Spoilers: In this installment? Probably.

Disclaimer: The band mentioned is fictitious. Pure coincidence if there really is such a thing.

Note: Still not a scientist, criminalist, or doctor so if anything doesn't sound right it is because it probably isn't. On the other hand this is just funfiction so all reason is abandoned! The only thing I attempt to maintain is character traits. Anyway, special thanks to Krissy117, Addicted1, Nursejay80, CSIfan and Higherbeings for the very kind reviews and actually following this. That's so cool!

Chapter 4

As soon as they arrived at the crime lab, Catherine and Nick went straight to work on Ms. Millson's vehicle. No viable evidence was recovered from the vehicle's interior. All exterior evidence had been collected and photographed at the scene. The only thing they waited on were the samples sitting in the "IN" basket at Trace, which was back-logged as usual. Nick grumbled about the delay but the new tech timidly said Ecklie's orders were day shift work gets done first. He clenched his jaw when he heard this. Man, he really hated that guy. It could be hours before the analysis would be ready. Shift would be over by that time and he would not be doing any overtime tonight. He had a date, sort of. He wandered down to Layout, figuring he could kill time helping Warrick catch up until she came to pick him up.

Ecklie was an ass; he had Trace completely backed up. Their samples would have to wait until morning, unless Griss, Sara and Greg had time to do an analysis. Catherine doubted it. She knew they were still struggling with their suddenly understaffed team as much as she was. On the flipside she was grateful she was going home at a decent hour, perhaps she could spend more than just a couple of hours with her kid tonight.

Three to right, 24, back left, 7, back right, 18 and… "Pop!" Catherine announced as she yanked the lock down and twisted the device from the handle on the steel grey locker. She sighed as she forcefully jiggled the temperamental latch. "Stuck again" she grumbled and tugged until the door yielded to her efforts with a reverberating rattle. "I have an office now; why do I continue to use this blasted tin box?" she continued muttering as the rattling echoed throughout the locker room. She removed the lanyard with her badge attached from around her neck and tossed it on the top shelf of her locker. Her eyes swept over the pictures taped to the inside locker door as she removed her weapon from its holster, checked the safety mechanism while she smiled at a picture of her and Lindsey in birthday hats, smiling, and sharing a bite of pizza. She carefully placed the S & W next to the badge. She heard the locker room door open behind her but didn't turn around as she removed her purse and a couple of spare blouses that needed to be laundered. She held them up and folded the articles neatly, only to stuff them into a tote bag set on the floor.

"'Afternoon, Willows," drawled that familiar friendly greeting, no doubt with a smile behind it. Nick smiled often and the tiny lines that faintly radiated from the corners of his eyes were proof.

"Nick," she nodded cordially. Cool-As-A-Cucumber-Catherine, she thought, be her.

He continued smiling as he approached his locker, next to Sara's and two away from hers, and started the process of opening his locker with same rattles and echoes. She flashed back to when Sara first came to CSI, how she and Nick just seemed to click immediately. They shamelessly flirted with each other. She remembered the phase where they slipped notes in each others lockers. They acknowledged the juvenility of their actions and blatantly exaggerated the banter. She remembered them laughing as they read the notes aloud "Nick, Grissom told me he thinks I am a better CSI than you, xoxo, Sara" to which Nick composed a reply "He only said that because you're a girl and didn't want to hurt your feelings. I am the best! Nick." Although the promotion nomination ended that phase and cooled their jets for a little while, it wasn't long before they went back at it only in a different manner.

"Got big plans tonight?" He asked, breaking into her thoughts. "A hot date?" he added with a measure of jest to disguise his curiosity. .

"Just dinner and a movie with Lindsey. Maybe a few case file reviews thrown in for dessert." She closed her locker door and turned to him, adding warily "How about you?" As if she really wanted to know.

"Eh" he shrugged wearily "I'm going to a concert with Sara tonight."

"Sounds like… fun" she offered and hoped he wouldn't use his investigative skills to pick up the sarcastic tone in her voice. Be cool.

"Yeah? I'm just so beat, I don't really feel like going. Staying in for dinner and a movie sounds much more entertaining to me right now" he glanced at her hopefully, wondering if she would use her investigative skills to pick up on his subtle hint.

"Yep, been a long week," she agreed and fought images of Nick and Sara at his place, curled up on the couch together watching a movie, their dishes and half finished bottle of wine on his glass coffee table. Nick pulling Sara into his arms and holding her fast. Sara cuddling against him, knees tucked under her, head nodding sleepily until it falls against his chest and her breathing settled into the soft, rhythmic pattern only associated with slumber. He would gently shake her or nuzzle her cheek whispering they should turn in for the night. Together. In his bed. Together! She bit her lip until the pain vanquished the thought. Honestly, Catherine, how old are you? Lindsey's age? Must be, the way you're acting. Change the subject. She cleared her throat,"Who are you going to see?"

"Blood Sponge," he smiled.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I know, I know it sounds weird. '80's punk band."

"Sounds messy. Never thought of you as the moshing type, Nicky," she removed her keys from her purse and clutched the bag with both hands.

"Yeah, well, I'm not. It was Sara's pick." he grinned bashfully, not wanting to admit he lost a bet to Sara, again.

Aw, isn't that sweet, she thought sarcastically with a hint of jealousyHe would even attend an event as awful as a lame retro punk concert just to be with her. There you have it; Cool-As-A-Cuke Catherine has officially been pickled; sour as well as green. "Well have fun, and stay out of the Pit" sheslapped him on the shoulder as she walked past him.

