Sorry if I didn't catch all of my errors. Enjoy. :)
...
Chapter Three
At the lab, I'd never felt so out of place, so tense, so awkward. Even in the part of the lab I frequented most didn't give me comfort as I found out twenty minutes prior to this moment. Asking Catherine to accompany me in California as my date changed everything. Fortunately, I hadn't run into her yet and hopefully, I didn't have to see her all night.
"Hey...Sara," I heard a familiar voice call out from down the hall.
I turned to see Nick with a confused expression written across his face as he started to approach me.
"What's up," I asked as I physically met him halfway.
"Can you help me process a car? Catherine said you were on loan out and I could really use all the help I can get."
"Yeah, no problem. Uh, so...Catherine's here? In the lab?"
"Yeah, in her office. You need to talk to her?"
"Uh, no. I just...haven't seen her. So, the car! Is it already in the garage?"
I didn't want Nick to know how mortified I was about what had transpired between her and me so I tried to talk about nothing other than work.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Then let's go," I said with a smile.
"I'll met you there in a few minutes. I have to grab some paperwork from reception."
I nodded and headed to the garage as Nick turned and made his way to the front desk. When I stood in the garage, I saw a pancaked car that, as it appeared, was manufactured in the eighties.
"Oh, boy," I sighed with wide eyes.
I knew most of my shift would be spent working on the piece of junk. I went to the tool cabinet and grabbed a pair of coveralls I kept hidden in the bottom drawer. I slipped them on over my clothes and fished for the hair tie I always leave in one of the coveralls' pockets. I pulled my hair into a loose, messy bun and ran through a list of ways to take a better look at the evidence in front of me. After several minutes of debating, I came up with a solution and had the car "re-inflated" within an hour, at which time Nick finally decided to stop by and check on my progress.
"Wow. Lookin' good. What'd you do?"
"Used the 'pump pads'...then I used my muscles to push out the rest of the less intimidating dents."
"Nice," he nodded with approval.
"Where have you been?"
"Ah, some of the paperwork I picked up had to be completed by the end of shift. Ecklie forgot to mention that to me earlier when he told me to take care of it. I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine," I feigned a cool exterior. "I get it. Being assistant supervisor keeps you busy. Catherine was like that too when she was helping Gil."
"What are you doing now?"
"Looking at the steering axle. Maybe this whole thing was an accident," I said before I slipped under the car.
"No. No way this was an accident!"
"That might be easy for you to say," I started from under the car, "since you know the circumstances of the case, but I don't. So it's easier for me not to jump to conclusions."
"How's the axle looking," he asked after a few beats with a self-righteous tone.
I sighed.
"It's fine. A little to the left, but I don't see how it could cause the crash."
"What did I tell you," his voice indicating a smirk on his face.
"Okay, so it probably wasn't an accident...but it's our job to rule out all the possibilities until we find the truth."
His phone went off and not even a minute later, he spoke up with a voice full of distraction.
"Hey, can you take care of this. I-I've gone more things to handle. Busy shift."
"So now I'm everyone's bitch?"
I waited for a response, but when I didn't get one, I rolled out from under the car to see I was alone. I sighed with surfacing anger and frustration.
Two more hours passed and I felt confident I'd retrieved all the evidence that remained in the car. I got rid of the car and did the necessary paperwork that followed, but just when I thought I could finally take a break, Greg stopped me.
"I heard you helped Nick with his case."
"Yeah," I tried to take a deep breath, the tension building within me. "Yeah, I helped him."
"Is it possible that you could help me analyze stuff that I collected from my scene?"
"Aren't you working with Ray?"
"Nick's with Ray, who's still in the wind dealing with personal stuff. I'm working a solo and I feel like I'm falling behind. Catherine said you were free so-"
"Of course she did," I fought off my growing resentment toward her.
"Please. I'll owe you...big time."
"And what about that favor you owe me for fixing you up with that woman?"
"Add the new favor to my credit score of favors I'm wracking up with you."
"Tell me the truth. You really just want to finish this case so you'll have more time to focus on your date, don't you."
He hesitated, a nervous expression on his face.
"Yeah, but you understand, right? And...it's not like I'm gonna ditch you and make you do all the work."
I wondered if he'd talked to Nick because he certainly knew how my shift was going at that point. It was a thought I didn't spend much time on though. I had other things to sort through in my tired brain.
"All right," I said after a beat. "Where do you need me?"
