DISCLAIMER: CSI is the property of CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer. The Title
'Wishing and Hoping' is from a song by Dusty Springfield, also not mine.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for taking time to read my story! I'd love to
receive some feedback:)
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Wishing and Hoping
By MBInc
PART 1
As Sara was waiting for the coffee maker to stop percolating she peacefully looked at her colleagues who were all enjoying some downtime. Warrick and Nick were playing a football game on the X-box on one side of the room. Hearing Nick mutter under his breath she knew Warrick was about to win the game.
"Ah man" Nick whined as he threw the console next to him on the couch.
"Like you had a chance" Warrick said "Isn't this, like, the hundredth time I beat you?"
"More like third" Nick replied as he placed a playful slap on Warrick's shoulder.
Seeing the friendly banter between the two of them made Sara smile. Then she looked over at the table in the middle of the room. There sat the person that has been on her mind for quite some time now.
Her colleague was completely involved in reading an article in a forensics magazine so Sara's staring went unnoticed. 'Never gonna happen' she thought as she shook her head and tried to fade out a rather vivid picture that had formed in her mind. She turned back to the counter again as she heard the coffee maker was done.
Grabbing the two mugs she had just filled with coffee she turned round and walked over to the table. Hesitating where to sit she decided to go for the chair opposite the object of her affection. "Here. Black and a bit of sugar just the way you like it."
"Thanks" was the only reply she got.
Looking at the figure sitting opposite her she decided to try and keep the conversation going.
"So, interesting article?"
"Uhuh"
Frustrated by the lack of conversation Sara took a sip of her coffee. 'OK I'll try once more' she thought. "What's it about?"
"A new entomology study" was again a short answer. A sarcastic grin appeared on Sara's face 'And here I thought I was the one lacking verbal skills' was the thought that filled her mind. But before she could make one last effort the door of the break room opened.
All heads turned and their attention was now on their boss. Grissom motioned for Nick and Warrick to also take a seat at the table.
"There are 2 cases. Warrick, you've got a DB at the Tangiers. O'Riley's waiting there already."
"OK, I'm on my way" Warrick said as he waved his co-worker goodbye, stood up and walked out of the break room.
"Catherine, Nick, you two head out to the desert. A helicopter spotted a burnt out car. The pilot called the police, and a patrol car checked it out." He handed Nick a file.
"Did they find a body?" Catherine asked as she placed the forensics magazine on the table.
"They couldn't tell. The car was completely destroyed. That's why I'm sending you out there." Grissom stood up and walked away. Before he reached the door Sara called him.
"What about me?"
"Your desk is filled with paperwork you've still got to do." Grissom threw over his shoulder as he proceeded to exit the break room.
Sara sighed. She so didn't want to spend her whole shift in the lab. Frustration built up inside the brunette as she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder that gave her a little squeeze. Her head shot up and her eyes locked with the person that the hand belonged to. Totally mesmerized by the face in front of her, she almost missed the words directed at her. 'Those two beautiful pools of blue, those delicate lips, those curly strawberry-blonde locks.' Sara could feel the heat rising in her whole body. 'Focus Sara, think of something else'
"…won't be that bad, right?" The older woman looked questioningly at her. 'Guess she's waiting for an answer.' Not wanting to make a complete fool out of herself she quickly nodded.
"Good" Catherine added as she turned to walk away.
Sara had now placed her head on top of her folded arms as she tried to overcome her embarrassed state. 'Hopefully she didn't notice my momentary blackout' Sara thought.
"Mpfff, What her hand on my shoulder can do with me. Hmmm, makes a girl wonder what they could do when applied elsewhere." She said aloud while a smirk formed on her face as she thought of the possibilities.
"Apply what?" Catherine asked.
The voice from behind startled Sara so much that she knocked her mug over. The coffee that had been left was now spread out over the entire table.
"Shit!" Sara muttered as she saw some of the coffee had splashed onto her new white shirt.
"Great. I never should have bought it in white. Well, guess I learned my lesson." She stated as she walked over to the sink and tried to get the coffee stains out. Catherine quickly walked over to Sara.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I'll pay for the dry cleaner's" She said.
"Don't rub. You'll make it worse." She reached for Sara's hands that were holding a towel.
She grabbed the towel and pushed the brunette's hands away.
"I'll do it" She unconsciously pushed Sara against the sink and started dabbing at the stain.
Being so close to Sara she could hear the brunette's labored breath. "Are you alright?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah… that's pretty hot." Heat flushed over her face as she realized what she had just said.
"Excuse me?" Catherine shot back.
"I mean… the coffee…it stings" Sara quickly answered.
"Oh…Well I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that" Catherine said, her sincerity clearly noticeable in her voice.
'Oempff, nice save' the younger woman thought. "I'll survive"
Having done the best she could to remove the stain Catherine handed the towel back to Sara, and headed towards the hallway where Nick had just emerged.
The strawberry-blonde turned around once more. "What I wanted to ask you was if you would like to join me for breakfast after shift?"
