DISCLAIMER:I don't own them, I never will. Proper rights go to
Bruckheimer, CBS and every one.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
On the Surface
By Amy Jo
Part 13
Kissing can be a form of communication that expresses emotion like no other. She is not kissing me with the hunger from before, but with a deeper emotion. I'm afraid to call it love, but it hovers somewhere close by.
Her lips leave mine, but she doesn't pull her body away from me. She actually holds on tighter. I could really get used to this. Holding her in my arms. This is such a safe place to be. Right now I feel as if I could tell her anything and she would make it allright. Like she can fix the shattered pieces of my soul and heal the hurt.
I'm way past believing what I feel for her is a simple infatuation or crush. If that was all I felt her, I would have given in to the kiss we shared inside my apartment and not stopped to try to explain anything that has gone on between us. There is still so much to be said, but right now I just want to hold her. The best part might be that she lets me hold her.
"Thank you." I whisper to her.
"You're welcome Sara." A soft whisper of understanding.
Her hands start a gentle caress of the length of my back. Up and down the silky fabric. The motion is hypnotic and it feels fantastic. I drop my head to her shoulder and without even thinking my lips find the way to her neck. I press light kisses against the skin I find there, moving up and down her neck. Her head falls back, exposing more skin to my lips.
We stand outside like this for what feels like an eternity. Her back is pressed up against the balcony railing and she is pulling me closer and closer to her. I place a hand on the railing behind her, bracing myself. If she pulls me any closer to her, we're both likely to take a tumble over the edge.
I am satisfied to continue to nibble on her neck, but I'm not sure that I will ever stop. From the sound of things, I don't think she wants me too either. Her pulse is erratic under my lips and I feel the moans vibrate through her neck. Her hands have managed to work my blouse out of my jeans and she slips her hands underneath.
The feel of her hands is sublime but in a moment of clarity I realize that we are still outside. I barely know the people that live in my building and if Catherine's hands move any higher, I'm certain a few of them will see more of me than I'm prepared for. I reluctantly pull away from Catherine, grabbing her hands as I go.
"Cat?" She is so damn sexy. Her skin is flushed with heat and her head is still tossed back with her eyes closed, lost in the moment we shared. At the sound of my voice she opens her eyes and looks at me with such fierce desire that my whole body shakes with want. I definitely have to convince her to follow me inside.
A quick check of the balconies on the apartments next door proves my point. Mr. Anderson from 3-C is about to see more of me, and Catherine if this continues, than he really needs to. As it is, I notice he's given up all pretense of reading his morning paper and is now gawking like a teenager. I don't know how long he's been watching us, but apparently it's been long enough.
When Catherine doesn't respond, I simply tug her arms to get her to follow me. I am insanely proud of myself for being the cause of the hormonal haze Catherine is stuck in. Catherine obediently follows me inside and barely waits until I've closed the door behind us before she kisses me.
Her kiss is forceful and full of want. In what feels like seconds she has managed to undo all of the buttons on my blouse. I feel weak with desire and yet stronger than ever. Catherine slips my blouse over my shoulders leaving me in front of her nearly topless. Her lips slide down the side of my neck and she kisses and sucks at the base of my throat while her hands work their way up the side of my stomach and ease under my bra.
The combination of her lips and hands caressing my skin is overwhelming. I moan deep in my throat, a sound so low pitched it barely sounds human at all. Her hands move across to my back, ready to remove the thin barrier of my bra. I have just enough brain cells still functioning to realize that we're still in front of the door to my balcony.
Without much thought, I run my hands down Catherine's back to her legs. In a swift, coordinated move I didn't know for sure I could make, I wrap my arms around her thighs and lift her off the floor. If Catherine is at all surprised by the move, she doesn't show it. Her fingers work at the clasps on my bra and her legs wrap around my torso.
Through the fabric of her slacks I can feel her heat. Her chest is inches from my face and as I look up into her eyes she smiles as I carry her towards the bedroom. Catherine dips her head down and kisses me, stopping my momentum. I might be able to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom, but I definitely can't carry her there with this kind of distraction.
