DISCLAIMER: CSI and its characters are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
One Special Night
By DarXe
Catherine had been planning this night, her night off, all week. After dropping Lindsey off at a friend's house for a slumber party, she went back home to get things ready. She wanted everything ready by the time Sara walked in the door. She lit candles all around the room providing a soft, glowing light, and had an assortment of music ready in the stereo to provide romantic undertones that should last at least two hours.
With the living room set just like she wanted, she went upstairs and took out the outfit she bought earlier in the week. She smiled as she put the outfit on, thinking how fun it would be to have Sara peel it off. She then slipped on the matching robe, and went downstairs to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door and pulled out the bottle of chilled wine, got the wine glasses and went to the living room to wait for the night to start.
Catherine sat on the couch, her arm draped across the back and her legs crossed. She opened the robe slightly so the candles could provide just enough light to feed Sara's imagination. Catherine looked at the clock; Sara called about an hour earlier and said she would be leaving on time. She heard the door being unlocked and opened. 'Right on time' she thought to herself.
Sara walked in the house, taking off her jacket and hanging it in the closet. She put her keys on the table in the entranceway and called out, "Catherine? Baby where are you?"
Sara rounded the corner she froze at the sight that welcomed her. Catherine smiled and stood up slowly, making sure the robe opened a little more, teasing Sara. Catherine poured the chilled wine in the glasses and held it out in Sara's direction. "Care to join me?" She asked.
Sara finally broke out of her haze and took a step forward, taking the glass from Catherine. Sara took a sip of wine, her eyes never leaving the beauty in front of her eyes hungrily roaming the curves of Catherine's body and asked, "Are we celebrating something?" Her mind going over all the dates she could think of. "I didn't forget an important date did I?"
"No, I just wanted tonight to be special," Catherine said as she picked up the stereo remote and pressed play. The music started and Catherine took the glasses and set them on the table behind them. She took Sara's hand and led her around the table. Moving closer to Sara, Catherine wrapped her arms around the taller woman and laid her head on Sara's shoulder; Sara's hands automatically wrapping around Catherine, pulling her closer.
Moving to the rhythm, both pairs of hands started to roam. Sara's hands found their way under Catherine's robe. Feeling the smooth fabric under her hands, she slid her hands to the front of the robe to slip it off Catherine's shoulders.
Catherine pulled back a bit to let the robe fall. She slipped one hand up Sara's body cradling the brunette's cheek. They moved closer until their lips met in a kiss, soft at first but slowly becoming more. Tongues dueling, hands roaming, the heat between the two women rose. Not breaking the kiss Catherine backed up just enough for her hands to fit between them and unbutton Sara's top. She slipped her hands under the material and ran her hand up to Sara's shoulders, pushing the shirt over, letting it fall to the floor. As Catherine reached around to unhook Sara's bra, she felt the other woman's hands on her skin, under her lacy top.
Catherine dropped Sara's bra to the floor, and started to kiss her way down Sara's neck. Sara's breath caught in her throat as she felt Catherine's tongue and teeth nipping their way, slowly down to her chest, when they heard the phone ring. Catherine didn't stop her slow journey down to Sara's breast; she had a destination in mind and had no plans of stopping. The phone stopped ringing only to start ringing again a minute later.
The phone still ringing, Sara whispered, "Bay…" She cleared her throat, "Baby, we need to answer the phone. Who ever it is isn't going to stop calling."
Catherine looked up into Sara's eyes and with a mischievous grin said, "Do you really want me to stop?" She resumed her attentions to Sara's breast, moving closer to the taller woman's nipple.
Sara lifted Catherine's chin to look in her eyes, as she said, "No, I don't want you to stop, but whoever is calling is only going to keep calling. Besides, what if it's Lindsey?"
Catherine went limp against Sara sighing deeply. "Fine," she said and she went to answer the phone. "Hello? … Is she okay? … I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for calling Beth."
Catherine turned to face Sara. "You were right, it was about Lindsey. Beth, Lindsey's friend's mom, said she got sick after eating at the seafood place with all her friends." She went to Sara and wrapped her in a hug. "I had so many plans, I'm sorry Honey."
Sara hugged Catherine back. "Honey, I've told you before, you never have to say you're sorry when you have to take care of Lindsey. Tell you what; you go get her and I'll turn her bed down and run a warm bath for her to help her relax." She said and kissed the top of Catherine's head.
Catherine squeezed Sara a little tighter before pulling back. She picked up her robe and Sara's shirt and bra. Handing the shirt and bra to Sara, she said, "Thanks Honey, I'll be right back. And tonight is not over; it's just on hold. I bought this outfit so you could take it off. Not me."