He smiled and pulled me into a hug.
"Thank you! I should buy you something. What do you like?"
"You've known me for nearly a decade and you don't know what I like?"
"You mean other than Grissom," he teased with a grin and pulled away from our embrace.
I smiled at his smart ass reply.
"You don't have to buy me anything," I said as my smile faded. "But you still owe me."
"I know. I promise. Whatever you want, need, or otherwise...ask and you shall receive."
"Okay...shift ends in three hours. If you want me help, you have to tell what you need soon."
"Walk with me," he draped his arm over my shoulder and ushered me down the hall.
He escorted me a few feet down the hall and into a room full of scattered evidence.
"Wow. You really do need help," I stopped in my tracks the second I walked into the room.
For a while, Greg did as he promised and worked with me, but it didn't take too long before his phone went of with an apparently important message.
"Uh, I'm sorry, Sara, but...I have to be somewhere. Can you keeping looking at this while I'm gone? I'll be back in ten minutes."
"Ten minutes," I asked, unsure of what promises he could and couldn't keep.
"Yeah," he said as he turned to leave. "Text me if I'm a liar."
I subtly sighed as I watched him go, but as I refocused my attention on the evidence at hand, I caught a glimpse of something odd. I looked up once again and saw Greg meet up with Catherine. She then took him into the break room with her where Nick coincidentally happened to be in.
I furrowed my brow and watched as the three conversed, even cracked a few smiles, as Catherine started a fresh pot of coffee and the guys took a seat at the table. I stood up and plowed my way into the break room.
"Sara," Nick greeted me with a small smile. "Thanks for your help with that car."
Catherine turned away from the coffee pot with a semi-shocked yet mostly calm expression on her face.
"I was just about to text you."
I shook my head with an angry face that read: "Nice try, bitch. I see what you're doing."
"Well...I'm here now. What's going on?"
"Team meeting," Greg filled me in.
"Oh...why couldn't you tell me that when I was helping you right now," I hitched a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the lab across the hall.
"I wasn't specific in my text. I told them a few seconds ago," Catherine coolly piped up again.
I clenched my jaw in yet another attempt to conceal my boiling rage.
"Since Ray won't be able to join us and the rest of us are all here...let me start by assigning you two," she pointed at the guys, "to an abduction that occurred in a close-knit residential area. Sara, you can finish Ray's paperwork. He'll be out for another couple of shifts."
"What? There's got to be another case."
"Slow week," she shrugged.
"No, there's no chance in hell I'm going to let you do this to me!"
Catherine turned to the guys before she spoke again.
"Guys...why don't you head to your scene."
They nodded and scrambled out of there, knowing things were about to explode and that they should take every precaution they could. And what better precaution than getting out of the building entirely?
"What is your problem," Catherine asked as she cocked her hip and rested a hand on that same hip.
"You don't get to ask me that. You've been screwing with me all shift!"
"When? We haven't seen each other all night until now."
"You told Nick I was on loan out, you told Greg I was free. ...I've been patiently waiting for a new case to come along, but all you want me to do is take orders like some personal assistant from everyone. I'm not a lapdog, Catherine. ...But I'm sure you already know that."
"I don't what you're talking about. You were free. You could help the boys so I mentioned it to them. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is something you and I both know. You wouldn't have treated me like a whipping woman if I hadn't asked you out," I lowered my voice, though the anger behind it still evident, as I reached the end of my statement.
"You think that's bothering me," she tried to laugh off the thought.
"And that, right there," I pointed at her face. "Is what tells me it does bother you. You're expression. I know you wish I hadn't asked you, but is that any reason to toss me around like you have?"
"Look, I needed space. You asked if you could take me to your friend's wedding when you're married and know that I have a boyfriend. And straight!"
"Yeah, a boyfriend you admitted to me the other day that you're just using for a release."
"That's not fair. You can't use that against me."
"You're right, but what makes you holding it against me that I asked you, in confidence, to come with me any different?"
She averted her eyes.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"When are we gonna talk about it, Cat? You just walked out of my apartment this afternoon without a single word after I asked you. You at least owe me an answer."
"And I'm saying I can't give you one right now," she made her tone more affirmative and looked me straight in the eyes before she breezed past me.
How long did it take to come up with a simple yes or no? What made her worry so much about how she answered me and why the hell couldn't she talk it out with me if there's any doubt in her mind about the proposal?
