DISCLAIMER: CSI and the characters within belong to CBS and Bruckheimer, no profit is being made from this.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SPOILERS: Season 4 especially bloodlines.
Going Down
By Nemesis
Part 7
The next morning I woke up just after sunrise. Light is pouring into the bedroom and I try to hide my head in the pillow. So with the light problem fixed for now I am aware of Catherine's position which is practically on top of me. Her arm is still resting on to my belly holding me tightly. As an investigator one would expect to be more aware of your surroundings and be able to process a lot of information at the same time and I can do that while on the job. Waking up is the exception of the rule. The next thing I'm aware of is a warm heated feeling between my legs. Why am I not surprised that it is Catherine's leg. I must be in hell, that I'm sure of. I need to get out of here, but there is no way I can escape Catherine's grip. Best thing I can do now is go back to sleep, because I'm still tired.
My ear is itching. "Sara? Sara…wake up babe." Catherine whispers in my ear. "Don't want to" I mumble sleepily back. I'm very, very comfortable lying in Catherine's arms so lets just pretend I'm sleeping again and her whispering voice is so sexy and husky. "Come on babe, we need to get some work done." Catherine says. No more sleeping for me I'm fully awake the moment she starts to rub the bare skin of my belly. I can't tell what's worse the burning of her hand or the cramping, almost sickly feeling I have in the pit of my stomach. The feeling is nearly unbearable but I love it none the less. "I could get used to waking up like this." I mumble. I didn't realize I said that out loud, but it felt good. "Us snuggled up together?" Catherine states, her voice hitching and full of hope. The rubbing momentarily stops but continues when I start talking again. "It's been so long since I had someone to wake up next to. Knowing your safe while lying in someone's embrace. It's comforting to have somebody, but it's also one of the most hardest thing for me to do." I state. I've never been one for contemplating or analysing my actions and emotions. Thinking about stuff makes it real. So I don't, hoping it will go away and eventually believing it hadn't happened in the first place. Denial is a wonderful thing. Feeling detached from the rest of the world is not as bad as it may sound, because I can always hide inside the cocoon that is my very own life. I want to crawl out of my hiding place, but it is so difficult. Poor attempts at best, but then again I never had a good reason to make it work either. Sometimes I wonder if I ever will break free from hiding place.
"Why scared?" Catherine asks. After long moments of silence the question is still hanging around. "I'm afraid to open myself up, because I don't trust people enough to open up and let someone protect me. When you're vulnerable people can hurt you. Have hurt me. Being hurt is what scares me." I state and I can feel her arm tighten around me. An act to comfort me. "Are you scared now?" Catherine asks and I can't help but snort in return. "Always." I state and the next thing I know I'm waking up without Catherine's embrace. Hearing water running I figure she must be showering and getting ready to go and have a little chat with miss Walker. After Catherine finished in the shower it was my turn. You could cut the tension in the air with an knife. My little revelation a few moments before obviously made both of us jumpy and uncomfortable. Not to mention our sleeping arrangement.
Half an hour later we are on our way to the town. We still need to have breakfast and shop for some supplies at the cabin. "This looks like a nice place to eat." Catherine says trying to break to uncomfortable silence. "I think it's the only place to eat here." I state and this comment makes her smile, giving us chance to have a normal conversation again. "We really are in the middle of nowhere, aren't we?" Catherine asks to herself more than me. About half an our later we finished our meal "I can't believe you ate al that." Catherine states while looking at me in disbelief. "What? I was hungry. Let's just pay and get out of here shall we?" I state. I can totally get lost in her eyes. Not realizing I'm staring at her but she does. When she notices her cheeks are turning into a nice crimson colour she breaks the eye contact.
Part 8
"Great an old ladies' house. You know which room she's in?" Cathernie muttered. There's something about Catherine's voice when she gets into professional mode. It sounds so commanding and authoritative. Most of the time the suspects she's interrogating are intimidated with her voice. It makes them flinch. I know I did when I was at the receiving end of her not so friendly voice. "I don't know which room she's in. I'll go ask the receptionist while you park the car, ok?" I say while already getting out of the car not waiting for her to reply, knowing she'll agree. We've had our fair share of arguments in the past, probably will still have them, but when we are on the job together we really think as if we are one individual.
