A/N: Thanks again to all my reviewers! Wait a sec…

Firestorm13: Sorry to say, but I have to keep Rich in for a little longer, but he will dwindle away soon-ish!

Prunella: Thank you! I think I will.

Chawkchic: Here you go! Sorry to be killing you, I hope I didn't succeed.

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Half an hour before the next shift, Sara was standing in front of her bathroom mirror, contemplating her outfit. This is so not like me. She thought, Why am I doing this? But secretly, she knew why. She wanted to dress like someone who has a lot of friends, not the secretive woman she was. She wanted to show Catherine that she really did want to be friends, and not just through the phone.

And even more secretly, one secret that she won't even admit to herself, she wanted to show Catherine that she wanted to be more than friends. She examined herself in her plum-colored blouse and dark jeans, very little makeup, but still more than usual, and decided that the shift was not getting any younger, she better get to work.

Sara walked in, and Catherine stared at her. She looked more relaxed today than usual, more at ease. Catherine could not keep her eyes off Sara, and Sara was secretly pleased. They were working on separate cases, but Catherine just couldn't concentrate, her mind kept wandering back to Sara, wondering what she was doing. She meant what she had said on the phone, she wanted to be friends… and more, she thought again.

"… Earth to Catherine, do you read me?" Nick's ever-joking voice cut through Catherine's daydream like a knife.

"Yea, I'm here… what were you saying?"

"I was saying, look over here, at the vic, I think something's out of place." She walked over, her mind not quite clear of Sara, but she concentrated on the case.

He was at her house at exactly 6:30. She opened the door, and they both smiled at the sight of each other. He bent forward and gave Sara a kiss on the cheek, and led her to his car.

"Where are we going?"

"I have a surprise for you tonight." She fake-glared at him, then tried a flirty pout. "Please tell me?"

"You'll have to wait." He laughed. "But believe me, you'll love it."

They pulled up in front of a sushi bar.

"Rich, I've never had sushi before…"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll love it. Just try it, okay?" Rich's face was so hopeful, she couldn't disagree. She ended up liking the tempura, but she turned her nose up at the fish. Raw fish really didn't sound good to her. When they got out of the restaurant, they just kept walking past the car, away from that parking lot, and their feet and conversation carried them to Baskin Robins. When they saw the familiar pink and while '31' they both laughed, and went inside. By the time they had gotten back to the car, it was almost 8, and she needed to get home so she could have enough time to shower and change before her shift started.

"I'll drop you off at home, okay honey?" It was the first time he had used a pet name for her, but she didn't really think it felt right. Something was out of place, something about his voice… the back of her mind automatically thought it needs to be Catherine's voice, but she pushed the thought aside.