I dig my fingers harder into the back the of her thighs and a slight yelp of pain separates her lips from mine. She looks at me, surprised. I give her my best evil grin before continuing toward the bedroom. It's hard to not kiss Catherine, bit when she does that to me it shuts my brain down and I can't think of anything else, much less figure out how to put one foot in front of the other. And I'd really like to see what she looks like on my bed. Fully clothed first and then naked and writhing under me.
When we get there, I'm tempted to keep her in my arms like this as long as possible. Her legs are wrapped around me, her heat pressed into the muscles of my stomach. And her chest is less than an inch from my lips. If she were naked, or at least less clothed, than I would figure out a way to keep her here. From my vantage she looks absolutely delicious. And that's with all of her clothes still on.
Now that we're next to my bed, Catherine takes the opportunity to kiss me again. Knowing she will land softly on the bed, I let her dominate the kiss until I can't hold her up anymore. Which doesn't take long because soon after her tongue enters my mouth she figures out a way to begin rhythmically pressing her center against my stomach. I've never done this before; held a woman in my arms in this way. But it's something I'd definitely like do again when I have the strength to keep Catherine there.
I lean forward gently and lay her on the bed. My bra is hanging loosely off my shoulders and I remove it before settling comfortably on top of her. I'm vaguely aware of a throbbing between my legs but I'm more interested in figuring out how to get Catherine out of her clothes.
I lower my head to kiss Catherine, keeping just enough space between our bodies so that I can use one hand to unbutton her top. It's a slow process seeing as how I'm having trouble staying focused on my task. Not soon enough the last button is undone and I get my first real chance to touch her. Even with the kisses before I never touched her like this, knowing that once I started, I wouldn't be able to stop.
I'm almost disappointed when I remove my lips from hers; but there's so much more of her available to me now. Her shirt is open and splayed across the bed. She is so beautiful like this. Underneath her shirt is a lacy pink bra which has, fortunately for me, clasps in the front. No longer distracted by the feel of her lips and mine pressed together, I quickly undo her bra and lift her up gently to fully remove the garments. If she was beautiful before there are no words to describe her now.
My body is a mass of confusion. I want to go slow and really take the time to appreciate Catherine's body. But I also have the strong desire to see and feel her moving in ecstasy underneath me right now. I can't decide if I want to kiss every inch of her skin, or if I want to feel it under my hands first. Sensing my moment of confusion, Catherine moves swiftly and soon I find myself trapped under her. Not a bad place to be at all.
The view of her on top of me is nearly as good as that of her below me. Catherine apparently shares none of confusion as to where to start. She hovers above me for barely a second before covering my mouth with hers. I'm beginning to get used to this. Small parts of my brain are starting to function when she kisses me. My hands wrap around her and pull her down so that she pressed tightly against me.
Skin on skin. Her breasts push against mine as I hold her tight. I can feel as her nipples harden against my breasts, and the sensation sends waves of desire across my whole body. A slight gasp escapes my mouth with Catherine straightens up and straddles my thighs, taking away the contact.
"You're wearing too much clothing," The pitch of her voice is low and heady with desire and want. For me. Catherine's hands are quick and within a breath she is sliding her thumbs under the waistband and pulling off what remains of my clothing. She moves down my body with my jeans. Standing at the end of the bed, she lets my jeans fall on the floor. Just watching her reaction to seeing me naked is enough to dissolve the feelings of nervousness I usually have the first time a new lover sees me like this.
Catherine stands at the end of my bed taking a long look at me. Hot under her gaze, my skin tingles with anticipation. I expected her to move back onto the bed. She doesn't. Instead I watch intently as she removes the last remnants of her own clothing. She is too far away and I move to the end of the bed to join her. She was only gone for less than a minute, but it was too long. I need to touch her.
"You're so beautiful." The words are whispered, but I'm not sure which one of us said them. It might have been both of us. I think I've lost the capacity to speak. The only think I can think is touch, feel, taste.
I pull her back down onto the bed. Her hands are everywhere on my body. I've never known it to be like this. To want my lover so bad that one simple touch in the right spot will send me over the edge. But this is what I feel right now. And she knows it too.