I blew out the biggest sigh of the shift so far and headed to the locker room. I needed a break and I knew after all the work I did for everyone else, I deserved one. Two minutes passed and I found myself sitting in front of my locker, legs spread wide, casually, as I fiddled with my phone. I wanted to talk to someone, but talking to Gil wouldn't do much good and Elise was on the clock like me. So instead, I settled for a few quick texts and sent the first one to Elise. Easier to get away with a conversation via text rather than talking while at work.
"I'll kill her!"
"Sara? Who are we talking about?"
"My boss."
"Oh. ...What'd she do?"
"She has me running around the lab serving others instead of giving me a new case. AND I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT WRAPPED ONE!"
"Okay. Calm down. No need for the CAPS attack."
"Sorry."
"Do you think she did it purposely?"
"Really, Lise?"
"Okay, so it sounds intentional. Why would she do it?"
"I don't know."
"Really, Sara? ;)"
"Not funny... Ugh, I guess because she doesn't want to go to Jenn's wedding."
"Why not?"
"Maybe I would know if she gave me an answer!"
"Wait, so she hasn't told you whether she wants to go or not yet?"
"No."
"Well, then there's still a chance she'll go."
"If it's taking her this long to tell me yes or no...she's gonna say no."
"You know her way more than I do, but...it sounds to me like she's considering what that means for the relationship. Did you ever think you're moving too fast for her?"
"..."
"Sara!"
"What?"
"Well...did you?"
"I guess not. But it's a friend's wedding. It's not like she's meeting the family!"
"I think she really likes you. She doesn't want to ruin whatever is it you two have right now. Or maybe she's afraid she'll rush into things when she's really not ready and then everything will turn into chaos."
":( I wish she'd just talk to me!"
"And you can't do that because...?"
"She's an enigma. I never know when to leave her alone or when to step up to the plate and hit it out of the park!"
"Wow. Baseball analogy. Never heard you talk about sports before."
"I know. It's a new thing, you're not use to it, yada yada yada. What am I gonna do?"
"Force a conversation about it."
"She's not the easiest person to talk to."
"So you're giving up."
"Don't judge me, Elise."
"I'm not... She sounds special. Don't throw it away because she's 'not the easiest person to talk to.' You have to work for it!"
"Gotta go. 'Important' people to deal with. Love you. -Lise'
I sighed and slipped my phone back into my pocket. Elise had a point and sometime soon, I needed to have a sit-down with Catherine.
I grabbed Ray's paperwork and headed to the station house to escape the horror of the lab. I couldn't take the small space and, even more so, I couldn't stand to hear someone else ask me to help them.
When I arrived at the police department, a depressing stack of papers in my hand, I saw Brass walking down the hall with a bit of extra weight on his shoulders.
"Brass. What's up?"
"Oh, hey, Sara. I, uh, got a call from Ellie today."
"Not good," I asked as my face scrunched up in fear that Brass' heart had once again been shattered by his daughter.
"Not as bad as I expected, but...there's still a lot of issues to resolve."
"How's she doing?"
"She admitted herself to rehab several months ago and she finally checked me off her twelve step list."
"Well, that's something, right?"
"Yeah," he softly replied as he bobbed his head. "So, uh, what brings you here?"
"I needed a place to do paperwork."
"You couldn't do that at the lab?"
"It's a long story."
"Ah, okay. Well...thanks for asking about me...and Ellie. I have to talk to the sheriff so...can't take too long getting to him."
"Right. I know how that is."
"Yeah," he smiled. "I'll see you later."
"Okay. Oh, and if you need to blow off some steam, unwind maybe, ask me and we can grab a drink."
"Thanks."
"It's the least I can do since you've looked out for me over the years. Plus, it's what friends do."
He smiled again, though the pain was still etched on his face.
"I appreciate that."
"Your welcome," I smiled back.
He walked away and I slowly carried on with my voyage to a quiet room.
In a matter of seconds, I stumbled upon a closed door that looked like a janitor's closet. I figured it could work for me because I didn't need too much space, but suddenly, I heard a questionable sound come from inside.
I knitted my brow and opened the door. The last thing I expected to see burned itself into my brain like a nightmare from hell.
Catherine's legs were spread wide, her knees tightly pressed against Lou's hips as he pushed into her. She clawed his arms, her nails like a rake as they scraped along the length of his biceps. They panted together and the papers gracefully fell out of my grasp as my jaw followed them to the floor.