Working the nightshift kind off turned me into a nocturnal creature that is not used to daylight. So I always have a pair of dark sunglasses, which also hide my eyes. The eyes can tell a lot about a person. They are the windows to the soul or something like that. Just like the corners of the mouth. They'll betray you. No matter how much you laugh and smile, if you carry a lot of burden the corners are down. I know this is true, because I see them every time I look at my reflection in the mirror. It also gives you a somewhat mysterious enigmatic appearance. Some say that's attractive others say it's sad.
The receptionist is too busy on the phone that's she doesn't notice me. I usually have the decency to wait until the call is wrapped up. I hate it when people are interrupting me when I'm handling something important. This call obviously isn't work related so I decide to be rude to get her attention. "Hi, I'm Sara Sidle, Las Vegas crime lab. Do you know where I can find Miss Sheer?" I ask and she looks a little stunned and quickly brushes off the person on the other end of the line. "Las Vegas Crime Lab? Are you lost or something?" She asks and my hands are itching to pull her across the desk. "You think that's funny?" I state, venom lacing my voice. Her smile is falling and I know I scared her with the tone of my voice and the straight face. "Well she's in the garden with the other residents," She states, that's a smart girl. The sooner you give me the information the sooner I'll be out of your hair. She must have had similar conversations like this. "She's wearing a blue skirt and a white blouse" She finishes and my façade falls apart when I yelp as Catherine puts her hand on my hip. "You know where we can find her?" Catherine asks and the receptionist has that shit eating grin on her face. She's enjoying this way too much. "She's in the garden" She states and I try to save my sorry ass of a façade and glare at the plastic bimbo, but Catherine's hand on my hip is forcing me towards the garden. "Did you really have to make fun of me in front of her?" I ask and instantly her hand is reinforcing the grip on me and pulls me into her body. "Relax babe, you almost bit her head off. I didn't know you could be this mean." She states. I need to get back at her. "Well, I guess I learned from the best, right Cath?" I ask and suddenly she slaps my ass. Holy fuck. "Be careful, you don't want to make me mad." She states and I love her devious smile. Probably the same smile that was on her face when she was shaking her boobs back in her early days. I would have loved to see her dance wearing nothing but skin. "Or what? Your going to spank me again?" I ask. You are to easy Catherine Willows, to easy to get under your skin. "Oh, I wouldn't dare. You might like it to much!" She says with a mischievous grin. "Let's just focus on the case and save the vulgar language for later." I state. Probably a good thing we stop right now before this friendly chatter escalates into a mud fight in front of all these people. "There she is"
Catherine takes of her sunglasses and approaches Miss Sheer. "Miss Sheer?" Catherine asks and the old lady looks up hoping what all the old folks out here do. Waiting for the next visitor and hoping the last visit wasn't the last one. It really is sad to live the rest of your days like this. Waiting for when the inevitable eventually claims you and offers some peace and salvation. I don't want to be like that. Maybe that's not entirely true, because I'm already alone. The difference between me and Miss Sheer is that is can still change the lonely situation we are in. Funny thing faith, I'm alone and while able, have no desire to change the way I live my solitary life. I bet most people would want to yell at me for not taking and living life to the fullest. "Yes dear?" Miss Sheer asks Catherine. She is so good with people she sits down knowing we would look so overwhelming from her point of view on the rocking chair. I on the other hand remain standing. "I'm Catherine Willows, Las Vegas Crime Lab," Catherine states and she doesn't even bother introducing me, which is fine by me. Don't feel like talking anyways unless absolutely necessary. "We'd like to ask you some questions about your late husband's floatplane." Catherine states. Now call me crazy, but she doesn't look like she is very coherent and aware of her surroundings. Must be her old age that has started deteriorating her brains a long time ago. "Why would you want to do that dear? He sold that plane 5 years ago after his retirement just lake the cabin at the lake." Miss Sheer states and Catherine and I exchange a frowning look. "Could you tell me where that cabin is, Miss Sheer?" I ask. Why is she looking like that? " I told you already dear, it's at the lake." Miss Sheer states. Old people are just like big children and we all know how I'm with kids. They annoy me. Once again Catherine saves the day. "Thank you for your time Miss Sheer, but we need to go so take care." Catherien states and I give a slight nod with my head to acknowledge we are leaving.