As Catherine and Lindsey walked through the house, Catherine noticed that the stereo was turned off, the wine and the glasses were not on the table, and the candles were blown out with the lamp in the corner turned on providing the light. Catherine helped Lindsey take off her jacket and after hanging it up they went upstairs.
"Sara? We're back. Where are you?" Catherine called out.
"In here," Sara called from down the hall.
Catherine and Lindsey found her sitting on the edge of the tub, running her hand under the water. Sara looked up and said, "Hey Linds. I found some vanilla bath oils that I use when I need to relax. I thought it might help you feel a little better. You up for it?"
Lindsey thought a few seconds then answered, "Yeah, I think so. I feel rather gross after getting sick and all. Thanks Sara."
"You are very welcome Honey," Sara said as she turned off the water. With a smile Sara walked towards the door saying, "I'll let your mom help you with the rest."
Catherine got a towel and washcloth down for Lindsey and said, "Looks like Sara found you a night shirt already. We'll be down the hall if you need us okay?"
Lindsey nodded yes and Catherine left the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She headed down the hall and found Sara in the bedroom. Hugging the other woman from behind she said, "Hey, thanks for getting the vanilla bath oils for Linds. What are you doing?"
Sara leaned back into Catherine's body enjoying the contact. "I was just turning down the bed for later." She turned around in Catherine's embrace. They held each other for a few minutes.
Catherine stepped back and said, "I'm gonna go turn off the lights downstairs and make sure the doors are locked. I'll be right back okay?" Sara nodded as she left the room. Sara heard Lindsey open the bathroom door and she went to check on her.
"You feel better now Kiddo?" Sara asked.
Lindsey smiled weakly and said, "Yeah, thanks Sara, the bath really helped."
"Come on, let's get you into bed," Sara said.
Sara helped Lindsey into bed, pulling the blankets up around the girl and sat down on the bed. Sara reached up and moved a wisp blond hair out of Lindsey face and leaned over and kissed her forehead. Noticing that the child was curled almost into a ball Sara asked, "How is your tummy?"
"It hurts. I feel like someone hit me in the stomach," she said.
Sara reached over and grabbed the extra pillow from the bed. She pulled the blankets back a bit and gave it to Lindsey. "Here Honey, hug the pillow to you, it will help."
"Okay," Lindsey said softly hugging the pillow. "You're right this does help. I think I should be able to sleep now."
Catherine smiled watching the two from the door. After hearing Lindsey say she thought she could sleep, she stepped into the room and asked, "Lindsey do you still have the bell I got you a few years back?"
"Yes, it's the drawer right here," she said pointing to her bed table.
Catherine opened the drawer and found the bell pulling it out. She set it on the top of the table and said, "Here Baby, this way if you need anything, just ring the bell and we will hear it."
"We'll leave your bedroom and our bedroom doors open so we'll be able hear you better, okay? Is there anything else you need now?" Sara asked.
Lindsey shook her head no and closed her eyes. Sara stood up and
Catherine leaned over and kissed her baby girl's cheek. Then she and Sara walked out of the room hand in hand down the hall to their bedroom. Catherine turned around and pulled Sara in her arms. Hugging her close, she looked into Sara's eyes and said, "Thank you Sara."
Sara looked confused and asked, "Okay. Thanks for what? I didn't do anything."
"Oh Honey, what you did for Lindsey … you really care about her and it just makes me so happy. Thanks," she said hugging her again.
Before Sara could answer they heard the bell almost ring. They both went to check on Lindsey. When they got to the hall they could see the light on in the bathroom. "Lindsey, are you okay?" Catherine asked.
Lindsey answered quietly, "Yes, I just knocked the bell down trying to the get to the bathroom fast enough." Catherine stepped in the bathroom to see Lindsey bending over the toilet. "Sorry Mom, but I missed part of the toilet." Lindsey cried and flushed the toilet. After wiping her mouth she turned to her mother and hugged her.
"On Baby, its okay, I know you didn't do it on purpose. Here, let's get you a new shirt, this one has gotten wet. And you feel rather warm." She looked up and found Sara with a roll of paper towels in her hand.
"Go on, take care of her, I'll clean up in here," Sara said and before Catherine could protest continued, "Its okay, all the stuff I handle at work; I think I can do this," she said.
So Catherine took Lindsey to her room and got a new shirt out the drawer for her. She turned a bit to give the young girl some privacy while she changed. When Lindsey had the new shirt on, she asked, "Mom, do you think you and Sara can stay in here with me for a while?"