With one hand she is cupping my breast and teasing my hardened nipple with her thumb. With the other she holds herself still above me, leaning her head down to kiss me again. Her hand runs down my side and caresses my hip before brushing across my thigh. Involuntarily my hips are thrusting up toward her, searching for some kind of contact. Finding none, my frustration becomes evident when I break our kiss.
"Please Cat," I beg of her in a whisper. My body is overwhelmed with her. The sight and smell and taste of her. The feel of her hands and lips and her skin. I am almost ashamed to admit how much I need this release now. "Please."
I watch the fire dance behind her eyes as she slips her hand between my legs. Her eyes widen and she drops her head to my shoulder as her fingers tease the wetness at my center. I feel her body tense as her thumb brushes across my clit and my hips jerk into her.
In my ear I hear her whisper, "God, Sara," just as she slips a single finger into me. If she says anything else it is drowned out by my own moans as she adds another finger and starts a frantic pace. My fists are clenched in the sheets and my body arched up into hers. All too soon I feel the beginnings of my orgasm washing over me. I am gasping for breath and calling out her name in seconds.
Part 14
Oh. My. God. My body is practically vibrating with pleasure. Catherine's fingers are still moving inside me, slower than before, but even the light pressure makes my body twitch in response. Catherine moves her head from my shoulder and kisses me hard. Her tongue moves with the same motion as her fingers and when her thumb again brushes over my clit a second more satisfying orgasm shakes through my body.
Catherine still makes no sign of stopping and I tangle my hands in her hair and physically pull her mouth from mine. "Cat please," which she mistakes for a plea to continue. As good as this feels, I can't take much more.
With as much strength as I can gather, I reverse our positions. Again I notice just how great she looks here; underneath me, naked and wanting. She is by far the sexiest person I've ever seen. I can already feel her body moving, searching out contact that I keep just out of her reach.
I let my hand run the length of her body while I watch her eyes darken even more in want. The pressure of my hand against her skin is light, and she presses her body against my hand wanting more contact. I am trapped in a place of my own pleasure in watching her reactions to my touch.
Better than any fantasy she is here and real and some part of my brain is still amazed at this. Her moans are low and throaty and increasing with urgency at each pass of my hand across her body. I lower my lips to her neck first and my tongue takes a little taste before I suck a bit of her skin into my mouth. My lips move their way down her body until I reach her breast. Focusing on the sounds and movements coming from her body, I learn just the way to tease her skin.
I adjust my body so that I'm settled comfortably between her legs. She opens her legs wider to accommodate my body and I continue to tease her breasts, switching from one to the other. She puts her hands on my shoulders and encourages my downward path with gentle pushes.
My movements down her body are slow as my lips trail small kisses across her stomach. When I feel the first brush of her red curls against my chin, her hands are immediately wrapped in my hair and she pushes my head with more force than I expected. The scent of her desire reaches me and I can no longer hold back. I look up across her torso and see her upper body arched in anticipation and her eyes squeezed shut.
She probably doesn't realize it but she has been repeating my name for minutes in a nearly silent plea for release from the overexcited state I have put her in. I move the final few inches down her body to get my first real taste of her. I am pleasantly surprised to realize that my tongue has come in contact with bare skin so slick with wetness that just the touch sets my own body on fire again.
This must be something she kept up from her dancing days. At some point I will have to remember to tell her just how arousing it is to be able to touch her like this. Even here I can't resist the urge to tease her just a little. I move to kiss the inside of her thigh and continue the light kisses and gentle licks until I reach her slick folds. I do the same up her other thigh.
If the tugs in my hair are any indication, she is getting impatient with me. I move my lips back to her center and with gentle pressure my tongue trails from the bottom of her opening up to the hardened bundle of nerves at the apex of her heat. I press my tongue against her hardness here and am rewarded with a sound similar to a growl as she pushes her hips into my mouth. My tongue slides down just enough to allow me to put my lips around her clit and suck gently.
"God Sara. Yes." Her encouragement only delays her own satisfaction as I realize just what it means to me to hear her say my name like that. It is intensely arousing and I will do whatever is necessary to keep hearing it. Even if it means keeping her on edge longer.