"Well that was enlightening. Why would her husband make her want to believe he sold the plane?" I ask and Catherine shrugs. "Maybe just to make sure that she is isn't worried when he goes out flying." Catherine states and I can see she doesn't believe her own statement "How about the cabin then? Nothing special about a cabin to get worried. Let's meet up with officer O'Connor at the local PD and see what we can find out about that cabin." I ask. "My idea exactly, I'll run the prints we found on the plane trough AFIS." Catherine states. There's something funny about this case and we both can tell by that gut feeling we have. "I'll go and see what I can find out about that cabin and the plane's certificates." I say and we both head to our SUV to head to our desitantion.
Part 9
Fifteen minutes later we entered the police station. Officer O'Connor gave us a quick tour and then we both settled in a small office. Catherine started analysing the prints and marking the characteristic points used for identification, while I went over the logs again. "The logs say that two months prior to Howard's death, the plane was brought in for a major overhaul. The signature on the contract is his, which had a copy of his flying licence, indicating it was still valid. In fact it is still valid. I'll contact the company that did the maintenance on the plane see what we can find." I state.
"God this is so frustrating!" Catherine exclaims in frustration when I returned to the office after I had contacted the maintenance company. "Come on Catherine. At least you don't have to manually search for the prints, just inputting the markers and run it through AFIS. Just like how they did it back in the old days, but I'm sure you can still remember that." I state and I can clearly hear her taking a deep breath. "Shut up Sidle!" Catherine screams. She was about ready to start throwing objects at me when she spots the two steaming mugs of coffee I'm holding. "You're a lifesaver." Catherine states and I am shocked. This must be a new record for us: from being angry to friendly in less then a second. "Tell me you got something useful from that company." Catherine states. I totally get excited when I've discovered something that was overlooked by everyone. "I did." I say, but before I explain I take a few sips of the coffee. "Well as it turns out Howard forgot to mention the plain had to be repaired after it sustained some damage to the fuselage. And this is where it gets interesting. The damage looked like a bullet hole." I explain. "And the mechanic didn't report this because?" Catherine asks and she has that incredulous look on her beautiful face. Ok, when did that happen? Yes, she's hot and sexy and I'm totally lusting after her, but beautiful. That's not a word you use to describe someone you're lusting after. So what the hell is wrong with me? Right, I'm desperate, how could I forget.
"It's amazing what people do or rather don't do when you slip them some money. How's your job coming around?" I ask and I should know better then asking her that question. Frustration is still written all over her face; unfortunately that's not the same kind as sexual frustration. I know what I'll be doing tonight when I'm alone and naked in the shower. "This is the last set of prints that I'm marking and then we can run them through AFIS." Catherine says and for some reason I find myself drawing near her, interested to see how she's marking the prints and look where I'm standing right now. Hovering over her shoulder. There's that scent again. I notice she had bent her head towards me. Just a little bit, but enough to make sure our breathing air mingles, making it hard for me to keep breathing at a normal pace. I think she's also feeling it, because I can hear her breathe relatively hard.
"I'm almost done, so why don't you start up the AFIS system on the other computer and scan these prints." Catherine states, thus effectively killing my little lusting moment. I feel as if I'm shot down and make a silent withdraw just like a dog with his tail between his legs. Being too absorbed in my defeat I didn't notice standing right behind me with her hands on my shoulders. "You ready?" I ask and I swear to God this woman is going to kill me if she doesn't stop massaging my neck. It would be a nice way to die however. "Yeah they've been uploaded. All we can do now is wait and hope we have a hit. "So tell me Sara, what's it like having sex in an airplane?" Catherine asks and I think I feel my jaw hit the floor. Holy shit… you damn fucking bugboy. I knew you couldn't keep that mouth shut. "How the fuck do you know that Catherine? Is there some kind of game going round in the break room to gossip about my private life and me? To make fun of me while I'm not there? I know it was dumb to get into my car when I had been drinking!" I yell and if it hadn't been for Catherine's hand on my shoulders that are pinning me down to the chair, I'm sure I would have turned around to do something that will get my sorry ass fired. "Actually, I was just guessing Sara. I didn't know you've had sex on a plane." Catherine states and she starts massaging me again. My body instantly relaxes and leans into her ministrations. "Oh" It's all I can say really after making a fool of myself.
