AN: I was going to post a little Empty Eyes ficlet today, but I felt like something a little lighter, so you get this one instead, hope you like it! Empty Eyes coming up next week or the week after, I only have two more completed in this series at the moment. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last installment, I love hearing from you!

This one has not been beta'd, so any mistakes are mine

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to CSI

Gum Drops

Sara mutes the TV, where some mindless sitcom is playing, and closes her notebook before answering the phone with a smile. "Hi," she says, keeping her voice down – it's clear from the argument she overheard from her neighbors on one side earlier that the walls in this place aren't exactly soundproof.

"Hi."

As always, just the sound of his voice makes her mind calmer, and she pushes away the unsettling case for a moment. "How's the body farm?" she asks.

"It's good," he replies, the excitement evident in his voice. "They have a new scene that's ideal for studying Lepti nidae…"

She listens with an indulgent smile as he describes the new scene and everything they're hoping to be able to accomplish.

"And how is… where are you again?" he asks some time later.

"Pioche," she reminds him. "And it's… a strange one so far."

"Why?"

So she goes through what they know, and he pipes in with questions or suggestions here and there. By the time she lets out a long breath and relaxes back against the headboard, she's covered another few pages in her notebook.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about Nick," she admits.

"Why?"

She sighs. "He's… convinced the little girl's alive."

The line is quiet for a moment.

"She might be," he then says, making her frown.

"Come on, Gil!" She runs a frustrated hand through her hair. "I thought you of all people would be on my side here."

"I wasn't aware there were sides."

"OK, not sides, just… you know as well as I do what the odds are of that," she insists.

"I do," he concedes. "But I also know what the odds were of us finding Nick in time."

"That's what Nick said too," she says, shaking her head amusedly. "You sure you haven't talked to him?"

"Yes, I obviously called him first," he replies deadpan. "Priorities, you know."

"You know, you joke about that, but I wouldn't put it past you," she teases.

He hums. "Can I ask something?"

If it had been only a few months ago, she would have hesitated, would have tried to figure out what he might want to know before agreeing.

"Sure."

"Why are you speaking so quietly?"

She lets out a surprised laugh at the whispered question.

"Nick and Greg are in the next room, and the walls aren't paper thin or anything, but they're definitely not thick enough," she explains. "I don't want a bunch of nosy questions about who I'm talking to."

"Ah… so I shouldn't… ask what you're wearing?"

His words send a thrill through her.

"Gilbert…" she still warns.

"I just got out of the shower myself…" he continues, ignoring her. "Didn't bother getting dressed, just got into bed."

The image his words conjure to her mind isn't at all tempting.

"So, you want to have… phone sex," she hisses the last two words, "for the first time with two of our colleagues, who we're trying to keep in the dark, a few feet from my bed?"

"Well, it's the first opportunity that has presented itself since… phone sex has been on the table," he counters, not unreasonably.

She tries to push down the heat pooling in her belly. "Seriously?"

"You'll just have to be very, very quiet…"