DISCLAIMER:Don't own it... No money made... Just for fun and enjoyment.

SUMMARY: Sequel to Displacement. The CSI team and their recently hired coroner Stephanie are back to work solving cases, sharing companionship and generally making their way through the dire world of criminal investigation with humor and friendship... This one will show the development of the relationship between Grissom and Sara and there should be some other surprises down the road as well. Romance/Drama/Angst/Mature Situations

RATING: M for Mature - I'm starting this one out at "M", since we won't be waiting quite so long for the smut this time out ;) Also, there is a sprinkling of language throughout the story.

A/N: Well, from your reviews, it would appear that I will be surviving the writing of this fic unscathed ;) Now it's time for me to have some fun. :D

REVIEWS: I am always looking for ways to improve my writing, and your reviews let me know if I am hitting my mark. Thank you in advance for the time you take to read & review this story.


Chapter 48

Sara quickly caught Warrick up on all the things that had transpired since he left the day before. She went into great detail about how Stephanie had managed to irritate every single nurse on the floor and even gotten Carter going so bad, Thomas had to take him out of the room to cool down before he exploded. She had remarked to him that she guessed the old cliché about doctors being the worst patients really was true, because she had seen it first hand. However, Sara was not amused when he said that he imagined she would not have made a better patient, since patience was a foreign concept to her.

They had talked about everything trivial, and by the time they got into the car, Sara was done with the small talk. "So, are you going to tell me about the blow up in the hallway? Or do I have to wait for the police report?"

Warrick pressed the brake soundly to the floor and hung his head before leaving the parking space. "How'd you find out?"

Sara laughed, "Right? Like THAT wasn't getting back to us." She reached over and put a hand on his shoulder, "C'mon, 'Rick… What started it?"

He shook his head and slowly released the brake pedal as he drifted backwards from the parking spot. "She's just trippin'. That's all."

"About what?" Sara trained her gaze out the windows, as she acted like a second pair of eyes on the road looking for obstacles.

"She's always had this thing about Catherine… You know that." Sara sighed and nodded her head in a knowing gesture that was beginning to get under his skin. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing…" He stopped the car at the end of the aisle and his expression told her that he was not moving until she talked. "Well, it's not like the thought never crossed anyone's mind."

"What?" He scrunched up his face at the notion and shook his head incredulously, "C'mon, you know there's never been anything between us." Warrick began working his way back out of the parking lot.

Sara tilted her head to the side and shrugged, "Well, I know you never did anything about it, anyway."

She was thrown forward against her seat belt when his foot made fast contact with the brake pedal. "What?"

"Well, seat belts work." She turned and gave him one of those looks, "Do you need me to drive?" But he was still in shock from what she said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, man… We both know you've had the hots for Catherine for years. We've had this discussion before." Sara blew him off, knowing that she was right.

He shook his head and chewed on his cheek as he started the car moving again. "That's not what I meant." He forced himself to look forward at the oncoming traffic, as he eased his way out onto the road.

"Whatever… This is all just sounding a little too familiar for my comfort anyway." Sara turned to look out the passenger window, letting her words sink in for the man sitting beside her.

"No, that's not the same thing… She was never interested, so it's not the same." Warrick turned onto the next street and let out a long sigh.

"How would you know?" Sara was not about to let him off that easy. "You never asked her."

Warrick screwed up his mouth to one side and chuffed an answer to that jab, "Please… Like anyone ever had to ask for Catherine's opinion about anything." They both chuckled at his answer, but he wanted to add one more thing, "If she'd been interested, it might've been different, but we're just friends… At least, we were."

CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI

Warrick used the short drive back to the townhouse, after dropping Sara off at hers, to try and clear his head. Sara had left him with thoughts he believed were long since buried. But at the mere mention of them, he had to admit they had always been just below the surface of his consciousness.

Was there any truth to the jealousy his soon-to-be-ex-wife had exhibited for his co-worker? He was forced to wonder if he had subconsciously given her the impression that there was more to his relationship with Catherine, or more accurately, if he still held out that hope for anyone else to see.

It had been obvious to him for years that his feelings were one sided, and, not being a glutton for punishment, he moved on from those feelings, and tried to enjoy the friendship of a woman he greatly admired. Most people would have dismissed Catherine because of her background, but Warrick was impressed because of it, and not in spite of her history. For him, it showed the strength of her convictions to overcome her past, to pull herself out of a bad marriage, and to raise her daughter, as best as she could, in the face of unbelievable adversity. And despite the obvious height discrepancy, he actually looked up to her, as an example for his own life.

Warrick also enjoyed the symbiotic working relationship the two had developed over the years. It might not have had the telepathic quality that Grissom and Sara did, or the dueling one-upmanship he and Sara shared with Nick, but when he worked with Catherine, it almost felt like a well-written piece of music. They always seemed to be the perfect blend of rhythm and melody when they worked a scene.

As he pulled into the driveway of the townhouse, Warrick decided that he had never given Tina the slightest clue about his early feelings for his co-worker, but instead he thought she might have just gotten the impression that the two were close. However, what she did not know was that since his marriage, he and Catherine had grown further apart. And being around her so much over those last few trying and intense days made him realize just how much he missed their former closeness.

With his marriage lying in ruins, and his first official settlement meeting taking place that afternoon, Warrick drifted off to sleep dreaming of a world where he was not the only one with those feelings; a world that could only exist in his dreams.