I own no one or nothing, and it won't do any good to sue, because I only have pennies in my pocket.

Warning: This is a Catherine/Sara romance story...if you don't like it, don't read it, no one's twisting your arm. I don't need to hear about how gross you think it is or how much you don't like it, so this is just fair warning.

Please let me know what you think, I'm new to fanfic writing, and I'm still treading water, so to speak.

Jenna

Warmth:

Catherine slammed a brown folder onto Grissom's desk, a scowl on her face, "You can't be serious."

"I can't attend the conference, and Ecklie instructed me to send two of my best CSI's to represent the lab. You are one of the best. I don't see what the problem is." Grissom replied calmly, a hint of question in his eyes.

Catherine rolled her eyes, letting an angry sigh escape before clenching her fists, "I hardly see my daughter as it is, I cherish my weekends alone with her, how could you possibly expect me to attend a 3 day conference, which, by the way, occurs not only over the weekend, but on a school holiday as well?"

"I know you miss Lindsey, and if I had a choice, I'd replace you, but that particular Friday, Warrick's in court and Nick's on vacation. Sara's going with you, and I really don't think sending Greg is the right thing to do." Grissom replied, his voice still calm, "I'm sorry, Cath, but it's final. Besides, I think some quality time between you and Sara is what the two of you need to settle your differences."

Catherine shook her head angrily, storming out of his office without another word to her supervisor. She knew that he wouldn't send her if he had another option, but knowing that didn't mean she had to be okay with it. She thundered into the locker room, slamming her hand against her locker as she struggled to calm herself down. She had work to do, and she didn't think her coworkers deserved her wrath, although, if Grissom was stupid enough to pair himself with her, all hell was going to break loose.

A few lockers down, Sara watched curiously as Catherine's anger melted away. The blonde glanced in her direction, and Sara quickly turned the dial on her lock, causing the locker to pop open. A brown folder fell out, and Sara bent to retrieve it. Great, a conference. She glanced over at the blonde, realizing who she was probably going to be attending with.

"Great."

"My sentiments exactly." Catherine retorted, "This has got to be his stupidest decision ever."

Sara nodded in agreement, "I hate these things. DNA preservation...this has got to be one of the more boring conferences."

"That's just the first day. The second is blood evidence analysis, the third is about mummification/freezing bodies in extreme climates." Catherine replied, rolling her eyes, "Stuff we've already been educated on."

"Grissom has the worst timing on these things, I had plans for that weekend already, hiking with my niece for her 16th birthday. Any other weekend of the year would be okay, but it has to be that one."

"I can totally sympathize with that one." Catherine said, opening her locker and pulling out her vest, "At least we'll be able to see some snow, I could use a break from 90 degree temperatures."

Sara glanced at her watch, cursing softly, "We're late."

"It's okay," Catherine replied, a smirk on her face, "Grissom owes us big time."

They walked into the break room, where Grissom was already passing out assignments, "Nice of you two to join us."

"We're not even five minutes late, we had some things to discuss about this conference." Catherine told her supervisor icily, "What do you have for me?"

Grissom motioned towards the guys, "Nick and Warrick are going to be investigating a suspicious circs at 'Circus, Circus'." He handed a slip of paper to Greg, "Greg, you've got a home invasion in Henderson. Solo."

"Alright!" Greg exclaimed, a triumphant grin on his face, which extended to the other members of the team. It was always nice to see Greg so excited about his 'new' job.

Grissom waved the last slip of paper in the air, "Catherine, Sara, you're with me. Double homicide. Meet me in my office when you're ready to go."

Sara (wisely) suppressed a grin at Catherine's angry expression. The blonde hadn't said anything, but she could tell that she was angry with their supervisor for sending her to this conference. Sara wasn't thrilled to be going, but she would accept it and move on. Catherine, on the other hand, probably wouldn't be so forgiving.

Sara wasn't certain, but she was fairly sure that part of the problem was that they were going to be going together. Everyone in the lab knew that the two of them rarely got along, although they had only blown up at each other a few times. The sole reason they weren't at each other's throats more often was the fact that they tended to avoid each other at all costs to ensure that no unnecessary altercations took place.

