Disclaimer: I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them. As always though, I'd love to have coffee with George and Jorja.
Author's Note: Due to overt displays of Yo!Bling in a recent episode, I was inspired to write a Catherine/Warrick ficlet. (Oh, and special thanks to the folks at who created the phrases Yo!Bling and Sunglasses of Justice.)
"What do you expect? I work in a nightclub."
Chris' words echoed in Catherine's mind as she pushed her way out of the Acid Drop and headed to her Denali. The image of the leggy brunette wrapped around Chris and the unapologetic expression on his face as he zipped up his pants made her blood boil inside. Flashbacks to Eddie interspersed with the anger that she felt at being cheated on by Chris. But he had a point, what had she expected? Did she think so highly of herself that she thought the ease that he'd gone to bed with her was the exception rather than the rule? She let out a frustrated sigh and not for the first time wondered about her ability to attract men who didn't know the meaning of the word fidelity.
As she pulled back into CSI and walked purposefully towards the locker room to stow her gear and then head home to garner a few hours of sleep, she nearly collided with her coworker Warrick Brown.
"Where's the fire?" His hands on her shoulders had kept her from walking into him as he had rounded the corner into the locker room.
She glanced up at him looking apologetic, but the frustration was still clearly on her face. "Sorry."
Warrick's brow furrowed. "You ok, Cath?" They had been friends for a long time and he'd seen her through some pretty difficult times.
"Do I have a tattoo on my forehead that says 'cheat on me'?" She couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice even in her attempt to smile at Warrick.
Warrick's tone was protective. "Chris." He had only met the guy a couple of time and he didn't like him; his instincts told him that he was a player.
She nodded. "You think I would have learned my lesson with Ed." As much as she wanted to blame Chris, to blame Eddie, she knew that she had to take some responsibility for the situation herself. She was the one who had chosen to be with each of them, and all the earmarks had pointed in the same direction. The old adage was true, first time shame on you, second time shame on me.
"You want to catch breakfast and talk about it?" Warrick cared about Catherine, the group of CSIs was a sort of family and he'd do just about anything for each of them if they needed him. With Catherine though, he wished that things between them might one day go beyond friendship, but so far he hadn't gotten any vibe from her that she might want that.
Catherine shook her head. "No. I think I'm just going to go home and see Lindsey. I haven't been spending very much time with her lately." It was true, she'd spent more time with Chris in her off time lately than she had with her daughter, and she realized that if that didn't change, Lindsey was going to be treading through some of the toughest years of her life with little direction. Catherine didn't want to lose her daughter because of her overactive libido.
"Ok." Warrick smiled at her reassuring. "Another time then."
She smiled at him and realized that friends like Warrick Brown didn't come along very often, and it was a shame that she couldn't fall for someone like him.
It was a moment that sort of made the world around them stop for just a moment. Just long enough to see through the way things seemed to be, to the way they might be.
Warrick had caught her as she began to slip up the embankment of a storm wash. He'd held her in his arms longer than necessary and in the moment, their eyes locked and then drifted to each other's lips. A moment more would have been all it would have taken for him to kiss her, but the voice of the city sewer engineer had interrupted them, bringing them crashing back to reality.
But he'd seen the look in her eye and he was determined not to let it slide.
What he didn't know was that neither was she.
"That was some kind of case." Warrick commented as he shoved a few things into his locker as he got ready to leave, glancing over at Catherine who had just come into the locker room.
"Yes, it was." Catherine's tone was low and a bit sultry as her eyes looked over the lanky body of one Warrick Brown.
Warrick looked at her for a long moment and then let out a deep throaty chuckle.
Catherine looked at him and simply smirked as she raised a single eyebrow.
Warrick leaned his shoulder against his locker and did his best to restrain the smile that threatened to spread across his face. "Uh, huh."
Neither one of them said anything for a long moment as they just continued staring at each other, lips twitching upwards at the edges of their mouths. Only the sound of Nick and Sara talking in the hallway as they approached the locker room caused them to look away from each other.
"I cannot believe you did that." Sara exclaimed as she and Nick rounded the corner into the locker room.
Nick just laughed. "Why are you so surprised?"
Both of them looked like they hadn't expected to find anyone else in the locker room as they walked in.
Warrick raised an eyebrow at Nick in curiosity at the pause in conversation and Catherine busied herself in front of her locker.
Sara pursed her lips together and opened her locker, not answering Nick's question. They were being strangely too silent after the friendly banter before they'd entered the locker room.
Nick cleared his throat and looked at Warrick and then Catherine. "Hey, we're going to the diner for some breakfast. You guys in?"
Warrick glanced at Catherine out of the corner of his eye and then shook his head. "Nah, I think I'm just gonna head home and get some sleep." As if to emphasize his point, he let out a yawn.
"Cath?" Nick looked at the veteran CSI inquisitively.
She glanced up and smiled. "Thanks, but I've got a date with a pillow. I'll take a rain check though."
Sara closed her locker and looked as if she was ready to leave. "I guess we'll see you later then." She glanced over at Nick, a hint of pink in her cheeks. "I'll go see if Greg and Grissom are coming."
Nick nodded in her direction, looking at her a little longer than necessary as she walked out of the room. "Ok, I'll meet you in the parking lot." He glanced back at Warrick and then Catherine. "Last chance."
"Sorry, man." Warrick shook his head again.
"I really need to get off my feet." Catherine agreed. "Next time though."
"Alright. I'll see y'all later then." Nick sauntered out of the locker room and down the hallway.
Catherine glanced over at Warrick, catching him staring at her again. She smiled. "So, you're tired huh?"
Warrick nodded. "I was thinking that bed sounded like a good idea."
Catherine pursed her lips together thoughtfully and nodded. "Yeah, it does."
Warrick raised his eyebrow. "So you're tired too then."
She was having a hard time keeping the smile off of her face. "Real tired."
"Hmm." Warrick stepped towards her. "The thing is I'm a little too keyed up to sleep just yet."
Catherine let out a deep throaty laugh.
Warrick put his hand on the locker behind her. "You seem pretty keyed up too."
"You're very perceptive." Catherine found herself reaching out and fingering the buttons on his shirt.
"It's my job to be perceptive." He dipped his head a bit, his lips just inches from hers.
"Me too." Catherine's voice was a sultry whisper.
Warrick closed the distance between them and leaned in and kissed her, softly at first and then more insistently as her hands gripped fistfuls of his shirt. He finally pulled away as he heard something in the hallway. He looked into her eyes. "This probably isn't the best place for this."
Catherine nodded as Warrick stepped away. "Yeah, we should go." She looked at him for a long moment and then smiled as she whispered. "Lindsey is at my sister's house."
He nodded at her, doing a terrible job at keeping his smile at bay. "Is she now?"
"Yeah." Catherine smirked and then headed out of the locker room.
Warrick followed a few steps behind, doing his best to act natural, belying the anticipation that he felt building. He climbed into his vehicle and followed Catherine home. Wordlessly he followed her up the walkway and into her house.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Catherine pulled him into a hot open mouthed kiss, and Warrick returned it with equal fervor. By the time they made it to her bedroom, they'd left a trail of clothing from the living room, up the stairs and down the hallway. They tumbled onto her bed, flesh against flesh in a fury of pent up passion.
An hour later, the sheets tangled around their entwined bodies, Warrick trailed his fingers up and down Catherine's back. "That brings a whole knew meaning to erotic." He had been with a fair share of women, but being with Catherine had taken the experience to a whole new level.
Her laugh was low and sultry as she began to nibble at his neck. "And I'm only getting started."
The End