I'm sorry for the long delay in updates, but I've had trouble finding the time and inspiration to write. And as if that wasn't bad enough my beta has this funny notion that she wants to have a life as well. The next chapter should hopefully not take this long.
Thanks for the reviews, it's always a great feeling seeing that there are someone enjoying my writing.

Chapter 17

Catherine had tried hard to keep her curiosity in check. But it was proving to be harder than the strawberry blonde had predicted. She had, however, been able to curb her curiosity for some time before the older CSI gave in.

That was how Sara found Catherine, looking at all the paintings and pictures decorating the brunette's living room walls. What particularly caught Catherine's attention was a large photo hanging in the room.

"That one was taken about six months ago, last time I was in San Francisco." Sara's silent and sudden appearance paired with the brunette's quiet response to an unspoken question scared Catherine out of her thoughts.

Jumping slightly before turning around Catherine replied, "Don't sneak up on me like that, honey." The smile in Catherine's voice left no doubt that the older CSI wasn't angry.

The photo showed Samantha and Sara hugging a laughing Emily. The brunette had rebuild her friendship with Sam, and the two looked as close as ever in that picture. Catherine suspected that the blonde and brunette in the photo were more than friends. Maybe Sara wasn't ready to tell her, but the older woman's certainty didn't require the brunette to speak.

What Catherine didn't know was that shortly before that picture was taken Samantha had found a new girlfriend. The two of them had even started talking about living together when Sam was killed. It hadn't stopped Sara and Sam from being friends. In fact it had made their friendship stronger not having to worry about romantic feelings from their past getting in the way.

Sara was procrastinating starting a conversation that the brunette didn't know how to have, especially with Catherine. How do you tell someone you known for four years everything you have fought so hard to keep private? Especially when Sara had been attracted to the older woman for longer than the brunette was willing to admit.

Starting the coffee maker served two purposes. It stalled for time, and Sara knew they would need the caffeine if she was to tell Catherine the majority of her story tonight.

Sara was amazed at the strawberry blonde's patience. It wasn't like anything the brunette had expected. This was new territory. They had gotten along and they had both been able to keep their tempers in check. But this moment had another feeling attached to it.

"I don't know where to start." Sara was saying as she came back into the living room with two cups of coffee.

"Why don't you start with something you're comfortable telling me." Catherine suggested. The older woman was itching to bombard the brunette with questions she wanted answers to; however the strawberry blonde was going to let Sara decide what to say and when. It became easier to curb her questions as Catherine could see how nervous it made Sara to talk about something this personal.

It was harder than the brunette had anticipated, telling Catherine about Sam, not only because the woman had died, but because the brunette was exposing herself to the older woman. It was difficult explaining, but that wasn't as difficult for Sara as she had thought it would be. Instead the brunette was shocked by the relieving sensation she felt about reveling the truth. Even more surprising, to Sara, was that Catherine's reaction hadn't instantly been to get up and leave when she was fed up with her impatience. The brunette contributed that to Lindsey sleeping in the next room.

The older woman didn't have to be good at reading people to see Sara's anxiety after the brunette told her about Sam and their life in San Francisco. No; Catherine could see as clear as day that Sara expected the blonde to hate her. Catherine suspected that the younger woman had been burned in the past, and was getting ready for yet another person to give up on her.

"I'm not like everyone else." Catherine spoke quietly as she gathered the brunette in a hug. "I know I haven't been giving you reasons to trust me, but I want to change that." The older woman pulled out of the embrace enough to look Sara in the eyes. Catherine waited, wanting to make sure she had the brunette's full attention, before continuing. "It doesn't change who you are. You're still the same fiercely stubborn, amazing CSI you were yesterday." Catherine refused to let go of the younger woman as she spoke. The blonde's action meant more to Sara than any word the other woman could have ever said.

It was different to be within Catherine's arms. Sara felt a sense of safety like she could not recall ever experiencing before. Not even Sam had made Sara feel as secure as she felt in that moment with Catherine. It might feel new and comforting, but Sara was certain that the older woman never could be more than her friend. The brunette was willing to settle for that though. Sara had seen the compassion Catherine showed the guys. Even Grissom was on the receiving end of Catherine's compassion and friendliness. And if the older woman saw it fit to include her, Sara wouldn't complain. The brunette would do everything in her power not to ruin a good thing, even if that meant giving up the idea of a relationship with Catherine.

Catherine was reluctant to let go of the brunette. But the older CSI couldn't keep the younger woman locked in her embrace forever. Although the prospect of that caused the edges of the strawberry blonde's lips to curl.

Talking had never come easily to the brunette. So it was a surprise to Sara, how they could go from one topic to another without any awkward silences. Having someone willing to listen who actually understood the strains work could have on you, was new to Sara. There were topics neither of them brought up as if on agreement. Catherine might have expected the brunette's sexuality, but that didn't mean Sara was ready to divulge her deepest secrets of her past and childhood.

Catherine herself had some things in her past that she wasn't all that proud of. Now wasn't the time to reveal all of their secrets just as they were finding their footing in this new friendship, and admitting to things in her past would only reveal Catherine's feelings for the brunette.

