Warrick walked away from her apartment twice as confused as when he arrived. Was this just part of their routine, break-up to make-up? No, that wasn't it, they were over for a long time now. Was her confession a plea to get him back? Was he desirable because his availability had run out? No, that was a lie. He was available, emotionally. He was always a one woman man, what the hell was he thinking? He was a married man now and he had to do right by her. The question remained: Which her? He had to stop thinking this way. A choice was made and he had to live with it. But what if it was the wrong choice? This inner dialogue got him no further than when he started. He was spinning his wheels and very frustrated.
Not one for self-doubt Warrick was having a hard time accepting that's where he found himself this very moment. He was questioning everything now. He tried to let his mind drift as he drove home. At least Tina wouldn't be there. Seeing her after what almost just happened... The guilt would drive him insane. His best poker face would still betray him. Crossing the line was something he did often, but when he kissed Sara, that line became non-existent. All it did was contribute to the conflict she had started within him. Maybe that wasn't the smartest move to pull, but he couldn't help it.
After making it home he tried to unwind. He flipped through a couple of channels, nothing held his interest. He turned on some music for distraction, that didn't help. Every song triggered some kind of memory within him. A first dance with Sara. A first kiss. A first argument. This was not working. He decided to hit the bags, shake off some of the energy surging through his body. Even that brought back a memory. A smile came to his face as he replayed their experiment with loaded gloves. He knew she got a kick out of watching him swing away at that board. She knew he was showing off a little and called him on it. "A little more," she'd said with a smirk. So he obliged and gave her a show. She was on fire with that case, especially in the interrogation room, staring down a professional fighter, going toe to toe as if it was just a walk in the park for her. She was unyielding in that moment. That is precisely what he found so attractive in her. Warrick had never met anyone with that level of tenacity or intelligence. Unflinchingly she would take on any challenge, eyes wide open, ready to try anything. He loved that. He hit the bag harder.
They had started with antagonism, hostility and suspicion, which carried over into a case or two. Having a weakness being found by a complete stranger unnerved him and assumptions were something Warrick would not put up with, so he decided to prove her wrong. He had told her all she needed to do was talk to him to get to know him. It grew into a good working relationship. He was used to strong, independent women like Grams and Aunt Bertha, but something about her was completely different from what he was familiar with. She was new, exciting. On every case she was like a dog after a bone, not stopping until the truth came out, making sure the victims were seen and heard. She hated it when high-profile cases took precedence over those of people that are more common. She was incensed that his case on Rachel Lyford trumped hers. Of course, he made that up to her, helping every way possible professionally and personally.
He wasn't too fond of the whole off and on thing they had going, but it was better than nothing at all. Slowly he was able to chip away at that steely exterior she put on. Sara had a similar scholastic history. Always reading, asking questions of adults who frequented her parents B&B. He found out about her graduating a month shy of her seventeenth birthday as valedictorian from high school. She'd gone to Harvard on a scholarship, transferred back to UC Berkley in her sophomore year. He didn't know much about her home life though, and that always bothered him. He wanted know more about her family, so he figured the only way to get her to open up was to introduce her to his. Grams liked her a lot, and Warrick figured that was all the approval he needed. He knew he had found the one. She was like going home. Intensity backed his hits.
He was getting tired from his work out. It was time to quit. Eventually he went to sleep, with heart and mind in conflict.