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Sara

Soft lips trailed slowly down the length of my neck, hands sneaking beneath the dark material of my shirt, warm body pressed flush against mine. "Sof" I moaned quietly in a half-hearted attempt at garnering her attention, hands sliding down to the soft curve of her ass, obviously on a different wavelength than my brain.

Her tongue snaked out against the hollow of my neck, hands on a slow, steady path up the length of my toned stomach. My head fell softly back against the lockers, my brain engaged in a battle of wills with my body. She pressed a firm thigh between my own, fingertips gently brushing the skin along my ribs. "Fia" I breathed in warning, a quiet moan escaping her lips as her hands found my silk clad breasts, mouth making its way back up along my throat.

"We're… at work" I managed to grit out weakly, my hips softly bucking against her thigh with a muffled moan. One hand came up to tangle firmly in my hair, bright eyes meeting mine before capturing my lips in a deep kiss. Work had taken up almost every waking moment over the past week, which meant that aside from crossing paths in the hallway and casual break room conversation, she was unreachable. I was desperate for the feel of her.

She had found me hiding out in the locker room, spending the better part of my break reveling in the silence of the usually abandoned space. Catherine and I had turned the layout room into a time line of every case in our investigation- lifeless photos of all the girls laid out neatly, blown up angles of small wrists and pale throats; folders containing lab results offering us next to nothing in the center of it all. It had all become just a bit too overwhelming.

Blonde hair tied into a tight ponytail, white blouse unbuttoned just beyond the line of professional, she had come in to say goodnight, naïvely thinking that a chaste kiss goodbye would follow with her walking out the door. She bit down on my lower lip, sucking it into her mouth as her hips pressed firmly into mine, my breath hitching. She whimpered against my lips- a desperate, intoxicating sound that sent a bolt of desire straight to my core. The final threads of my self-control were wearing dangerously thin.

I grasped her shoulders firmly, pushing her back just enough to slide out from the space between her body and the lockers, taking a few steps back. I ran a hand through my messy hair, attempting to catch my breath, "We can't do this here." She reluctantly turned to lean back against the locker, chest heaving, open buttons of her blouse offering a teasing glimpse of her ample breasts. My mind immediately betrayed me.

Toned curves clad in nothing but dark lace, glacial eyes burning into mine. Back arched off my bed, lips parted in a silent cry, fingers gripping dark sheets as my mouth moved over her.

My eyes travelled up along the curve of her neck, over disarmingly soft features before meeting hers- dark with desire. Her lips were swollen and lightly parted, and before my mind could catch up with my body, I had closed the distance between us, one hand grasping her hip possessively, the other tangling in her silky hair as I captured her lips once again. "God I want you" she exhaled against my lips, tongue sliding into my mouth languidly as she melted into me, my self-control out the window.

A sound at the door broke into our lust-induced haze and I took an immediate, clumsy step backwards, running a hand over my mouth awkwardly. Sofia, ever cool in compromising situations looked just as guilty as I did, smoothing a hand over her now loose ponytail, trying to get her breathing under control.

Vivid green eyes met mine, shifting over to Sofia as a smirk spread over handsome features. I wasn't sure if I was relieved or mortified that it was Warrick once again catching us in a moment of distraction. He shook his head in amusement, continuing towards his locker with a chuckle, "I don't know how you two are keeping this under wraps, you all are about as subtle as a car crash"

Sofia groaned quietly in embarrassment, glancing over at me apologetically. "I told you" I mumbled, pursing my lips into a crooked smile as she stepped forward to smooth down my wild hair, glacial eyes holding mine steadily. "I'll see you later" she husked after a long moment, turning to saunter towards the door, giving Warrick's muscled shoulder a firm, cordial pat on the way by. "Goodnight" he called after her, both of our eyes watching her sway out of the room before shifting his gaze over to me with a cocked eyebrow.

