Chapter Four:

Its 7pm and an alarm is blearing in the room. Grissom opens his eyes slowly; all his senses are under attack. The alarm is only getting louder, something is tickling his nose, a smell of chamomile and honey is wafting him awake, the feeling of soft cotton between his fingers. He quickly registers the back of Sara's head, mere centimetres away from his. He looks down and sees his hand twisted in the fabric of her tank top pulling it away from her lean back. She stirs and moves to turn off the alarm, he quickly releases his grip on her top and moves to lie on his back, raising a knee to divert attention from his aching erection. Sara turns over to face him, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

'Hey, how'd you sleep?'

'Good, better than I have in a while.' He turns his head to her and smiles. 'How about you?'

'Yeah, I slept good thanks. Think all that food helped!' She stretches out to work out the sleepy kinks, absent mindly pushing her chest in his direction, realising her actions she quickly retreats back down into a laying position and looks down. 'You should probably get going, shift starts soon.'

'Yeah, I probably should.' They lay there in silence for only seconds, but it feels like hours. 'Can I er…'

'Come by after shift?' She finishes his sentence, praying she is correct. He nods. 'Yeah, ok. But this time, I sort out breakfast!'

'Deal. But I do the dishes.' He bargains, she giggles and turns over, rolling out to sit up. She reties her hair in the bun, stands and stretches. He watches her every move, she is so tall and thin. Too thin. Her pj bottoms are at a risk of falling down, he wonders why she would wear something so obviously big for her, and whether they belonged to a previous lover or boyfriend that she has kept for sentimental value. She turns quickly catching him staring.

'Coffee for the road?'

'Please.' She pulls on her robe and leaves him alone in the bedroom. After washing his face, taming his hair and redressing, he makes his way into the living room to find her pouring him some coffee into a travel mug. He contemplates calling in sick just so he doesn't have to leave and can spend the rest of the night with her, he takes a step forward, creaking the floorboards as he goes, and she turns and smiles her brightest smile.

'Here.' SHe walks over to meet him and hands him the cup.

'Thanks.' Their fingers brush during the transfer between hands. He takes a few sips and makes his way towards the door, where his shoes are neatly next to hers. He places the cup down on the console table and slips his shoes on. Picking up the cup he takes his keys from the table near the door. 'I'll see you in the morning.'

'Bye.' She whispers as she watches him leave for the second time already this week. Once the door clicks shut and locks, she huffs out a breath and turns to look at her apartment. It's been two nights so far and she is bored stiff already. Normally she would turn her police scanner on and listen to anything and everything going on in Vegas. Tonight, instead she unplugs it from the wall and places it in the cupboard next to her desk. Straightening a few things, she finds a framed pinned insect Grissom got her for Christmas the first year she moved to Vegas. Turning it over, she reads the messy writing on the back.

'To Sara,

Merry Christmas.

Hopefully Vegas isn't buggin' you too much.

From Grissom.'

Reading his scrawl, she smiles to herself. Life was a lot easier back then. 30 years old and eager to make her mark on Vegas and the crime lab. Her and Catherine butted heads straight away over the Holly Gribbs investigation, time would tell Sara it's because of the soft spot the CSI has for their co-worker under investigation. But over time, they formed a bond, working with predominantly men, definitely helped but something else unites them. Their passion for their job, the drive to be a good person, a good friend, a better woman. Still, she knows her conversation with Catherine regarding this recent blow up won't be easy. Picking up her cell phone from the kitchen bar, she flips it open and holds down speed dial four and stands straighter whilst the phone rings. Not sure what shift Catherine is on, part of her hopes she doesn't answer at all. Since Ecklie split up the team, its hard getting a hold of everyone. After a few rings, the call is answered.

'Catherine, Hi. Is now a good time?'