The sound of the papers as they hit the floor seemed to get their attention, Lou almost giving himself whiplash as fast as his head snapped in my direction.
"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry," I finally spoke. "I'll just..."
I trailed off as I bent down to grab the papers.
Lou hurriedly zipped his pants and rushed behind me to shut the door while Catherine, naked from the waist down, closed her legs and put her knees to her chest, ankles crossed in front of a part of her I never expected to see. She bit her lip and looked down at her knees, I assumed, to keep from seeing my consistent, startled reaction. I looked up at her every so often while Lou assisted me with putting all the papers back in their respective manila folders. She appeared embarrassed and ashamed that I caught her in such a compromising position, but I guess I would be too if it had been me.
"I guess this would be a bad time to talk about that thing I mentioned earlier," I tried to laugh away the image of her giving in to Lou when I looked up at her. After I'd made that comment, it seemed to put her on the verge of tears.
Fuck, I thought as I carefully attempted to remove myself from the situation.
"Well, I'll, uh, see you later," I said to her before I turned to Lou. "Thanks."
I nervously glided out the door in a state of shock I wasn't sure I'd ever overcome. Once outside, in the hall, I let go of the breath I didn't know I'd withheld and closed my eyes to regain perspective.
I shook my head, as though that would erase what I'd seen, and shuffled down the hall until I reached the front doors of the building to escape to my car. I quickly climbed into my hybrid and tore off to a special spot away from what everyone called civilization.
I went to Lake Mead and found a picnic table close enough to the water to calm me down while the sun was still out.
How many times did she disappear with Lou like that during shift, I asked myself even though I doubted I wanted know the answer.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and let go of all the stress, worry, and newly formed tension. When I opened my eyes, I saw the reflection of the setting sun on the water and watched the lake glisten while tranquility flowed through my veins. After I basked in the beauty of nature, I flipped open one of the folders and started on the first of many papers.
I managed to finish half of the stack and decided to check the time. Twenty minutes until quitting time. Damn, I didn't even notice how long I'd been there. My eyes had even adjusted to the lack of light so I could read what I had to sign.
I gathered the paperwork and got into my car before I casually, unhurriedly drove back to the lab. I risked seeing Catherine again with maybe five minutes to spare before overtime kicked in, but if I didn't hand in the paperwork the repercussions would fall on me. I knocked on her closed office door and heard her semi-muffled response.
"Come in."
She didn't sound like she was getting laid so I opened the door and slowly entered.
"I finished half of it. I left maybe a fourth of the paperwork that makes you want to kill yourself for Ray," I said as I maneuvered myself closer to her desk.
I dropped the bunch of folders in front of her and turned on my heels to leave, but she stopped me.
"Wait."
I automatically stiffened and slowly turned back to face her. She removed her glasses and took a deep breath, but hesitated to release it. After a beat, she finally did.
"What you saw tonight... I-"
"It's okay. I really don't want to hear about your sex life, especially after I saw it first hand."
"If you would let me finish... I want to apologize. I shouldn't have been there...with him...like that."
"I thought you said you didn't even like to have sex with him."
She avoided eye contact with me and twiddled her thumbs in her lap to control her nerves.
"You know what? I don't want to talk about this," I said as I turned to leave a second time.
"Sara..."
I stopped again, but didn't turn around. I sighed and tried to release the anger I felt surfacing.
"How long will you need off for the wedding?"
"A week," I answered with my back still to her.
"And...where will you be staying?"
"I don't know. Some hotel close to the vineyard. I'll figure it out when I get there."
"Do you still want me to go with you?"
I relaxed a bit and turned around, but not all my tension was gone.
"Why now? Why ask that after everything that's happened?"
"I need to take a break."
"From work?"
"Work, Lou, myself. I just figure...if I go as your date, I won't have to hate myself for needing sex to numb my pain, especially since it only makes it worse afterward."
I didn't know what pain she'd referred to, but I needed her and clearly, she needed me more than I thought.
"I still want you to come with me."
She looked up and smiled at me, hope in her eyes.
"So...should we leave in a couple of days," she asked.
"Why not leave later today? Shift is almost over, you're the boss...we could pack our things, sleep for a while and hit the road when the sun comes up," I started to smile.
She smiled again and nodded.
"Sounds like a plan."
"Good. I'll see you at eleven?"
"You read my mind," she continued to smile. "And Sara?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for putting up with me."
"I've had years of experience," I grinned and winked on my way out.