To tell the truth Catherine had only started admitting these emotions to herself, and the older woman wasn't ready to vocalize them. That would somehow morph the truth into a reality that Catherine was not yet ready to face. Nancy had been asking all sorts of questions about Sara, since meeting the brunette. Lately it had gotten Catherine thinking. The CSI had admitted to her sister that there might be more to her fights with Sara, but not yet what that meant. After tonight, Catherine really didn't have any doubts about her attraction to the brunette. Nor could she deny that she had been flirting with Sara. The problem with that, was that Catherine wasn't positive that the brunette had noticed. The older woman didn't want to risk coming off as slutty and was therefore reluctant to make her intent more obvious.

To the shock of both CSIs they turned out to have more to talk about than either had expected. It helped that they could talk about Lindsey and Emily for hours. That was exactly what they did. Which was why, when Sara noticed the older woman yawning for the third time, the brunette discovered that it was almost 4 am. They had been talking all night, and Sara knew it wouldn't be long before Emily would be up and full of energy.

Catherine felt guilty for taking the younger woman's bed, and was trying to talk Sara into using her own bed, when they were getting ready to go to sleep. The brunette was adamant about letting the older woman use her bed. That was when Catherine changed tactic. Now the strawberry blonde tried to convince Sara that the bed was big enough for the both of them, adding what Sara thought was a flirty smile. "I don't bite, unless you ask nicely."

For the second time that night Sara was left flabbergasted and looked like a fish out of water.

Catherine decided the argument was over and went to use the bathroom before bed. Leaving the brunette to wonder where she went wrong. How was she supposed to get any sleep in the same bed as Catherine? Sara was certain she would have to stay awake to keep from embarrassing herself, and scaring Catherine off. What if she ended up spooning the older woman? That would be a disaster. The brunette would have no way of explaining the situation, but her doubts were too late because Catherine was on her way to the bed.

Sara spent longer in the bathroom than necessary, or usual. Dreading, yet at the same time exited about sharing her bed with Catherine. If only she could make up her mind; happy or anxious. Maybe she could just wait until Catherine fell asleep, and go sleep in Emily's bed.

Catherine hadn't gotten into bed by the time Sara re-entered the room. It wasn't clear which side the brunette preferred, and the older woman didn't want to start off by taking Sara's side of the bed.

"Which side's yours?" Catherine couldn't entirely keep from staring at the brunette. Luckily it was dark enough for Sara not to notice the slight blush on the strawberry blonde's checks. It wasn't that Catherine could see more of the brunette than she regularly saw at work. It was the relaxed expression Sara wore, as the younger woman was clearly ready for bed, that had Catherine mesmerized.

"Err… the middle." Sara looked sheepishly at Catherine as to apologize for her strange behavior. Truth was, that it had been so long since the brunette had, had a regular sleeping partner, that Sara had become accustomed to having the bed to herself. Even if it was a king size.

Catherine couldn't, nor would she, keep the chuckle from bubbling out, "Good, then you won't mind me using the right side."

The expression on Sara's face made it hard for the older woman to keep her laughter in check, and soon Catherine's chuckles turned to full out laughter. This was all very therapeutic and Sara couldn't stop from joining in.

Catherine had successfully lifted the tension in Sara, and the brunette felt free to kid around. "You'll have to watch out. I tend to gravitate toward the middle and lie diagonally." Catherine was positively surprised when the younger CSI not only laughed with her, but also joked about sleeping habits.

"That will be perfectly fine as long as you don't mind me hogging the covers."

"I hog the bed and you hog the covers. Yeah I think that's a fair trade."

Having broken the ice and laughed together, Sara had no trouble getting into bed on the opposite side of Catherine. After lying down beside the other woman, it dawned on the brunette that she was in bed with Catherine. That was when Sara stiffened. It didn't matter that there was enough room between them to fit an adult in the space. Sara inched closer to the edge, hoping Catherine wouldn't notice.
The strawberry blonde, however, noticed the second Sara became insecure once more. Leaning over the empty space between them, Catherine kissed the younger CSI on the check; lingering for longer than necessary. "Night Sar, I had a wonderful time." Refusing to give in to the awkwardness that was oozing from Sara, the older woman tried to make herself comfortable while waiting for the brunette to regain the power of speech.

They had fallen asleep soon after saying goodnight. It hadn't made a difference that Sara had intended to move to Emily's room. The comfort of her own bed and that of Catherine's slow breathing, had lulled the brunette right to sleep. Both women were correct about their sleeping habits. It hadn't taken long before the strawberry blonde had started moving the covers toward herself. Sara not wanting to let go of the warmth had followed, and Catherine unwilling to sleep on the edge of the bed and had settled quite comfortably in the middle of the right side of the bed.

After some time the older woman had most of the covers curled up on her right side. Sara, trying to stay under what little part of the covers that remained free of the blonde's grasp, was close to Catherine's left side. This in turn had caused the brunette to move onto the right half of the bed. Catherine feeling the heat radiating from the body next to her turned and cuddled closer to Sara. The body heat of the brunette helped keep the always cold Catherine comfortably warm in her sleep. Of course with the help of most of the covers. Sara was also kept a nice warm by the older woman's body heat. Especially when Catherine ended up stealing all of the covers.