Catherine keeps moaning my name even as I press my tongue into her opening and her hips jerk violently upward. I put my hands on her hips and press her into the mattress in an attempt to keep her where I have her. A few shallow thrusts with my tongue is all it takes to get her moaning to become incoherent. Again I lick up towards her clit. Moving one hand from her hips, and silently hoping she doesn't jerk upward too much, I suck gently on her clit again as I ease two fingers deep into her.
Immediately I feel the clenching of her muscles pulling my fingers further inside. Her hips move erratically as her orgasm rages through her body. I don't stop my movements until she has come down from her orgasm and tugs at my scalp to get me to move.
I slide up her body and lay my head on her chest, feeling the rise and fall as she attempts to control her own breathing. I curl the rest of my body along her side, possessively tossing a leg over hers. I think I wore her out. Soon the rise and fall of her chest settles into the steady rhythm of one who is asleep. Happy and content, I pull a light blanket over us and settle into sleep myself.
I am still curled around a happily slumbering Catherine hours later when I am awakened by the faint sound of my cell phone ringing. I sneak out of bed, trying not to disturb her. On my way to find my phone, I slip quickly into the bathroom and put on my robe. I follow the sound of my phone to, oddly enough, my balcony. I don't remembering bringing my phone out here, much less leaving it here.
A quick check on the caller ID reveals, big surprise, Grissom. I'm tempted to not answer at all. I don't have to start shift for another three hours. On the other hand, I know he will be incredibly pissed if I don't answer and it's something important that requires my coming in to work.
"Yeah." There's no need to be polite. Most of the time I just answer the phone `Sidle', but then again I don't always check the ID either. I'm not entirely pleased to have been awakened from some rather nice dreams that involved the woman currently naked in my bed. Even in my dreams she's all I can think about.
"Sara?" Grissom questions. As if it were anyone else answering my phone.
"Yeah. Man, what is it with you people lately? Can no one remember who it is that they called?" Okay, I'm a little grumpy. Oh well.
"Sorry. You just didn't sound like yourself." Like anyone would after an afternoon of fabulous sex. Not to mention being awoken by their boss calling them. Grissom really needs to stop calling me.
"Is there a point to this?" Grissom usually calls to ask me to come to work early, or to cover for someone else on my days off. But it's too early for even him to be at work yet.
"Um. Yes. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come into work a little early tonight. I'd like to have a minute to talk with you." He sounds nervous about this. Which can only mean one of a few things. I'm about to be fired; which I don't see happening anytime soon. Or there's a bad case we're going to get involved in and it's going to take extra time in briefing on the details.
"No." Pretty simple answer. I have better things to do.
"Good then.wait. Did you just say no?" Grissom sounds surprised. It's not like I've never said no before. Okay, so it might have only been once or twice; but still, I've said no before.
"That's right. I said no. I've got some things to do and I there's no way I'm going to be able to make it in early. Sorry. Whatever it is it will have to wait. I don't have time today. Call Nick or Warrick." I'm hoping he doesn't try to call Catherine. I don't know if she'd go in early, but I'd hate to have just told him no only to have Catherine tell him yes.
"Uh, actually it's something I was hoping to talk to you about. I guess I'll find time sometime during shift, or maybe after." Hmm, that's interesting. He's either talking about something personal, or I really am about to get fired. If it were a case, he'd go ahead and call Nick or Warrick.
"Good then. We'll talk sometime later. Listen, I've got to go." I hear sounds inside the apartment that indicate Catherine is now awake.
"Um. Okay. Bye Sara." I hear dead air on the other end of the phone and so I close mine taking it, and my forgotten glass of juice, inside.
I put my cell phone on it's charger and dump the juice down the sink. I can hear Catherine in the bathroom and so I search around the kitchen for anything that might help get rid of my morning breath. I can't find anything but a breath mint.
From the sounds of things, Catherine is showering. I take a look in my cabinets and in my refrigerator for anything I can turn into a reasonable facsimile of a meal. No luck. I ate the last of my real food yesterday. I reach for my phone to order a pizza for our dinner before I realize that it is still broken and the new one I bought is sitting in my car at the lab. Lot of good it did me to buy a new one yesterday.