So I went home and packed my things and before I knew it, I was out cold in my comfy bed. Unaware of time, I'd drifted into a deep sleep and felt myself sink into my mattress as the stress from the day dissipated.
I didn't know how long I'd stayed that way, but I started to stir at the sound of the loud dings of the door bell. I cleared my throat, rubbed my eyes, and groaned as I rolled out of bed. Peace had set in and I'd finally felt the weight of the world fall off my shoulders only to wake up unsettled.
I trudged to the door in my undershirt and plaid, flannel shorts, barefoot and sleepy, and saw Catherine's bright and glowing face when I opened the door.
"I guess I'm more excited about this trip that you are," she said as her smile immediately faded at the sight of me.
"I can be ready in five minutes," I carelessly said as I backed away from the threshold to allow her to step inside.
She followed me inside and I headed to my bedroom for some clothes.
"Wow. For a second, I forgot how much of a man you are."
"And...what's that supposed to mean?"
"You roll out of bed and get ready like your hair doesn't need much maintenance, you don't need makeup, and you brush your teeth in record time. All you need to do is scratch your balls and you're my boyfriend."
"Ew. Not something I wanted to picture Lou doing. Does he do that a lot in front of you?"
"God, no. But I've caught him trying to be discrete about it a couple of times."
I emerged from my room with pants and a bra on and passed Catherine to get to my bathroom.
"It's just a car ride," I went back to her comment about my masculine tendencies. "I don't need to look flawless and untouchable."
"Is that what you think of me," she asked as she slouched against the bathroom door frame. "That I need to look untouchable?"
"No," I said as I'd started to brush my teeth a few moments before.
Within seconds, I spit the toothpaste into the sink and spoke up again.
"I think you're hot."
She cocked her eyebrows and pursed her lips to hide her smiled as I finished brushing my teeth.
"Are you ever going to put a shirt on," she asked as I passed her again, our bodies briefly touching as I made it in to the hallway.
"That's what I'm working on. Why? Does it turn you on to see me like this," I joked.
She laughed and shook her head.
"Calm down," I said. "We'll be out of here soon."
"I don't know why I'm so anxious."
As I slipped on a shirt, I went back into my bathroom and grabbed a bottle of pills. I walked out to Catherine and put the pills in her hand.
"What are these?"
"Anti-anxiety meds."
"Prescription?"
"I know. It's illegal, but it's a low dosage and you're all over the place right now."
"Why do you have them?"
"Frequent stress," I said as I walked away, leaving her with the pills so I could grab my shoes. "I don't take them every day."
I finished getting ready within the next couple of minutes and took the pills from Catherine.
"You take one?"
She shook her head.
"I'm taking it with me so if you ever change your mind, just ask."
I gathered my things and we headed to the parking lot.
"Whose car should we take," she asked when we walked outside.
"Did you bring your Mazda?"
"What other transportation do I own?"
"We're taking your SUV. More room to relax."
She smiled.
"I guess that means I'm driving first."
We headed to her SUV and she popped the trunk as I made my way toward it. I threw my stuff in the back and climbed into the passenger's seat. Even though the situation had changed, the fact that I was sitting in a car with her brought one memory to the front line of my mind.
I walked out of the police department and walked over to Catherine's SUV, parked at the curb. I got inside, Catherine's eyes on me as I sat still, my muscles tense.
"You got plans," Catherine softly asked as she tried to be delicate with me.
"Nope," I responded, my focus never leaving the pavement in front of us.
"You want to get a beer," she asked with a little more force, knowing from experience what I felt.
I turned to look at her and saw her smile. I looked ahead once again and smiled as well.
"Drive."
Catherine held her smile as she started the engine and put the SUV in drive. With her foot on the brake, she turned to look at me again with a smile she'd work down a bit before she face the road again and let up on the brakes.
After we drove off, the ride to the closest bar was filled with silence. We didn't need to talk because it wasn't awkward between us. I didn't know much about Eddie, but I knew enough to know he cheated on her. Once we arrived at the bar, I started to get a picture of life with him.
Catherine gulped down her first drink and slowly transitioned to her second as she poured out her heart to me about her past.
"Don't get me wrong. Eddie and I had some good times, and out of all the things I put up with I got Lindsey, which was a blessing…but…he lied a lot and he liked to sleep around. He made it easier for me to get addicted to cocaine and harder for me to quit. I even considered having an abortion because when I looked at our life, we weren't fit to raise a child."