Catherine smiled at her daughter, "Of course Honey, lay down in the middle." She put the damp shirt in the hamper in the corner of the room and climbed in bed behind her daughter. Catherine wrapped her body around the smaller one and held her close, smoothing Lindsey's hair and cooing in her ear. A wave of relief washed over her when she felt Lindsey start to relax in her arms. When she saw Sara at the door she called her in. "Lindsey has asked us to lay down with her for a while. Do you mind?"
"Oh, of course, anything for my Lindsey-Girl," Sara said
Both Catherine and Lindsey smile at the nickname. "Here, why don't get in here and lay on your back?" Catherine directed Sara in front of Lindsey.
Sara got in the bed and did as she was asked. As soon as she got comfortable, Catherine lifted her arm closest to them up and over their heads, and Sara found herself being a living pillow for the other two occupants of the bed. Sara felt Lindsey's arm come to rest on her stomach and Catherine's on top of Lindsey's. She put her free hand over theirs and they all fell asleep.
Sara woke up a few hours later. She found that she couldn't move but she really needed to use the bathroom. She squeezed Catherine's hand and softly called her name. "Catherine … Catherine? Baby wake up."
Catherine slowly pulled out of her slumber and lifted her head. She looked at Sara and heard, "Catherine, I need to use the bathroom. I need my arm back. Can you move her for a bit?"
Catherine nodded, and wrapping her arms a little differently around Lindsey she lifted up enough so Sara could leave the bed. When Catherine laid them back down Lindsey started to stir and asked, "Mom?"
"It's okay Honey; Sara had to use the bathroom. How are you feeling?" She asked.
"I'm okay. I think that last trip to the bathroom earlier must have gotten rid of whatever it was that my body didn't like," the girl said.
"That's good news. Go back to sleep and get some rest, okay?" Catherine said, smoothing her daughter's hair again.
"Thanks for staying with me. But you don't have to stay anymore. I'm fine now. I promise. You need to sleep also," she said.
"You're sure?" Catherine asked again.
"Yeah," she started, "I just, well, I just really didn't feel good and you always make things better." She gave a shy smile, "Having Sara here to be a pillow was just an added bonus."
Catherine laughed. She couldn't find fault in that. Sara had been her favorite pillow for a long time now. She crawled out of her daughter's bed, tucked the covers in around her and gave her a kiss. "Goodnight Honey, I'm not gonna wake you in the morning, so plan on sleeping in. I want you to rest."
Lindsey nodded yes to her mother, already half asleep, and Catherine walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. As she turned she saw Sara leaving the bathroom. She held out her hand and when Sara took it she led her to their bedroom; closing the door behind them.
"How is Lindsey?" Sara asked.
"She's much better." Catherine smiled and continued, "She said having the 'Sara Pillow' helped a lot."
Sara blushed but laughed with Catherine. They turned the lights off and crawled into bed, getting in the same position as earlier, Sara on her back with Catherine's head pillowed on her shoulder, and her arm over her stomach. "You amaze me, you know that?" Catherine said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't know anyone else that would do what you did tonight."
"Cather…" Sara started to interrupt, but Catherine covered her mouth.
"No, listen. I know you are going to say 'I didn't do anything' … but you did. You made me answer the phone – and I know neither of us wanted to. You stayed here and picked up the house while I went to pick Linds up and you even drew Lindsey a bath and used your vanilla oil. I know you love that stuff so much you don't use it often to save it. Then you cleaned up a pretty gross mess, which I should have cleaned, and then helped me comfort her knowing she could get sick again. It means so much to me that you care that much about her … about us." Catherine pulled her fingers away from Sara's mouth, signaling that she could speak now if she wanted.
"Catherine, Baby, besides my brother, you and Lindsey are my family. There is nothing I wouldn't do for either of you. All you have to do is ask. Or let me know you need or want something … it's yours."
Catherine sat up a little and leaned on her elbow to look down into Sara's darkened eyes. She was quiet a minute then asked, "So when do we get to meet our other family member … your brother?"
Sara smiled, and traced Catherine's face with her fingertips. "Actually he e-mailed me today. His company is sending him on a business trip to Vegas for a convention next month. You can meet him then."
"Good, you can tell him to bring work clothes. He can help you move," Catherine and laid back down against Sara.
"Move?" Sara asked. "Am I going somewhere?"
