Chapter VI

Two Sharp Women

Catherine had known from the day that Sara Sidle had walked in the door...She'd known that there was something about the brunette. At first, she'd been the intruder. She'd had the brass balls to come to their house and investigate them. She'd been Grissom's pet. Later, she'd been a rival, a younger, smarter, more athletic, more innovative then Catherine. She'd treated like the threat she'd perceived Sara to be. Sara, super CSI. Sara-Holier-Than-Thou-Art-Sidle. Then Sara had closed Eddie's case. That had lead to a whole new set of problems between the two of them. Every time they took a step forwards, towards a better relationship...or dare she think it, friendship, something happened and they were thrown back to the beginning again.

She found Sara outside, sitting in her Denali, not moving. Catherine tapped on the window. Inside the vehicle, Sara jumped. She'd obviously had not been expecting anyone to follow her out...or if she did, Catherine wasn't the CSI she'd been expecting. That was too bad, because Catherine knew that she was the one that needed to talk to Sara. She understood what Sara was facing down...well, sort of. In 1988, she'd been peeling it off for money, most of which had gone up her nose. She and Sara, sisters in the sex industry...who knew they had so much in common after all?

Sara opened the SUV's door and stepped out. Her voice was low, but it held steady. "What?" Catherine let out a breathe. "I was wondering if you needed someone to talk to." Sara shrugged. "Not much talking needed, you've got your evidence." Catherine shrugged one shoulder and tossed her hair, "Sometimes it's not all about evidence." Sara looked at her, the woman's deep brown eyes were like caves, deep and full of secrets. "You don't have to do this. I don't need your pity." The brunette woman's voice was full of venom. The kind that usually flowed so freely with Catherine's words.

She wasn't quite sure why, but her own words echoed back to the strawberry blonde CSI. "When the spirit moves you...which in your case, will be never." That was what she was looking at. A CSI who all but hated her. Now she wanted Sara to spill her story? No matter if the woman was hurt or not...and Sara was definitely hurting...Catherine Willows took guff from no one. "Good because I'm not here to give you pity. I'm here to offer a kind ear." Sara looked her, mouth twisted into a sneer. "A kind ear? From you? Since when?" Catherine knew that on some level she did deserve Sara's mistrust...but she didn't like taking it. She opened her mouth to fire back a barb...but something in Sara's eyes stopped her. Sara's dark eyes were full of something that Catherine had never associated with the dedicated woman, fear.

Catherine pushed her hand through her hair. "You're going to have to tell someone, Sara. Why not me?"

Sara sighed, Catherine was standing there, waiting for her to spill her guts. She was surprised. Of all the CSIs Catherine was both the best and the worst person to have this talk with. "Well, if I'm going to have this conversation, it's not going to be in a parking lot." Catherine nodded, "Well, then lets go grab some lunch and have a chat." Somehow a "chat" sounded much more ominous then it should have.

In the diner, Sara stared down at her plate, and chased the food around with her fork. Across from her, Catherine waited patiently, something that was out of character for her. Sara wondered when the other shoe was going to drop. Catherine let it drop. "So, you want to tell me what's going on?" Sara wondered if Catherine used the same tone of voice with Lindsey...if she did, she understood why the girl couldn't get away with anything.

Sara sighed, "I don't know where to start." Catherine smiled, her blue eyes twinkled a bit. "The beginning is always good."