement in Sara's eyes as she peaked out from under the pillow again. Deciding to change her tack, Catherine smirked and shrugged a shoulder. "For a girl who doesn't sleep, you sure are doing a good job of pretending."
Sara's smile as she emerged from under the pillow and covers was playful and she managed to catch Catherine off-guard, wrestling her down onto the bed while Catherine shrieked with laughter. "I had to work a triple and just barely made it to my plane, missy," she said as she tickled Catherine. "And someone didn't allow me any recovery time once I got here. On my vacation might I add." Catherine squirmed under the barrage of Sara's fingers, laughing hysterically, until Nick's voice broke them both apart with a gasp. "Catherine? Sara? Where are you guys?"
Catherine straightened her clothes in the mirror, the death glare she shot at Sara marred by the grin threatening the corners of her mouth. She could see Sara on her knees on the bed in the mirror. She stuck out her tongue and the grin broke all the way through. "Um, coming, Nick."
When she turned, Sara was standing there in just her boxers, her expression one of unrestrained lust. "Not yet," she quipped, pulling Catherine in for a long kiss, sliding her hands up under her shirt. Catherine swatted at her and headed for the door. "Now get dressed and get your ass downstairs."
Nick's expression was puzzled when she got downstairs. "What were you doing? I thought I heard screaming there for a second."
Catherine blushed a little, but she was already heading for the kitchen, hoping he wouldn't see. "Oh, I was trying to get Sara up."
When Sara made it downstairs five minutes later, she paused on the stairs, looking at her old friends gathered around the coffee table, chatting about the night's work, and for a moment, it was like she had never left. Then Greg noticed her standing there and he was up in a second, squeezing her into a bearhug that threatened to knock all the breath from her body. But she returned it enthusiastically, and even gave him a peck on the cheek which made him turn red and bashful.
Greg, for his part, had never seen her look more beautiful, nor so relaxed. She was clad in jeans and a black tank, and her hair was up in a loose ponytail, but she was radiant. Whatever changes that had gone on in her life since she had moved, he thought, they looked good on her. "You look great,' he said as he led her over to the couch, where she got equally enthusiastic hugs from Nick and Warrick.
Settling in between Catherine and Nick on the couch, she basked in the attention from her old friends and let the conversation flow over her, enjoying the warmth of Catherine's thigh pressed against hers. That warmth reminded her of how much had really changed whenever nostalgia threatened to overwhelm her. "So," Greg was saying, "you didn't bring your boy to town with you."
"Huh?"
"You know, the guy you threw Grissom over for. I was kinda hoping to meet him, measure up the competition. Unless," and here he flashed that cheeky smile he was known for, "he was just a figment of your imagination."
Catherine was laughing into her coffee as she watched Sara cock her head and narrow her eyes, her lips pressed into a thin line that was slowly stretching into a self-deprecating smile. "A figment of your imagination, maybe, but not mine. I always knew there was no new guy." She emphasized the last two words, to see if anyone would catch the hint, her face twisted into the classic 'I've-got-a-secret' expression. Catherine chuckled a little at that, enjoying the puzzled looks on her co-workers' faces.
"So an old guy? Or a guy you've known for a long time?" Greg reasoned thoughtfully.
Nick caught the last part and looked horrified, "Hank? Not Hank?" Hank had, after all, keyed in all of his big-brother protectiveness when he had heard about how he had treated her. She shook her head emphatically, and he settled back down in his chair in relief.
Warrick, meanwhile, was studying both the women on the couch, seeing how amused Catherine was at the guessing game and how close Sara sat by her, when he felt his jaw drop. He recovered quickly, and shook his head, chuckling as if he had just heard the best joke ever.
Greg and Nick looked at him. "You figured it out!" Greg exclaimed. "Tell me."
Still chuckling, Warrick shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you if you can't see what's right in front of you." Noting Sara's apprehensive expression, he assured her, "That's great." She matched his smile and caught Catherine's hand, interlacing their fingers. Greg's eyes widened when he saw that, but then he shook his head in disbelief. "No way. There's no way I'm going to believe Sara and Catherine are... together. No way. That's just mean."
Nick sat in stunned silence as he took in the joined hands, the matching smiles, and the shy way Sara tried to meet his eyes while Greg continued with his protestations. All he found to say was, "Wow."
When Greg finally quieted after asserting that he wouldn't believe it until he saw further proof, Sara grew uncomfortable with all the stares and hopped up to get more coffee for everyone. Finding the coffee pot empty, she started another brewing as Nick wandered in. He pulled her into a wordless hug before pulling back to see her face and ask, "Are you happy?"
"Estastic," she assured him.
"Good." That's how Catherine found them, grinning at each other like fools while the coffee brewed behind them.
"How long does it take to get more coffee?" she teased, walking up so she was leaning on the counter beside Sara.
"It's gotta brew," Sara grumped while sliding her arm around the smaller blonde's waist and pulling her closer. Sara had never been very physically expressive with anyone, he knew, and for her a light touch on the shoulder was considered major PDA, so he marveled at the easy way she and Catherine fit together. Wow, he thought again, wow.