I was standing with my hands shoved into my pockets sheepishly, the hint of a cocky grin painting my lips. He laughed, reaching behind him to grasp the dark material of his shirt, pulling it over his head. "I like her for you, you know. I never would have pictured you two together, but it works"

"We're not really… together" I mused quietly, a slight frown elicited at my own words. I hadn't given much thought to what this was- I was too busy obsessing over her mouth at any given moment to have thought further than when I could kiss her again. He chuckled, pulling a new shirt out of his locker. "Well, whatever you two have got going on, it seems like a good thing"

I nodded lightly, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth- it was a good thing. She was a good thing. That much I knew. I gave his shoulder a squeeze on my way out the door, throwing a gap toothed smile over my shoulder "Yeah, it is. Night Rick"

/

I needed a cold shower or a strong cup of coffee I decided as I adjusted my course towards the break room, an extra bounce in my long strides. It was a simultaneously beautiful and terrible distraction sleeping with someone from work. Dating someone from work? I shook my head in an attempt to clear that now invasive thought- in four short hours we had a date with the remnants of a bottle of whiskey and some grim sounding movie that she had used her charms to get me to agree to, and that was all that mattered.

I made it halfway across the break room, heading in the direction of the coffee maker before I noticed the out of place figure on the couch, turning to meet Lindsay's blank azure stare. I glanced up at the clock- quarter past 11- before meeting her eyes once again with a soft smile. "Hey Linds, what are you doing here?"

She rolled her eyes, swinging one leg across the other as she leaned even further back into the dark leather. "Just slowly dying of boredom" she replied flippantly, shifting her gaze over to glare vehemently in the direction of the bookshelf. I noted her short dark skirt, the slight v of her deep red shirt; bright eyes lined with a layer of black. Deciding that nothing good could have transpired, I poured myself an extra large mug of coffee and took a deep breath before wandering over to casually situate myself on the left side of the large couch.

She glanced over, holding my gaze in the same unnerving way Catherine does, as though she was trying to burn her way straight into my thoughts, before turning towards me- apparently deciding that talking to me was better than whatever she had been doing previously.

"My friend McKenna was having a party and I wasn't allowed to go, but I went. I don't get to go anywhere anymore- just school and aunt Nancy's. Literally"

I wanted to rewind back to a few minutes ago when I had made the swift, last minute turn towards the break room for a quick caffeine fix instead of continuing back to the layout room to face a frustrated Catherine and an array of blown up autopsy photos, but I had made my choices. I took a long sip of coffee, waiting for her to continue.

"But aunt Nancy came by the house on her break and figured out I was gone- called McKenna's parents and dragged me out of the party like a child," I had to bite back a smile at that, watching as she flipped long hair over her shoulders, "It was SO embarrassing. And now I have to hang out in this miserable cave until mom is done work".

I offered a sympathetic half smile "Hey, it's not so bad here. There's some interesting books on the shelf if you're bored- you used to love hanging out here" I reminded her. I could vividly remember the excitable seven year old that would ask one question that led to a hundred more, each one only vaguely related to the last. She shot me a look, to which I sighed, slumping back against the couch in defeat, draining a good portion of my coffee. The brink of 14 was not my favourite age.

"I'm sorry about your luck Linds" I reached across the short distance to give her shoulder a squeeze, nodding towards the fridge "I think Greg left some meatball parm in the fridge if you're hungry". I knew that he had- he had been working his way through it painstakingly slowly over the past couple days. The smell of it made me nauseous, permeating the entire lab every time he heated it up, and he seemed to get some sort of devious satisfaction out of torturing me. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to kill the source of my daily misery.

I was about to get up, having left Catherine alone in the disheartening space of the decorated layout room for far too long now, but the indecipherable look in her young eyes held me back. "Aside from your ruined night, is everything okay?"

She was silent for a minute, an unusual occurrence for her, before she sighed dramatically. "No. Nothing is okay. I am on house arrest, my mom doesn't want to spend time with me, I am so sick of having Jeremy in my space, I am pissed at aunt Nancy but it's not like I can go home. I just wanted to have a night with my friends, and now McKenna is going to swoop in with her stupid hair and steal Colton, even though we were supposed to be at this party together"

I watched a tear escape the corner of her eye, a manicured hand coming up to harshly swipe it away before it had a chance to fall, smearing a streak of mascara across her pale temple. She glanced up at the door, making sure no one was around to witness her display, reminding me so much of Catherine it was mildly unnerving. If dealing with her was anything like trying to stumble my way through Catherine's maze of emotions, I was in trouble here. I turned towards her fully, cradling my mug in both my hands, trying to come up with the right words and naturally falling short.

"Your mom wants nothing more than to spend time with you Linds. I promise you that" I sighed, pushing a hand through tangled hair. I hated seeing the toll that this case was taking filter down to Lindsay. It was more than that, I was fully aware of the rough path Catherine and her had been treading over the past year, but the stress and painfully long hours certainly weren't helping.