"Yeah, okay" he chuckled and nodded as his followed her and focused on her slender figure. Man, she was hot and firm in the places he cared the most about. He could feel the stirrings of excitement in his gut just thinking about her. Some nights he would lie awake in bed at night thinking about her. He worried about her when they had a particularly rough case and fantasized about her when they worked closer than usual. Any type of physical contact with her set him up for a sleepless night. What would she feel like pressed against him, under him, or on top of him??? Would they fit together just right? Lord, have mercy. Did she even realize what she did to him?

Of course, you dumb ass! That's why she's blowing you off, man. Get a grip. You're pathetic. He chuckled pitifully at himself and slammed his locker door shut. He needed to do something about this, cold shower maybe? Run an extra couple of miles? Nah, those were only short term remedies. Yet he couldn't exactly just come right out and say 'I have been slowly falling in love with you over the last 4 years, Cath. Whad'ya say we make a go of it?' They still had to work together and what if she really didn't return the sentiment, not even in the least? Could he go back to just working with her? Like Sara did with Grissom? He could do it, couldn't he? He was a guy after all. That's what guys were supposed to be good at doing. Carrying on like they just didn't care. Sure.

The locker room door opened and Sara walked right through his lingering, half- dressed image of Catherine. "Hey you" she grinned broadly "Ready to go?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'ready'."

"What do you mean?" she walked past him and straddled the bench beside him.

"Not sure if I'm ready for Blood Sponge."

"Are you kidding? They're harmless." She peered into Catherine's forgotten tote. "I hope you weren't planning on wearing one of these blouses to the show. I can't guarantee things will stay harmless if you show up dressed like me."

"Huh?" he looked down, finally noticing the tote. "Oh, that's Cath's. She must've forgotten it."

The tension in his neck was killing him. He really shouldn't be going out tonight after the long week he had. What he really needed was a good night's sleep. He rolled his neck from left to right and then back again, attempting to pop the vertebrae at C6 and C7.

"You know that's not good for you."

"No, I didn't know that. I don't think you ever told me."

"You're such a brat" she stood up walked behind him "Come here" she placed her hands on his shoulders and began to knead the tension knots from his muscles.

Catherine had made it as far as opening the door to the loaner SUV and throwing her purse on the passenger seat when she stopped, trying to remember why something wasn't right. She knew she was forgetting something…what was it? A moment later it came to her and her whole body drooped, "Laundry". She slammed the door and headed back toward the building to retrieve the forgotten bag.
Another officer was leaving the locker room and held the door for Catherine as she approached. She smiled a cordial greeting of thanks and took only a couple of steps inside she noticed Nick reclining against Sara, eyes closed, as she gave him what appeared to be a thoroughly enjoyable massage. For both of them. She was smiling down at him as her hands worked his shoulders then inched down between his shoulder blades. Nick was smiling contentedly. Catherine's entrance went completely unnoticed by either of them.

"Oh God, Sara," he moaned "That feels sooo good." She only giggled in response as one hand traveled back up to the base of his neck, her fingers never ceasing their almost sensual strokes. "Hey, does that thing with your fingertips" he mumbled.

"What thing, Nicky?" she bent down closer to him, her hair fell spilling on to his face.

"You know that thing you did the last time?"

"Which thing? You know I have a cache of specialization," she cooed.

Catherine heard enough. She cleared her throat and startled them both. Sara jerked her head up

"Oh hey Cath" Sara said smugly "Forget something? "

"Yeah" she answered shortly, glancing between them with a contradictory expression vacillating between surprise and suspicion. An uncomfortable silence fell over the locker room. She looked from Nick to Sara and then back to Nick. He was silent for a moment as he studied her expression, what is it, Cath? Why do you look that?

"Hmm" Sara nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable under Catherine's scrutiny. She needed to bail."Nick, we should go if we're gonna eat first." Sara spoke gave Nick's shoulders a final squeeze, brushing the length of his back before backing away from him. "Goodnight" she said to Catherine, almost tauntingly.

"Yeah," he answered as he rose from the bench. He paused as he passed by her dropping his voice to a near whisper. "Have a good night Cath."

She said nothing nor moved until the sound of the locker room door sounded closed. She expelled the breath she didn't even realize she was holding and sat on the bench to think this through. She had suspected there was something going on between them for quite sometime, but this little incident finally confirmed her suspicions. Can't be upset or jealous. What purpose will that serve? It was silly of her to have let her emotions get the best of her, entertaining thoughts that good man like Nick could ever love someone like her. Her sordid past was public knowledge, even fodder for some, like Ecklie, when he was in one of his moods. No, she was damaged goods in Nick's eyes. Tainted, defiled. An Ex-stripper, ex-coke addict, divorced with a fatherless kid. She couldn't imagine what his parents would think if he brought her home for Christmas. Definitely not the kind of gal his mother would approve of. It is only natural for him to be attracted to someone like Sara, so good and pure when stacked against Catherine. It helped even more that she was his own age. She was certain nothing Sara had ever done could parallel what she did in her past.

Oh, Catherine knew Sara had some darkness in her past. She even ventured to guess she may have experienced some of the same pain Nick experienced, perhaps of a different nature and degree, but she was sure it was there. They had that link. Something that unbeknownst to them bonded them together. Misery loves company, she sniggered.

So let it go, Cath. You have to, it's time. Let them find their way and do not get between them. Let Nick be happy, he deserves the very best and it looks as if he found it in Sara. She could accept it in time maybe,but would nver be happy about it.

TBC