It wasn't that she hated Catherine, she respected the blonde very much, it was that their personalities seriously clashed. Sara was smart, and she knew it. She was very confident in her capabilities and skill, and she wasn't afraid to challenge anyone when she felt she was right. At the same time, Catherine knew she was right and didn't want to be challenged in the slightest.

Sara knew that Catherine had some insecurities, despite her 'tough girl' attitude. It was impossible to come from a situation like the one Catherine was in (a dancer with a loser husband and no formal education) and morph into this respectable, intelligent, strong CSI without feeling a bit out of place or uncomfortable, at least occasionally.

Sara was all too familiar with the idea of not fitting in. She had always been very intelligent, knowing what she wanted to do with her life. She had always been interested in science, always put education before relationships, and had always intended to make something out of her life, but she had been dealt a bad hand as well, trying to establish a name for herself. She had bounced from foster home to foster home, never fitting in, and when she had joined the team, she had been brought in to investigate Warrick, which made the rest of the team initially shut her out. Eventually they accepted her and made her part of their 'family', but it had taken a long time and there were still times where she felt left out. It was a gigantic relief when Greg joined their team, taking the 'new girl' status away from her.

The occasional insecurities both women felt led them to take it out on each other more than once. Sometimes it was an offhand jab at the other woman, sometimes it was particularly harsh criticism, sometimes it was the lack of praise when it was more than deserved. Everyone had witnessed it at one point or the other, leading them to label the women as disliking each other, and after they had been labeled enemies, it was very hard for them to break that image, so they eventually adapted to it and began to bicker more and more often.

Therefore, the idea that both women were going to be a attending this conference, unsupervised, was a risk, to say the least.

The moment the car door shut, Catherine was starting to pick a fight with Grissom.

"I hope you plan on babysitting Lindsey, because I don't think my sister will appreciate watching Lindsey for so long." Catherine huffed, crossing her arms, "Can't Nicky take his vacation another time?"

"We've discussed this, Catherine." Grissom replied, his voice tight with irritation, "We will not discuss it again. You are going. Sara is going. End of story."

Catherine sighed angrily, "After all of these years, you'd think you would at least grant me a weekend with my daughter. A daughter, might I add, that I only get to see 2 or 3 hours a day."

"Cath, you get some weekends off...I'll make it up to you, but it's lab policy that you attend 3 conferences, classes, or seminars per year, and you haven't attended one yet."

"I've been to 5. Why do I have to go to another one?" Sara asked dryly from the backseat, "Greg and I are the only ones who have done all three. Warrick's done two, Nick's done 1...wouldn't it be logical to send someone else?"

Grissom gripped the steering wheel tightly, "It's not up for discussion."

Catherine shoved her duffel bag into the overhead compartment, glancing at Sara's ticket, then at her own, "I'm sitting by the window."

"That's fine." Sara replied, easily sliding her smaller bag into the compartment, "I'd rather be on the aisle anyway."

"I just hope there's no one between us...the last thing we need is some huge greasy icky guy wedged between us for 4 hours." Catherine grumbled, "I can't believe we have to go to this."

Sara shrugged, "There's nothing we can do now, except relax and enjoy the trip to Ohio. Did you hear the part where Gris said everything's on the lab's credit card?"

"I'm ahead of you on that one...a massage and room service are in my near future." Catherine replied with a smile, "I plan on eating lobster tonight, with a nice visit to the bar."

"Sounds like a good plan." Sara said with a smile, watching Catherine's eyes glisten with mischievousness. She shut the overhead storage compartment and sat down in the middle seat, snapping her seatbelt, "Don't want some greasy guy between us, right?"

Catherine smiled, fastening her own seatbelt as she pulled out a magazine from her oversized purse, "Smart thinking."

"There was a reason I graduated at the top of my class." Sara smiled, "I'm going to try to take a nap once we're up in the air...I left for the airport straight from work...my third shift..."

"Somehow, that does not surprise me." Catherine replied, stealing a gaze at the brunette beside her. For working so many long hours, she didn't look half bad.

Half an hour later, Sara's head was falling against Catherine's shoulder, surprising the older blonde, but she made no attempt to move the brunette. For some odd reason, Sara's body leaning against her own wasn't as uncomfortable as she would have thought. Stifling a yawn, she laid her own head on top of Sara's letting her eyes shut as she drifted into a light slumber.