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Sara raised her hand two times before she finally found the nerve to knock on the door. Shifting from foot to foot, she tried not to hope that he was not home, although she knew he was because his SUV was in the drive, or asleep, so she wouldn't have to have the conversation she knew she needed to have with him. When Grissom opened the door, a cup of coffee in one hand, Sara knew she was out of luck. He invited her in, offered her coffee, and got them settled on the couch. They had managed to work past the moment in San Francisco and were working on their rebuilding the strong friendship that had brought her to Vegas and the loss of which had sent her away. They now spoke on the phone at least once a week, ranging from bugs to bodies to management techniques to movies. The only thing that hadn't come up was her relationship.
"So, I, um, have something I need to tell you," she began, biting the bullet and leaping in, as she always did, as she toyed with the cup in her hands. "I waited to tell you because I wanted to tell you in person, and well, it's about the hit the rumor mill, so I have to tell you now." His eyes flicked to her hand, and she realized he was looking for an engagement ring. Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, she met his eyes. "It's about my... partner." She winced at the word, hating it, wishing there was something better. "Gil, I've been seeing Catherine." Watching his face carefully, she braced for the explosion.
"Catherine." If Nick had been shocked, then there were no words for how stunned Grissom looked, Sara realized, as he tried to wrap his mind around what she had just told him. "All this time? Catherine?"
"Yes," she replied quietly, still waiting for an outburst. She saw him struggle, but then the neutral, controlled expression snapped into place, and he gazed at her with emotionless eyes. For once, she was happy with his way of repressing his emotions; after all, there was no way she could make this better for him since she was the one hurting him, and any emotion would have made her try anyway, causing him more pain. "Well, thanks for telling me," he replied. "I wouldn't have wanted to have heard through the grapevine."
She nodded. "I didn't want that either." He then preceded to show her an article they had discussed during their last phone call, some of the awkwardness returning, before she made some excuse to cut the visit short. Saying goodbye to him on the doorstep, she gave him a friendly hug that he surprised her by returning, and walked off, knowing his eyes were on her the whole way.
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He surprised her again by showing up at the celebration dinner Warrick arranged the next night. Catherine had talked her into wearing the leather outfit she had worn months ago for their dinner, and she wore the same dress, and the stares they got walking into the casino holding hands were nothing compared to Greg's jaw dropping when he saw them. "Trying to catch flies, Greg?" Catherine purred as they joined their friends. She was enjoying the stir they were causing, and even Sara, who hated to be the center of attention, had her cocky smile plastered on her face as she slid an arm around Catherine's waist.
Dinner went well, and they ended up at a club afterwards. Warrick got Catherine out of the dance floor, and Nick and Greg had followed, leaving Sara and Gil alone in the booth. She snuck glances at him as he stared impassively at the dance floor, deliberately not making eye contact with her, she was sure. "Are you ok with this?" she asked finally, the quiet getting to her.
He broke out of his reverie to smile at her, a little sadly, but a smile nonetheless. "It'll take some getting used to, my two best friends, um, involved, but yes." He answered her questioning look with another smile. "I lost you a long time ago. I've learned to accept that. And I'm glad you are happy."
Catherine broke from the crowd then, and appeared at the booth to drag them both onto the dance floor, where Gil managed to shuffle to a song long enough to satisfy her before retreating back to the table, where Warrick was taking a breather. Warrick watched in admiration as the two women matched rhythms, soon drawing a crowd of appreciative, and male, on-lookers. They seem oblivious to the crowd, and when Sara did look up and notice the crowd, she surprised Warrick by dancing even closer to the smaller woman, her wicked smile matching Catherine's exactly.
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"Mmmm, I love it when you wear a dress," Sara purred as she slid her hands up under the sheer fabric, pressing Catherine back against the door bodily. Dancing had driven her wild, and in the ten minutes since they had gotten home, they had made it no further than the front door. Catherine's fingers were hooked around her belt, holding her close as she tried to reach Sara's sensitive ears.
"Do you remember the first time I wore this dress," she whispered as she got close, loving the shiver of anticipation that ran through Sara's body. Sara's breathy 'yes' was almost lost in the moan as Catherine nipped at her earlobe, her eyes closing and hands stilling as Catherine licked the sensitive flesh and blew softly. Sara bit her lip as Catherine kept up the torture, tightening her grip on Catherine's waist as Catherine's tongue slowly drove her crazy.
"I wanted to do this that night," Catherine teased as she slid her hands up beneath the skin-tight vest, wiggling and pushing so her hands slid over the smooth skin of Sara's stomach and ribcage, causing the lower button on the vest to snap. Sara leaned her whole weight into the smaller woman as her knees weakened under the barrage of Catherine's hands and mouth, her tongue working in rhythm with her fingers. "Cath...."
Three more snaps and the vest was open for Catherine's roving hands, hands soon replaced as she kissed her way down Sara's neck and collarbone. Sara braced her hands against the edges of the doorframe, helpless under Catherine's expert manipulation of her body. When Catherine's hands dipped lower, sliding down between the belt buckle and her twitching stomach, she felt rather than saw Catherine's smug smile. Knowing she had lost this round, she surrendered and let Catherine work her magic.
Later, in bed, after Sara had exacted her revenge, she stroked the blonde hair away from Catherine's face and pressed a delicate kiss on her forehead. "I love you, kit-kat," she whispered.