Catherine gave a light laugh and started tracing the letters on Sara's Harvard t-shirt and said, "Honey, you haven't slept in your apartment in over a month. You haven't been in your apartment in over two weeks. The only time you go to the apartment complex is to pick up your mail. I have even heard you calling this home to a few people when you didn't realize it. With your brother's help, we can move whatever else you have in there you may need and bring it all here. You have already moved in, we are just making it official."
Sara laughed, "You should hear me in my car when I'm alone. I have come up with … I know … a hundred different ways of suggesting we move in together, but then I chicken out when I'm with you. I really didn't plan on just slowly moving in." Sara sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed. Catherine sat up with her and Sara wrapped her arm around her when she leaned again the younger woman. Sara continued, "I just … well, you aren't at the apartment. You're here, so this was home to me."
Catherine leaned up, cupped Sara's face and kissed her. When she pulled back she said, "Sara I think that has to be the sweetest, most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me." She leaned against Sara again, wrapping her arms around the toned body. "Just so you know … this place isn't home without you here either. Even Lindsey made a comment one morning when I took her to school. She said, 'You know Mom, our house feels more homey with Sara in it.' All I could do was smile and agree with her. We want you here Sara."
They sat in silence for a minute until Sara asked, "Catherine, if I were to get a ring that told everyone you belonged to me, would you wear it?"
Catherine didn't even have to think, she immediately responded, "Hell yes, but … only if you wore one that said you belonged to me."
Sara reached over and turned on the lamp that was by the bed, then reached into the bedside table and pulled out a box. She handed it to Catherine. "Here," she simply said.
Catherine took the box and looked at her companion. "Sara?" She questioned.
"Just open it."
Catherine opened the box. Inside were two white gold bands, on the tops where two yellow gold hearts over lapping. The first ring had a C in the first heart and an S in the second heart. The second ring had an S in the first heart and a C in the second heart. She took the rings out of the box and she could see an inscription on the inside of both rings. The first ring had C belongs to S, and the second ring had S belongs to C. Catherine, still looking at the rings, asked, "Sara, these are beautiful. How long have you had these rings?"
Sara shrugged and said, "About two years."
Catherine looked up from the rings at that. "But we have only been together for a little over a year and a half. I don't understand. Don't get me wrong, I love that you've had faith in our future before there was an "us", but … I just don't understand. How did you know? And how did you know my ring size?" she asked in amazement.
Sara blushed. She took one of the rings and looking at it explained, "We were working this one case together. I really wanted to find out who could kill a small 5 year old child, and why would they would want to kill something so innocent that I didn't sleep, didn't eat … well, I did what I normally did. Anyway, I was so frustrated that I slammed the cabinet door and it bounced and it flew back and caught my hand against the wall."
"I remember that, it left the biggest bruise. I was so worried about you." Catherine interjected.
Sara agreed and went on with her tale, "I felt so stupid. First of all for losing my temper, and second because you were standing right there. I just knew you going to yell at me. Tell me to grow up, calm down, to stop reacting to things I couldn't change … but you didn't. You walked over to me, took my hand in yours and led me to the break room. You found some ice and a cloth, kissed my wound and put the ice pack on my hand. I knew right then there was hope. Not just hope for us," she said pointing between the two of them, "but hope for everything. Soon after that you worked a case were you had to dig in slime. The slime got inside your gloves and you had to take you ring off to clean it. You put it on the little ledge on the mirror and finished washing your hands. As you were drying your hands some people got in an argument outside the locker room and you went to see what was going on. When I realized that you left and forgot your ring I grabbed it. I tried it on, found out which finger it fit on me. I saw you in the hall talking to a few people. I squeeze past and dropped the ring in your pocket."
Catherine interrupted her once again, "You know, I forgot about that. I remember now that I didn't notice I left the ring until I was at home. I grabbed my keys to go back for it and bumped into a chair and I felt something poking me in the leg. I had no idea how that ring got there. Thank you. It was a gift from my great aunt." Catherine leaned over for a kiss then encouraged Sara, "Go on, finish your story."
"Well, I had an idea for a ring design," she pointed to the rings "So, I went to a jeweler. I showed him the little design I had tried to sketch out and they made the rings for me. From that point on, anytime I felt that nothing made sense and all hope was lost, when I didn't think I could take anything else," she smiles, "Or when we would have a big argument at work over something really stupid, I'd take out the rings and remember what it felt like when you kissed my hand."
Catherine was in awe. She had no idea Sara felt that way. She felt tears sting her eyes and she tried to blink them away but that only made them fall. Sara reached up and wiped her tears away and asked, "So, will you wear my ring?"
Catherine smiled and said, "I would love to wear your ring." She held up the ring meant for Sara. "Will you wear mine?"
The End