Fifteen minutes later, I'm relaxing on my couch aimlessly flipping through channels on TV. Now I remember why I don't watch TV. There's never anything on. The Discovery Channel has some show about Egyptian Pharaohs and it seems to be the most interesting thing on. I'm just getting into the description of the hieroglyphics when Catherine comes in the living room.
Sufficiently distracted from something that wasn't really all that interesting anyway, I turned to Catherine. She looks surprisingly shy. But maybe that's because the only thing she's wearing is a towel.
"Morning sexy," I greet her with a smile and hurry off the couch to give her a hug.
"Morning? Sara, its almost 8:30 in the evening." She laughs a little and returns my hug.
"Hey, now. I know that. But it's morning for me. That's what happens when you work third shift. Skews your sense of time. You know, I really like you dressed like this," I give her a quick kiss. "but, our `breakfast' will be here soon and you might want to put some clothes on."
I pull her towards the bedroom, with every intention of putting her in some clothes.
"And here I was thinking you'd like my new outfit," she teased, obviously talking about the towel she's wearing.
"Oh, I like it. But I think the pizza boy might like it too. And I don't want to share. I don't want anyone else to see you like this but me." I search around in my closet for something for her to wear. She's a little smaller than me, and I'm afraid most of my clothes will be too big for her.
"Pizza? That's your idea of breakfast?"
"Yeah well, unless you know a restaurant that delivers breakfast foods, it'll have to do." I toss her a pair of jeans and a top I think she'll look good in. "I'd make you something, but I seem to be fresh out of food. I watch as she slips into the clothes I've given her. She's right, of course. She looked much better in just the towel. But I do get a strange sort of satisfaction seeing her in my clothes.
"I'm going to take a quick shower. If the pizza guy comes, the money is by the door." As I move past her toward the bathroom, she reaches out and pulls me in for a hug. Her hands slip inside the robe I'm wearing and move lightly up my back.
"You know, you could have joined me in my shower. Could have saved water or something," she whispers seductively in my ear. In seconds I am hers. The visual image she provided me is stunning and I seriously consider removing her clothes and taking her in the bathroom with me. Before I can actually make that move, she pulls her arms out of my robe and pushes toward the bathroom with a knowing smile.
Part 15
I hurry though my shower and just as quickly pull on some clothes. Dressed and ready to face the day I find Catherine munching on the food I ordered. I grab a glass of water and join her.
"Hey, you never told me how you managed to get Warrick to watch Lindsey for a whole day. Grab a slice and spill." Catherine motions to the food in front of her.
"Oh yeah. I guess I did promise to tell you didn't I?" Catherine just nods her head as she grabs a second slice of the veggie pizza I ordered. "Actually, he volunteered. Did he tell you we went out after work yesterday?" Catherine shakes her head no.
"Yeah. Rayn stopped by the lab during shift and when I came back from a scene she and Warrick were sharing embarrassing stories about me. I still had a second scene to get to, and I unfortunately left them together. One of them got the bright idea that I should talk to Warrick and next thing I know I'm slamming back Jack Daniels while Warrick tells me that I should talk to you."
We eat in silence for a few minutes before Catherine asks, "Exactly what did he say we should talk about?"
"Oh, a lot of things. He suggested that we sit down and figure out why you haven't been talking to me. He also suggested that we talk about Eddie's case and my relationship with Rayn. He also told me you liked me. And in the more than friends way."
Catherine had been nodding in agreement as I talked. When I got to that last part though, her eyes widened in shock and I could tell from the look on her face that she was less than happy to hear that Warrick had shared this piece of information with me.
"Cat," I reach out and grab her hand. "Don't be mad at him; at least not until you hear why he told me. He said that you saw something in me that the rest of them don't. That maybe I could make you happy. Well, what he said was 'Not the kind of happy she is as we see her, but the kind of happy she wants to be.' And I want to try.
"What he said gave me the courage to do what I had wanted to for so long. At the scene on Freemont, when I wouldn't let you walk away, it was because of him. He told me you might interested and I have wanted you for so long, and well, I just thought it was worth it. To see if maybe he was right and that I might have a chance."
