A/n- This is a loooong chapter. I didn't know weather to add all the scenes at the general store together but I decided to. I hope you like this chapter because I think, well, I don't know what I think about it. But you can tell me in your reviews :D. Please enjoy.

"Can you imagine living out here?" Catherine broke their awkward silence. They had been driving for almost two hours and there hadn't been a lot of conversation. They spent most of their time looking on the road except for the odd glances and polite smiles they gave each other. Sara was seriously hoping Catherine would break the silence because it was almost becoming unbearable.

"It's peaceful." Sara responded. She liked the quietness of the town. It really was peaceful.

"Peaceful? The town just lost five percent of its population. "

"I though you said this was a single homicide." She never told Sara there was more than one body.

"Yeah, in a population of twenty." Sara smiled and laughed at Catherine's joke. Catherine looked at Sara and watched her smile. She looked so happy smiling. Catherine pulled in the driveway when Sara spoke.

"We made it. State trooper." They got out of the car and walked to the officer leaning against his SUV.

"Two hours to drive 75 miles. You guys got lost."

"What's the rush? Crime scene's not going anywhere." Catherine responded defensively.

"Yeah, but I am. Body's behind the counter. Dustin Bale, store clerk. Bullet through the chest. The register's empty." The officer said rudely. Sara looked at him and spoke.

"Officer Spencer, did you touch anything?" Sara said staring at his nametag in the dark.

"Fourteen years as a state trooper. I know how to secure a crime scene without contaminating the evidence."

" Sorry."

"It's okay. Look, I cover 97.5 square miles. I got to book." He got in his SUV and left while Catherine and Sara went into the general store for the first time. There was spill of some sort on the floor and Sara suggested vomit. Catherine picked up a small sample and smelled it. She shook her head and said it was potato.

"An old man's silencer." Sara said still kneeling next to Catherine.

"Why would an assailant need a silencer way out here?" Sara didn't answer her question. She walked around the counter and stepped over the body to look at the receipt still on the cash register.

"Last paying customer, eight hours ago."

"We just got the call. The place is open 24 seven. Why'd it take so long?" She asked.

"The assailant flipped the sign on the way out, buying him time to get away."

"But now without getting his picture taken first." She sounded hopeful.

"It's plastic." Sara said still standing on the stepladder.

"You're joking."

"Nine volt attached to a blinking light." Sad, she was hoping for an open and shut case. She thought it would be sort of a bonus to be out here longer with Catherine.

"Real or fake, it didn't work.

"Wow. A fumette. Did you get that out of some museum?" Sara teased Catherine as she watched her blow into the tube.

"Hey, don't knock it. It's still the best tool for lifting prints off cardboard." She responded with a humorous tone.

"Blow and print." Her lips were beginning to form a smile she hoped Sara wouldn't see.

"If you were in a hurry how would you get back there?"

"Easy. Jump the counter." She responded walking towards Sara. She knew that was the answer Sara wanted to hear.

"Exactly what I'm thinking." Catherine walked over to Sara who was beginning to test for shoeprints. Catherine stood so close to Sara she could feel Sara's struggle to concentrate.

Shoe prints." She said quietly after completing her task. Catherine gave her the opportunity to say what happened.

"Lay it out."

"Suspect entered shoots the clerk through the potato... then hops up and over, leaving behind shoe prints ... grabs the cash ... flips the sign from "open" to "closed" and exits."

"How old is the killer?" She questioned. Sara still had much to learn from the intelligent blond.

"What are you thinking?" Sara smiled.

"Shoe size is five, six tops."

"We may be looking for a minor." She said solemnly. She felt a little stupid for not have noticing that.

"Hey, don't feel dumb. I don't expect you to know everything." Catherine smiled rubbing Sara's shoulder.

They did as much work as they possibly could without touching the body. They were almost done and the coroner still hadn't shown up. Catherine was starting to get irritated. They should have been finished a long time ago if the coroner would have shown up. It was daytime now and she wouldn't have minded being here with Sara except for the fact that nothing was happening with them. She knew she shouldn't expect anything but the tension between them was getting stronger and stronger with every minute.

Catherine turned around to see Sara printing the counter with a pink fluorescent powder.

"Fluorescent powders?" She asked.

"Eh, why not? They're in the kit" She responded looking up into Catherine eyes smiling.

"Protocol's black." She said making to attempt to hide her anger and irritation.

"Since when do you care about my choice of powders?" She said still persisting. Why was she flirting with Catherine still? She knew Cath was upset.

"Assistant coroner is four hours late and we are stuck out here until he transports the body. And I haven't heard from Grissom ...

"You know, I've never tried green..." They were having their own conversations with themselves.

"I should've never been sent to this remote scene in the first place. I've got seniority. I deserve -- no, I've earned the right to pick my cases." Catherine yelled in the empty store.

Without saying one word to Catherine, Sara stood up and walked over to the rack of candy bars. She chose one she thought Catherine would like and handed it to her.

"If I start eating, I will shut up." Sara smiled and this time Catherine saw it. The candy bar hit the floor and quick footsteps could be heard banging along the floor as Catherine moved swiftly over to Sara. Sara only had time to turn around before Catherine pushed her back against the wall and kissed her firmly. Sara was frozen solid as Catherine did this and before she wanted to respond Catherine pulled back panting.

"Do you have a mirror?" Sara broke the silence but only barely, as she was whispering into Catherine's face.

"Since when do you care about your appearance?" Catherine said walking back to her candy and taking a bite as if nothing happened.

"Crime scene? It's not for me."

"Sorry." Sara went over to the body. She couldn't make herself look at the other woman after what had just happened. She took the mirror trying not to blush as their fingers touched. She walked over to the body and knelt down beside it. Catherine stretched over the counter. She was going to try and act normal, but the regret in her voice was obvious.

"We can't touch it."

"I'm just getting a better look." She only had time to bend over when David Phillips opened the door and walked in.

"Oh, thank god. It's about time."

"Nice to see you, Catherine. Well, I smell the body. Where is he?" Sara stood up from behind the counter and looked at him.

"Hey, David. I wasn't touching him." She said.

"I know you better than that." He said smiling. Catherine was furious. Was he flirting with her? Sara really did get around. After what just happened she still flirts with him.

"So, uh, what took you so long?" She said breaking the look they were sharing.

"I made a wrong turn back at the fork."

Catherine looked at Sara with a reflecting smile. That's where they had got lost also.

"Well, we're leaving now." Catherine said grabbing her kit and walking out. Sara said goodbye and did the same.

"Catherine…I think we need to talk." Sara ran up behind her and waited for an answer. Catherine turned around and held her finger to Sara's lips.

"No, we don't. I'm sorry it happened now get in the car. We're going home."

Sara didn't even get the chance to tell her how she felt. She knew they would never speak of what happened again.

TBC…review!