"Sure" Sara said a smile creeping on her face.
"Then it's a date…DEAL!! It's a deal" Catherine quickly walked out of the break room hoping Sara hadn't caught her slip.
Sara's raised her eyebrows as she heard Catherine's comment. 'Did she make a slip? I hope she meant about it being a date'
Sighing she filled her mug with fresh coffee and headed off to start on the paperwork.
PART 2
Sara was about two-third through her paperwork when she decided she had done enough of that and went looking for something else to do. A stop at Grissom's office had taught her that there weren't any new cases.
So she went to look for Warrick. The girl at the front desk had told her he already returned from the Tangiers. After scanning some of the labs she finally found him with O'Riley in one of the interrogation rooms.
"Great, no need to help him either." She sighed. She decided to get herself a well-deserved cup of coffee.
With her mug filled with freshly made coffee in her hand she passed Grissom's office again. The door was open so she caught part of a conversation he had with someone on the phone.
"…not back yet. Well it's a big crime scene." He had to be talking about the case Nick and Catherine were working on, since she already knew Warrick had returned. She hesitated for a moment, but then turned back to Grissom's office and knocked on the already opened door.
"Yes Sara?" Grissom said, not even looking up from a file he was reading.
"I was wondering. I've done all my paperwork, and …. I thought I could help out Nick and Catherine. I heard they were still out in the field."
Finally looking up at Sara he asked her "All of your paperwork?"
"Well," Sara stated looking sheepishly down at her feet. "Most of it"
As she looked up at Grissom again she saw a smug smile on his face.
"Gris, please. I'm fed up with being stuck here in the lab. I feel so useless."
Before Sara got an answer from Grissom they were interrupted by Grissom's cell phone.
Holding up his hand Grissom signaled Sara he wasn't finished talking to her.
"Yes?" He answered his cell.
"Grissom, it's Catherine. We've found a DB, but not in the car. We don't know yet if it's linked with the first scene. We're totally swamped here. We need an extra pair of hands."
"A second scene?" He asked.
"Yeah, that's why I called. Nick found a DB about 20 feet beyond the burnt out sedan. Next to the body he found a jerrycan, so the scenes are probably related. I started on the inside of the car, but I still need someone to walk the perimeter."
"Don't assume that they're related. Let the evidence tell you whether they're connected."
"Well, unless you send me another pair of hands, finding that evidence might take me a while" Catherine sighed.
"Ok, I'll see what I can do." And with that said he closed his cell and looked over at Sara who looked like a puppy being offered a bone.
He only had to nod his head and Sara was already heading out.
"Make sure you've done all your paperwork at the end of next shift" he called out at the retreating form of the brunette.
A quickly muttered "Yeah, yeah" was the answer he got and with a smirk on his face he focused on the file in front of him again.
Grabbing all the equipment she needed Sara headed out into the parking lot and placed it all inside a Tahoe. Finally being allowed to do some fieldwork definitely improved her humor. Humming along with a song on the radio she sped off towards her destination.
As she was driving she got more and more nervous thinking back at the strange moment that had passed between her and Catherine in the break room. Catherine being so close to her… touching her even. And then, of course, there was the slip the strawberry blonde had made.
Date. She had clearly heard it. "God, I wish it would be a date" she sighed as she had to stop at a traffic light.
Fifteen minutes later Sara was almost at her destiny. She already saw the black Tahoe that Nick and Catherine had driven out to the scene along with a patrol car. Knowing she had to face them within minutes she tried to calm her nerves, and focused on the job at hand.
She saw Catherine headed towards her, and she let out a big sigh. "OK Sidle, focus" She said to herself as she climbed out of the car.
"Sara, I'm so glad you're here!" Catherine said as she walked over to the brunette who was just grabbing her kit out of the back of the car.
"There's a lot of work to do. Nick is working a second scene and I started on the inside of the sedan, if you would start on the perimeter we could probably be finished before the end of shift and have our breakfast."
"Sure" Sara said as she put her kit on the ground and pulled out some gloves and snapped them on.
Picking up her camera she started walking around the burnt out car and found some footprints. After carefully placing a marker next to it she took a few pictures, and then made a cast of it.
PART 3
An hour later Catherine and Sara had finished processing the scene. They both collected a lot of evidence –ranging from fingerprints to fibers– and decided it was time for some refreshing. Sara walked to the back of the Tahoe she had driven to the scene and reached for two bottles of water.
"Here" She handed one of the bottles over to the strawberry blonde in front of her.
"Thanks" Catherine opened the bottle and placed it to her lips welcoming the water into her mouth.
Sara intently watched how the bottle touched Catherine's lips. Completely mesmerized by the sight in front of her she didn't notice Nick walking up behind them. As she took a sip of her own water she felt a hand on her shoulder which made her jump and spill water all over her.
"Jeez, Nick, don't do that again!"
"Sorry. Didn't mean to. Listen guys," He started "I'm done with the second scene, and" now he turned to Catherine "I'm taking one of the Tahoe's back to the lab."
