DISCLAIMER: CSI is the property of CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SPOILERS: Season six - slight.
PAIRING: Sara/Sofia

Coming to an Agreement
By ralst

 

Sara made her way into the break room, only half surprised to see Sofia resting in one of the chairs, a cup of Greg's special blend in her hands.

"I've heard this rumour," Sara began, as she leant up against the doorway, "about a CSI who became a detective."

"Really?"

"Yes." Sara paused, her mind apparently preoccupied with the half-smirk on Sofia's face. "Only this detective had kind of a memory problem," she made a slight hand gesture to indicate their surroundings "and kept forgetting that she was no longer a CSI."

"A bad memory? That's something of a handicap for a detective." Leaning further back in her chair, Sofia raised her boots and planted them firmly on the edge of the table. "It could end up getting her into all sorts of trouble."

Sara slowly made her way towards the table, stopping to perch on the edge nearest to Sofia. Her fingers unconsciously beginning to play with the half untied laces dangling from the blonde's boots. "Precisely my thoughts."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

Sara thought for a moment. "There are a few experimental drugs, but nothing guaranteed to restore memory loss." She tugged on the end of the lace unravelling its wilted bow. "Of course she could just come to an agreement with someone who's an official CSI."

"Official? D'you mean Grissom?"

Sara's hand clenched and with a single tug she sent Sofia's feet tumbling to the floor. "No."

Wiping at the droplet of coffee now adorning her shirt front, Sofia tried her best not to smile at the brunette. "Catherine?"

Sara rolled her eyes. "Hardly."

"Then who? Warrick?"

"No." Sara held up her hand. "And before you say anything else, no, no, Ecklie? No way, no."

"Which I suppose leaves..." The pause was almost worthy of pantomime "You?"

"Are you sure you're a detective? Because right now the evidence is rather inconclusive." Sara sat back further on the table. "So do we have an agreement?"

"An agreement to do what?"

Sara shrugged. "I let you play CSI and you let me play detective."

Suddenly it became more than clear to Sofia that she was about to be conned. "Which means?"

"You get to play with the print powder," Sara said around a smile, "and I get to go into a crime scene when it's fresh."

"You mean before it's been cleared?"

Sara's shrug was followed by silence, until Sofia once again raised her booted foot and this time set it to rest on Sara's thigh. She nodded towards the lace, "Would you mind?"

"I'm not talking about walking in during a gunfight," Sara quickly began to explain, her nimble fingers getting immediately to work on perfecting the ideal bow. "Or accompanying you on a drug bust. I just want to be able to get to the scene before two dozen cops have paraded through the area."

"No."

"Come on, Sofia, you know what it's like always having to wade through patrolmen's size tens and eliminate twenty sets of..."

"I also know that you overstep the mark as it is." Standing, Sofia made to step away from the brunette. "You all do. Walking into scenes without backup, talking to suspects without an officer present, rushing into buildings before you've been given the all clear."

"That happened once... Three times at the most."

"I don't just mean you." She stepped closer. "All the CSIs do it. Hell, I know I did."

Sara contemplated pouting but discarded the idea before it could take form on her lips. She'd never been a fan of Catherine's style of interaction, at least where men were concerned, but if it was for a good cause... "Then what would be the harm," she asked quietly, "of making it unofficial?" Eyes slightly averted and a coquettish smile on her lips, Sara began to trail her fingers down Sofia's arm. "Just between us."

Sofia stared at Sara's wandering fingers before turning an amused look on the other woman. "That's not going to get me to change my mind." A smile lit up her face. "But if you want to continue this over dinner I could be persuaded to let you play with my handcuffs."

A second of stunned silence was followed swiftly by the sound of Sara scrambling off the table. It might not have been the result she'd been working towards, but she wasn't about to let a little detail like that stand in her way.

The End

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