I nodded, waiting for her to continue, but she only stared into her glass as though it had all the answers.
"How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Fix things. Overcome your addiction, decided to go through with the pregnancy. How did you find the strength?"
"I don't know. I guess…I looked at my childhood and realized, I had the opportunity to be a real mom and do things differently than my mom. When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn't by any means ready…but I made myself ready by the end of my eighth month. I even forced Eddie to get at least half of his life together. He was serious about Lindsey for a while, and after she was born…he never wanted to let her go. When she was about eighteen months, though, he started pulling away from her…and me. A few times he got violent and finally, I'd had enough. I got myself a lawyer and had him sign the papers a week later."
"Wow."
"I still loved him, of course. I just wasn't in love with him anymore. But…there was something about the way he could make me feel when he was sober, a side of him only I got to see and desperately wanted to see more of before and after we split. And then…he was gone. I never expected him to not be there, but…"
"Just like that he was gone," I slowly said as I remembered handling his murder case a little less than a month ago.
"And no one got punished. He didn't do anything wrong and ended up paying the biggest consequence."
I felt worse about how I'd finished the case. It didn't matter how hard I tried to pin the guilty one against a wall, but there wasn't enough evidence. I did what I could to lock up the wrongful parties, but they were simple misdemeanors that didn't make them suffer the way they should have suffered.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do more," I said as I reached out and placed my hand on hers.
She collected herself and took a long gulp of her liquor.
"It's fine. The wound's still fresh, but that's not why we're here."
"Look, we should just…drink to what we've lost. Let's not make this about a single person's pain. What do you say?:"
She smiled.
"I like the way you think… Bartender! Can I have a shot of tequila…and another margarita, please."
I smiled as well and finished off my beer before I battled with the heavy drinks like Catherine had. A few hours passed and we'd both talked each other's ears off about our lives. At that point, we knew the only way to get home was by cab and since it seemed stupid to end the night there, we shared a ride home.
"Oh, this is my stop," I slurred with a smile. "Thanks for the ride."
I paid the driver and opened the door. When my feet hit the pavement and I stood on the sidewalk, the door still open, I squinted my eyes and thought about the loneliness that would set in when I got inside. I bent down and looked in the cab at Catherine.
"You wanna come up?"
She sighed with relief.
"I was hoping you'd ask."
I smiled and took her hand to help her out of the cab. She stumbled over the curb and ran into me and we laughed at how ridiculous we must have looked. I shut the car door and wrapped my arm around her waist as she draped her arm over my shoulder. We struggled to get to the door of the apartment complex, but when we got there, I used my key to get us in.
A long five minutes later, we giggled our way down the hallway to my apartment and I fumbled with my key.
"Just so you know," she started with a grin. "I'm excited to see what your place looks like."
"Really?"
'Yeah. You always seem like the kind of person that wouldn't have much décor, but I don't know…if you had something to be embarrassed about, drunk or sober, you wouldn't have invited me in."
I turned the key in the lock and waited a beat before I pushed open the door. Her jaw dropped when she saw the lilac walls and gold accents.
"I…never thought..."
I smiled, proud of myself for being able to surprise her. She didn't even finish her sentence, but she didn't need to. By the look on her face, I knew she was impressed.
"I'd ask if you wanted something to drink, but I think it'd be overkill," I slurred bit again.
"I'm really only tired. Do you mind if I sleep on your couch?"
"Yeah, I do."
She furrowed her brow, confused, upset, and hurt by my comment.
"You can sleep in my bed. I'll take the couch."
"Are you sure?"
"You're a guest. I'm not going to let you sleep on my couch. It's not that comfortable."
"Then I can't let you sleep on it."
"Cat…relax. I've slept on it a million times. I'm used to it."
She sighed, this time in defeat and slight annoyance.
"You're so stubborn."
"As are you, Princess."
"You know, just for that I'm not gonna feel bad about taking your bed."
"Good. Mission accomplished."
She straightened up, ready to square off.
"I'm starting to think we have more in common than I thought."
"And you didn't get that vibe the first time we met?"
"I knew we clicked and I foresaw arguments in our future, but I never suspected we'd make great friends. That is, we could be great friends…if you ever let me in."
"Oh…wait, so now it's my fault we're not close?"
"It's always been your fault."
"Oh, right. Coming from the woman who makes it her job to push her only female coworker away."