"Fine by me" Catherine answered "We're also done. Just have to wait for the tow truck. Sara already called for one." She took another sip of water, and then offered the bottle to Nick.
The three of them looked at the sky. Still pitch black. Here, out in the desert, there were no neon lights that blocked out their view of the bright stars scattered across the sky. Suddenly two shooting stars crossed over their heads.
"Look guys" Nick pointed into the air "Did you see that?"
"So beautiful" Sara answered looking over at Catherine, seeing a smile on her face. OK, the shooting stars weren't what she was thinking of when she said that.
"You know, you should make a wish." Nick said seriously.
"How scientific of you Nick. Better not let Grissom hear you saying that" Sara smirked.
"Haha, funny Sidle. Just give it a try… you never know what might happen."
"Come on Sara, I already made my wish…now it's your turn" Catherine, still smiling brightly, turned to look her straight in the eyes. This made Sara melt from the inside 'God, what that woman can do to me only by looking at me' she thought.
"Alright," The brunette sighed "Let me see, what could I possibly wish for?"
"Just don't say it out loud, or you'll jinx it." Nick quickly answered.
"Aren't you a little too old to believe in this?" she shot back at him.
"Don't forget to thank me if your wish does come true" he said as he started walking towards the other Tahoe. He loaded his kit and the evidence he had found in the car, and drove off leaving the two women still watching the sky.
"Yeah right, like it will ever become reality" Sara muttered knowing that her wish –of course involving a certain strawberry blonde CSI– would never happen.
Looking at her watch she noticed it had already been half an hour ago she had called for the tow truck. "Man, how much longer do we have to wait here?" she sighed as she walked over to the front of the car.
Catherine had propped herself up on top of the hood getting a bit more comfortable as she was still stargazing. "Come on Sara," she said as she patted on a spot next to her. "Just enjoy the stars for a few minutes. The tow truck will be here soon, which means we'll have to get back to work then."
Willingly Sara took place next to the object of her affection. Looking over at Catherine she decided to help her wish come true. At breakfast –date or no date– she would ask Catherine out on a real one. A date, that is.
A shivering Catherine brought her back out of her reverie. Sara started climbing of the hood, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. "Where are you going?" The touch caused Sara's body to burn up from the inside. "I…ehum," she stuttered "I'll be right back." She jumped to the ground and walked to the back of the Tahoe. Within seconds she had returned on top of the hood.
"Here you go." She unfolded a large plaid blanket and covered both of them with it. "Thanks" Catherine said as she snuggled closer to Sara. Both women marveled at the feeling of comfort they shared together.
After a moment of silence Catherine spoke up "You know, about those wishes?" She turned so she was facing Sara.
"Hmm?" Sara locked her eyes with the older woman.
Tension filled the night and both women noticed it. Sara saw Catherine's face inching closer to hers, and she noticed how labored her breath was.
Unconsciously Catherine licked her own lips which caused a shiver down Sara's spine. After a few seconds –which to Sara looked more like hours– she felt soft lips carefully touching hers.
She reached up and placed her hand at the back of the strawberry blonde's neck, and pulled her in even closer which elicited a moan from Catherine. The kiss was soft and firm at the same time and made both women feel all tingly inside.
As it ended, both women looked happy and satisfied at each other. They snuggled closer together in each other's arms and both watched the stars again.
"Wow," Sara sighed, as she was stroking Catherine's hair "Nick was right."
"About what?" Catherine smirked as she looked up into Sara's eyes –already knowing to what Sara was referring.
"My wish did come true." Sara blushed.
"Well, then you know what you've got to do." Catherine said as she sat up right, took her cell phone and handed it to Sara.
Sighing she took the phone and dialed Nick's number.
"Nick?"
"Yeah Sara?"
"Thanks."
A few seconds of silence passed, but then the only response she heard was laughing. Sighing her defeat she hung up.
As she looked back at Catherine she was greeted by a beautiful smile on the other woman's face. She crawled back into Catherine's arms and this time it was Sara who initiated a kiss.
"What about your wish?" Sara asked after a while. "Did it come true?"
"Well, not quite yet. It depends…" Catherine started as she nuzzled onto Sara's neck.
"Oh, on what?"
"Where you're taking me for breakfast." She said as she placed a light kiss behind Sara's ear.
"How 'bout my place?" Sara asked hoping she wasn't being too forward.
"Quick," she sat up "give me my cell. I need to call Nick."
This made Sara laugh. Catherine tried to be serious, but soon her laughter joined Sara's.
Five minutes later the tow truck finally arrived. Catherine was a bit reluctant to go, but when Sara remembered her on the end of shift, on their so-called date, she was the first inside the Tahoe.
Driving back to the lab was silent, but a comfortable silence it was. Sara behind the wheel, Catherine next to her who had placed her hand on the brunette's thigh. Both deep in thought and looking forward to the end of shift, to their so-called date.
This was going to be the beginning of something beautiful, both of them felt it.
And it had all started with a wish…
The End