We gave up eating minutes before and Catherine simply watched me as I stumbled through my explanation and when I finished she leaned across the table and pressed a soft kiss on my lips. All too soon she was seated across from me again. I like how she does these small things to reassure me when I begin to feel nervous or awkward; the small hugs, the fleeting kisses, each touch always makes me feel better.
I blush a little before getting back to my explanation, "That was him on the phone at Freemont Street. He wanted to know if we had had a chance to talk yet. I didn't really know what to say, because we hadn't really talked; but at the time I thought things were going pretty good. Then we get back to the lab and have to go our separate ways. I went to get harassed by Greg about my choice of clothes and you went to talk with Warrick."
"Well, you know Greg was right. What did he say again? Something about 'seriously hot' and 'smokin' right? He might not have that much tact, but he was right. You looked good. I noticed when you came in the break room for assignments. I thought it was for her." There's a bit of jealousy in her voice.
In an odd way, I like that she's jealous. Her jealousy isn't the overbearing scary kind, but rather the subdued kind that shows she really does care. It makes me smile.
"You know better now right? That it was for you. That whatever is between Rayn and I, it has nothing to do with us. That Rayn and I have a past and not a future. Not a romantic future. You know all that right?" I'm basically pleading with her to believe me. I'm not sure how to show her everything she means to me and even if I did, it would take more time and planning than I have time for right now. I need her to believe me.
"Yeah. I know now. I think maybe you might have shown me. But maybe sometime, I'll need a reminder." Her voice is honest and sincere, but the looks she gives me shows that she wouldn't mind if that sometime were now. I feel my body respond to that look. Unfortunately we don't have the time necessary for a repeat performance.
In an attempt to cool down, I turn the conversation back to our original topic. "So, anyway. Back to Warrick."
Across the table, Catherine sticks out her lower lip in a pout. Hard as it is, I steel myself not to respond to her. I keep repeating to myself that there's not enough time.
"Remember when I came into the lab to let you know I was headed out to follow up on another case?" She simply nods her head. "You looked so cute right then. I know that you and Warrick were talking about me. Even if he hadn't told me later, the look on your face right then gave it all away.
"Apparently you didn't tell Warrick enough. When he asked me for my opinion on something, he was trying to get information about how our talk went. You had said something to him about not being the kind of girl who kisses and tells. He tried to get me tell him, but I didn't really need to because as soon as he mentioned it, I blushed beet red. He was so happy for us that he took it upon himself to volunteer to look after Lindsey so that we could spend some time together after shift. I really thought he would tell you."
I start cleaning up from our breakfast, realizing that soon we will have to get to work. Catherine is quiet as she watches me move about the kitchen. A question suddenly occurs to me. "How did Warrick know where Lindsey was this morning? I assume since you were going to drop her off at your sister's that she wasn't there. But she had to have spent Friday night somewhere."
"Yeah, she was at a birthday party for a girl in her class. Warrick knew where Lindsey was because I have to have someone besides just me and my sister know where she is. After Eddie's death Warrick and I talked a lot and he agreed to be my backup in case I was stuck working overtime and couldn't pick up Lindsey from school or my sister's house."
"Ah. I just assumed he would talk to you about taking care of her, but then in your car you seemed so surprised that he was going to spend the day with her." It's good to know that Catherine has someone she trusts like that. Especially a coworker who can understand just how difficult it is to get away from the job sometimes.
A quick check of the time reveals that it is time to get back to work. It's been so great having her here this whole day. I think we may have worked out a lot of things that could have come between us later. Catherine notices the time too and she gets up to gather her things before we head out. I can't believe she didn't want to leave sooner and at least get home to change clothes. But I still like seeing her in my clothes and now I'll get to see her in them all night. It's going to be a good night.
Knowing that once we are at work, I won't be able to hold her hand or kiss her again, I pull her into my arms before we leave the apartment. I love the way she feels in my arms; so much that I don't think I'll be able to let go. She presses her body into mine and looks at me expectantly. I lean down to kiss her and she immediately parts her lips to me.