"Oh ho ho," she giggled. "You're gonna get it."
She ran toward me and grabbed my wrist. She pulled me ward the couch and pushed me onto it. I laughed and, as she walked over to me, I grabbed her wrists and pulled her on top of me. We laughed as I tried to hold her still so I could flip her onto the ground. She squirmed and fought to pin my arms over my head. She was eventually successful because I couldn't stop laughing, but I still knew how to get her where I wanted her.
I bucked my hips and rolled over. She fell with me and as we descended to the floor, I unclenched my fists. When we hit the floor, my hands covered her wrists and I was on top.
"Maybe I'd open up to you, if I could trust you."
"You don't trust me," she asked as she writhed beneath me.
"It's hard for me to trust anyone. If I knew how to trust you, we could probably get a long all the time."
"So…you lack the ability to trust. What happened to you/ I mean…what made it so hard for you to trust people."
We smiled throughout our serious conversation and giggled ever time we fidgeted thanks to the booze, but we were clearly capable of feeling as deeply as we would if we weren't even a little tipsy.
"That like…me asking what attracts you to assholes," I chuckled.
"Well…you're not an asshole," she smirked.
There was a silence, a moment of true seriousness between us, a connection.
I then leaned in, as her lips slowly parted, and sealed our connection with a kiss. She adjusted herself beneath me as our lips remained pressed together. After another moment, our lips separated, but the space we created soon disappeared after we gazed at each other, her eyes so blue, so deep and intriguing.
I leaned in again and this time, not only did our lips touch, but our tongues as well. She slid hers under mind and gave me the power and strength to run my hand along her side. She sighed and relaxed into my touch as her hand came to rest against my shoulder. She flicked my tongue with her own and I could feel myself yearning for her in a way I never imagined I would.
I felt her knee rise and insert itself between my thighs.
I moaned and used the hand I'd run along her side to graze up her stomach, lifting the shirt with it. Her hand grabbed mine and pushed it back down before I could reach her breasts. My fingers brushed against the waistband of her jeans when her phone buzzed.
"Unh," she groaned as our lips separated.
She reached between us and grabbed her phone from her pocket. She flipped it open and stared at the screen for a little while.
"Ugh, I should go. I have a few things to take care of before the next shift."
"You're drunk."
"And you're not?"
I rolled my eyes and scoffed.
"Stay. …And you don't even have a ride."
"If Grissom doesn't take care of it and I don't do it-"
Are you really going to work around Grissom's lack of political and social skills? Now?"
She relaxed under me and almost seemed to give up.
"You're right. I can't go in right now. I'm hammered…and stuck here."
I smiled.
"But I don't think I can do this. I'm drunk, but not drunk enough."
"Are you sure about that," I grinned before I kissed her neck and made my way down to her chest.
She giggled, but hooked her index finger under my chin and pulled me away from her body.
"I'm tired…but I appreciate the gesture," she smiled.
"Fine. I'm coming down from my drunken high anyway."
I chastely kissed her before I stood up and offered my hand to help her to her feet. She took it and got up in second.
"I'll see you in the morning," she said as she headed into my room. I watched her saunter into the room and wished I'd had more time to please her.
I sighed and headed to the linen closet for sheets and an extra pillow. I got comfortable and feel asleep within the next twenty minutes. Of course, I didn't think I'd gotten nearly as much time to sleep before I was shaken awake.
"Mm, what is it," I frowned and asked without hardly opening my eyes.
"Sara," Catherine whispered.
"What," I grumbled.
"I can't sleep."
"Why not?"
"It's weird. This isn't my place and I'm all alone in there."
"Has your hangover snot set in," I allowed my grumpy, agitated side to show.
"Can you sleep in there with me/"
Finally, I opened my eyes and saw the desperation in hers.
"Yeah," I said as I sat up. "If that's what you want."
She nodded.
"Okay."
I threw the sheets over the couch cushions and followed her into my room, my bed. I let her get comfortable before I slowly, awkwardly draped my arm over her waist. She sighed in content and adjusted herself so she could mold her body to fit with mine.
I spent the rest of the night holding her as I drifted into the best sleep of my life.
"Sara?"
I snapped out of memory lane and reentered reality.
"More thinking," she asked.
"Yeah."
I looked at her for a moment, a long one at that, and remembered what I felt when I held her, the form of her body as it lay pressed against mine that night.
I knew then that I was in trouble for the rest of the trip, and possibly longer.
...
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