DISCLAIMER: CSI and its characters are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
House Arrest
By Ann
Sara sat at the bottom of the stairs, wiping the sweat from her brow. Grissom had sent her to check the basement of the Morgan's home, and since she hadn't worked the initial crime scene, she had no idea that the door was on a spring or that it automatically locked when it shut.
Checking her watch, she figured someone would eventually notice she was missing and hadn't called in. And that was her second problem. Her cell phone, kit, and flashlight were sitting at the top of the stairs, just inside the door.
"Stupid, Sara. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She put her head in her hands and screamed.
Thirty minutes later, Sara's head snapped up at the sound of footsteps. She breathed a sigh of relief and stood just as the door at the top of the stairs opened to reveal a grinning Sofia.
"Hey, Sara. Whatcha doing?"
"Sweating my ass off. Thank God you found me."
"Actually, I happened upon you; I was on my way home. I saw the Denali out front and thought I'd see if I could help."
"Well, you damned sure can. I've been stuck in this basement for over an hour."
Sofia chuckled and stepped inside.
"Wait, Sofia! Don't come in…" The slamming of the door echoed throughout the basement. "… the door's on a spring." Sara's last words were almost a whisper.
Sofia immediately turned and pushed on the locked door, but it stubbornly remained closed.
Sara started up the stairs. "It's no use. It's locked. Let's use your cell and call for help."
Sofia dropped her head and slowly turned to face the other woman. "Um, Sara? My cell's in my car. The battery was low so I was charging it."
"Okay, get your gun and shoot the lock. If the Morgans are cleared, I'll personally replace the door."
Sofia sighed loudly. "I'm not supposed to shoot without provocation."
"It's only a door, Sofia. Just get your gun and …" Sara squinted in the dark. "Sofia? Where's your gun?"
"Well, funny thing about that."
Sara groaned, plopped down on the top step, and placed her head in her hands. "I don't believe this. I'm on house arrest with Barney Fife."
"Hey!"
Sara never lifted her head. "Don't worry, Sofia. You're much better looking."
Sofia took in Sara's defeated posture and hesitated before sitting on the step next to her. "I do have a gun, Sara. There's just a problem with the barrel. Sergeant Daniels works on weapons on the side. I gave it to him this afternoon; I planned to use my spare until it's fixed."
Sara lifted her head and raised her eyebrow in question.
"Um, my spare's at home."
"So, you're running around the city without a weapon? Isn't that just a little dangerous?"
"I didn't give it to Daniels until my shift was over, Sara. I have a shotgun in the trunk if I need it."
"Well, I'd say we FUCKING NEED IT NOW!!!" Sara exhaled loudly and lay back on the landing, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry, Sofia. It's just that this place is getting to me."
Sofia looked down at Sara. By all indications, the basement had already gotten to her.
As usual, Sofia tried to talk through the problem aloud. "Okay, no one knows I'm here, but someone certainly has to know that you're here."
Sara didn't answer; she just continued to stare at the cobwebs on the ceiling.
"Sara? Someone does know you're here, right?"
Sara turned her head towards Sofia. "Grissom knows."
Sofia's face immediately dropped, and then, she dropped, too, lying beside Sara and staring at the beams above.
"We're so screwed." Sofia rotated her head towards Sara, and both women burst out in laughter. Several minutes later, their mirth had died down to an occasional chuckle.
"Maybe there's a crowbar or something down here. We could pry the door open."
Sara shook her head. "I've been through this place from top to bottom. There're only boxes of papers, none of which are the ones Grissom sent me after."
"What kind of papers?"
"Newspapers. Boxes and boxes of old newspapers."
"Oh. Um, we could try to bust the door down." Sofia tilted her head backwards and looked at the door from her upside down position.
Sara smiled at the profile she'd always admired. Sofia truly was a beautiful woman.
Sofia turned at the silence, noting the smile Sara was sporting. Sara really did have a nice smile.
"So, what do you think, Sara?"
"Huh? Oh, it's solid. I, um, kind of bruised my shoulder earlier."
"You're hurt?" Sofia quickly sat up and twisted towards Sara, a look of concern evident on her face.
"I'm okay. It hurt my pride more than anything else." Sara shrugged, grimacing slightly at the move.
"Let me see." Sofia moved closer. "Which shoulder?"
Sara turned beet red. "This one." She gestured to the shoulder closest to Sofia.
"Can you sit up?" Sofia reached out and gently supported Sara's back. The touch was much warmer than the temperature in the basement and sent a tingle straight down Sara's spine. She slowly moved to a sitting position.
"We need to take off your vest." Sofia rubbed soothing circles on Sara's shoulder.
Sara exhaled loudly, and Sofia pulled her hand back as if she'd been burned.
"Sorry, Sara. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You're definitely not hurting me," Sara mumbled as she moved to undo the fastenings of her vest.
Sofia smiled at the words and eased the vest down Sara's arm before lifting it from her. Placing it on the landing, she turned back to check Sara's shoulder, gently pulling up the sleeve high enough to peer underneath.
"Oh, Sara…" A large purplish bruise had already formed on the CSI's shoulder. "I wish we had some ice."
Sara chuckled. "If we're wishing for things, I'll go for a cold beer. I can put it on my shoulder in between sips."
Sofia grinned, her focus still on the bruise. When she looked back up, Sara had stopped laughing and was staring at her intently. On its own accord, Sofia's hand moved to cup Sara's face, and the brunette instinctively leaned into the touch.
"Sara?"
Lips met halfway in slow exploration, and Sofia gently slid her arm around Sara's waist, taking care not to jostle Sara's shoulder as the kiss deepened. Each woman spent the next hour redefining the art of making out as they became extremely comfortable with the other's lips, mouths, and tongues.
"Damn, you're one helluva kisser, Sara."
A pair of swollen lips smiled back at her. "You're not so bad yourself, Sofia."
"So, want to go out when we get out of here?"
"Out? As in a date?"
Sofia grinned. "Yes, now that neither of us has to worry about the dreaded first kiss."
A noise from inside the house had both women jumping to their feet, and they turned in unison just as the door opened. Catherine stood staring at two red-faced cheeks.
Sara didn't give Catherine time to say a word as she rushed towards the threshold, almost knocking Catherine back into the house. There was no way she was chancing being locked in the basement with both Catherine and Sofia. No, she wanted to keep Sofia all to herself.
"Sorry, Cath. The door's on a spring."
"I know. Gil told me he sent you to gather evidence, and I figured you didn't know about the door."
"No, I most certainly did not."
Catherine turned to Sofia. "Sofia? Care to tell me how you got here?"
Sofia grinned. "No, not really, Catherine, but thanks for getting us out of there."
Sofia walked through the door and headed for the front of the house, calling back over her shoulder, "Sara, I'll call you later."
Sara smiled widely and nodded as she turned to pick up her kit. Catherine looked back and forth between the two women, frowning as her focus finally settled on the door. Something had definitely happened in that basement.
The End