I thought I was getting better at controlling myself when she kisses me, but apparently not. The way she kisses and uses her hands and body to turn into something more just makes it nearly impossible for me do anything. I might try to control the kiss but I only react to her. And she knows it. She knows just how weak she can make me.
We might have to go to work, but as far as I'm concerned the kiss is ended all too soon. She pulls away and that heated look is back in her eyes. I love that I can do that to her.
"We, uh, should go. Yeah." She's right and I know it. Neither of us makes a move toward the door. She curls into me, laying her head on my shoulder. I give her a peck on her forehead and push her away a small bit.
"Time to go. Grissom won't be happy if we're late. Not to mention I don't feel like explaining to him why the both of us are late." At least that gets a small smile out of her.
The drive to work is quiet and I hold her hand the entire time, knowing that at work I won't be able to. Once at the lab I let go of her hand, wishing I didn't have to. But I don't know if she's ready to have this part of her personal life exposed to our coworkers. I'm sure they'll find out someday whether we decide to tell them or not.
At work I'm surprised to see Rayn again waiting for me at the front desk. Catherine sees her standing there shortly after I do and after a quick glance in my direction, she walks off into the building.
"Rayn, what are you doing here?" I didn't expect to see her here. Not that I ever did. But I figured I'd see her again once I got a chance to call her and talk. And I haven't had a chance to do that yet. If I would have remembered to take that phone home this morning I may have called her. Maybe. But I was pretty occupied today, so maybe not.
"Looking for you, of course. Can you think of another reason I would be here?"
"Well, I don't know. Maybe you wanted to tell Warrick more embarrassing stories about me. How should I know?" I can't even keep a straight face. Warrick now knows more about me than anyone else in this building. And since we're starting on this friendship thing, I guess it would only be matter of time before he started to learn embarrassing things about me. "So, you were looking for me. Any particular reason?"
"Well I was going to try to find out how things were going between you and Catherine, but I think I might have my answer." Even though her voice expresses happiness, I can tell when I look into her eyes that she is sad.
"It's a beginning. I think that we'll probably still have a lot to talk about, and things might be rough at first. But it's a beginning and that's more than I ever thought possible." There's no way to hide the excitement I feel, but I try anyway. I still don't know why Rayn originally decided to come to Vegas and find me, but the sadness in her eyes gives me a little clue. It seems we still have a lot to talk about as well. But not here, and not today.
"So why didn't you call? I've been waiting for like two days to see if you going to even make your move. Though it's obvious you did." And there's the Rayn I remember. She's a lot like me; hiding her emotions behind her eyes, trying never to let anyone know what she's really feeling. Back in high school, I was the only one who could see through her. I still can.
"Well, I kind of broke my phone. And I haven't got the new one inside the apartment yet. It's sitting in my car outside waiting for me to take it home." I see Grissom headed my way from down the hall. "Looks like the boss man is coming to get me. Tell you what, why don't we grab some drinks or something after work? Meet me here again, 7:30?"
"Drinks? At 7:30. In the a.m. Are you nuts?" Well, she wasn't complaining when we were at my place downing glasses of rum.
"No, I'm not nuts. This is Vegas. The bars are open virtually all day. C'mon. Just meet me back here at about 7:30. I've got to go." Grissom stopped walking toward us, but I can tell he's waiting on me. I give Rayn a quick hug goodbye and turn toward Grissom.
"Hey Grissom. Assignments?" I ask hoping that we can delay whatever conversation it was that he wanted to have. He has that look on his face. The one where he's taking in all the evidence in front of him and finally figuring out where all the pieces fit. Uh oh. That can't be good.
"Yeah, take Nick with you," Grissom hands me the piece of paper with the scene information on it and walks away. I stare after him, dumbfounded and confused. I'm still standing in the hallway staring at the assignment slip when Catherine, Warrick and Nick suddenly appear at my side.
"Hey, what's with Grissom?" Nick asks me. I'm sure if he were paying attention he would have noticed that something just happened between Grissom and I. I'm not sure what happened, but something did.
"I don't know Nick. I don't know. You're with me," I say as I hand him the assignment and head outside.
The End
Continued in Premature Breakdown