"You know that she is the lead on this major investigation- there are girls not much older than you being killed, and she is putting all of her energy into making sure that no one else get hurt. She is so tired Lindsay, she is just trying to do her best- to catch this guy and to keep you safe." I offered her a soft smile, tilting my head lightly "I know that she would so much rather be hanging out with you"

Her bright eyes burned into mine. "You've spent more time talking to me tonight than she has" she replied before sighing, pulling her legs up beneath her thin form. It was impossible to know if my words were having any impact at all, but this was about the extent of my abilities in the realm of pacifying teenage anguish. Her soft voice broke into my thoughts, "I wish that you and her were friends"

"We are friends" I frowned slightly, the blonde quirking an eyebrow expertly, exuding a confidence of someone much older than 13. "Then why don't you ever do anything together?"

"We have breakfast sometimes. I was over at your place that one time" I reminded her, a defensive edge to my voice. Catherine and I had managed, against all odds, to build up some semblance of a friendship after a long 7 years, and I was proud of that feat.

"Right, that time you dragged me home when I was out with my friends?" she asked, the dark glint in her eye contrasting against the slight smirk pulling at her lips.

"Do you like hiking?" I asked suddenly, feeling the unexplainable need to prove the reality of my fragile friendship with Catherine- to myself or Lindsay I wasn't quite sure- while simultaneously trying to keep in control of this conversation. She looked at me quizzically, shrugging absently "Dad used to talk about taking me, but never did".

I pushed back the anxious churning of my stomach at the mention of Eddie, offering her a smile. "Maybe one day I'll take you and your mom up to Red Rock Canyon. Even in the winter it's beautiful, you'd love it"

Her eyes lightened up a bit, tilting her head to the side "Really?"

I nodded, reaching out to muss her perfectly straightened hair lightly, small hands coming up to bat me away in annoyance, though the first real smile I had seen all night was gracing her lips.

"I was wondering what happened to you" a soft voice drifted in from the doorway. We both turned to regard Catherine, hand on her hip and a small smile playing at her lips.

"Sara's taking us hiking" Lindsay announced, the hint of childlike enthusiasm a heavy contrast against the dark makeup and revealing clothes adorning her pale frame. Catherine's eyes met my timid ones, her smile morphing into a smirk as I silently cursed my hasty words.

"She is?"

I smiled awkwardly, pushing myself up off the couch as I went to drop my now empty mug into the sink. It was a ridiculous idea, amidst the media frenzy and possibility of the feds swooping though the door at any minute, not to mention the coronary that Ecklie seemed to be on the verge of. If you added that to the fact that Catherine was not a hiker and really- despite my insistence of our blossoming friendship- seemed only mildly fond of my company, the idea was completely ludicrous.

That being said, the thought of a day spent hiking through the canyons was almost too tempting. It had been months since I had made it anywhere past the outskirts of Vegas on my own time and I was itching to get away from the constant hum of the city. "I mean, if you'd like, I could show you guys some pretty incredible places"

"That sounds great, Sara" she spoke, suddenly a mere whisper away. Her fingertips grazed my wrist, taking purchase of it and squeezing gently, bright eyes burning into mine in silent thanks. "When can we go? This weekend?" Lindsay asked hopefully, tearing my focus away from Catherine.

It was Friday, and though we didn't expect to have more than a handful of hours before ending up back here, we did- tentatively speaking- have Sunday off. Bright eyes met mine briefly before giving a slight nod. "Don't think for a second that you are off the hook for your behaviour tonight- but work permitting, we can plan on going Sunday." Lindsay rolled her eyes, leaning back into the couch in distain, but after a moment glanced up at me with a shy smile.

I shot her a wink before turning back to Catherine, surprised by her soft, blue-eyed gaze focused steadily on me. She crossed her arms over her chest, lips parting as though she was about to say something, an unreadable look passing over her delicate features before she sighed, pressing her lips together into a fine line and rotating on a 5-inch heel towards the small blonde, "Let's go Linds."

She grabbed her bag, the number of eye rolls she had thrown out within the five-minute period staggering. "Finally" she muttered under her breath as she brushed past Catherine towards the hall. "Bye Sara" she tossed over her shoulder.

Catherine shot me a weary look, running a hand tiredly over her head. I tucked a stubborn lock of hair behind my ear, lips pursing together into a smile. "Good luck" I offered as she turned to go. She sighed, sending a final soft smile at me over her slim shoulder before clicking out of the room.