Long moments pass and I'm sure she thinking about my revelation, about the drinking. "So what's it like?" Catherine asks and it's time to panic once more. What the hell do I tell her? "It was ok. Highly overrated though." I state and the neck rubbing stops and she turns around to face me. "Really? I thought it would be more exciting. You know the chance you can get caught." Catherine says. I'm brain dead and I'm pretty sure that massage was to blame. "Those things should make it exciting, but that wasn't the case…since it was with a guy." I state. If I still had some capacity left to think I wouldn't have said that! "So you're into women then?" Catherine asks. At least she's still talking to me. That has to be a good sign, right? "Yeah, yeah I'm into women. You're not going to freak because of this are you?" I ask and she starts chuckling. If she's making fun of me I'll make sure she has to walk back to Vegas. "Of course I'm not going to freak, why would I?" She asks. Because you're a straight, working, single mother? Because you can't stand me? I'm sure I can come up with a lot more reasons. "I mean it's not like I've never had any girl action myself." She states and it's time to pick up my jaw from the floor again. Did she really just say that? Oh fuck, now what do I say to her? Thankfully the computer starts beeping announcing it has found a hit on the prints and saving me from telling something embarrassing to her "We got a hit!" Catherine states, then turns around to me and grins "And it's a big fish."
Part 10
"Are you sure it's him?" I ask, feeling kind of excited and scared at the same time. Asking Catherine if she was sure about the prints belonging to Victor Manetti hit a sensitive spot. "Even though we are in the middle of nowhere with equipment dating from the late fifty's, I'm still capable of making a visual conformation!" She spat out. I had that one coming I guess. "I know," I say and offer her an apologetic smile and hope she cools down. "It's just that…I mean…how is it possible that his prints were on that plane. He died in the hospital after they blew up his car at the MGM three years ago." I say. Well I think it's safe to say that this case was officially becoming interesting. "Obviously he's still alive and kicking." Catherine states in a sarcastic way she's good at. I love it when she gets sarcastic. Hell I'd even like her when she is mad, usually at me. Damn Sidle, focus on the case will you? You can't afford it right now to be caught drooling over your partner. "Yeah, but how?" I ask and she shrugs her shoulders and I know there is no way for her to know how it is possible that Manetti's prints end up on our plane, but deep down I'm still disappointed that she doesn't, because I always feel as if Catherine knows all and sees all.
"We'd better inform Officer O'Connor and Brass. See if Brass can arrange a search warrant for the cabin," I nod in agreement. "I'll talk to Officer O'Connor and you call Brass?" Catherine states. I wasn't really meant as a question. "Sure babe." I say. I used to hate it when Catherine entered the same space I was in and was relieved when she departed. Now everything is different. I am excited whenever I see her and I feel sad when she's gone. One thing can be say about her departures though; it gives me an opportunity to stare at her ass, a very firm and tight one that is. I know I'm wet again and it is burning my apex. I wish Catherine could take the edge of my perilous situation. Curling her fingers inside of me and kissing and licking my entire body. Biting my nipples. Scratching and marking my back. I wonder how her hair feels like when her face is buried between my legs, probing my core with her tongue and drinking my essence. I must make a mental note to drop by a shop and buy some extra panties. With the rate I'm wetting them when I get horny I'll be out of fresh panties by tomorrow. I desperately try to control my hormones that are raging out of control.
Thankfully I remember that I have to call Brass. Having something work related to think about somewhat sobers my mind. I'm still on the phone when Catherine returns with Officer O'Connor. She's waiting impatiently for me to end the call and spill information. "Well?" She asks. "We got the warrant, but depending on what we'll find at the cabin he'll sent reinforcement, so we're on our own until then." I say. O'Connor steps forward and clears his throat. "We've got the address of the cabin. If you want we can go and check that out right now." O'Connor states and I'm already packing my gear and Catherine's doing the same. I collect the prints and put it in the case file. I notice he's very nervous and uncomfortably shifting on his feet. "How's your baby girl doing? Is she still sick?" I ask. Hey don't be surprised, I sometimes I do have my sensitive moments. "Oh, she's doing better, though I'd like to be with her as soon as possible." O'Conner states and Cath smiles. She's a mother and every parent has an urge to be with their child whenever they get sick. "I can understand." She states. "The sooner we get moving the sooner you can go home. I assume you know how to get to the cabin so why don't you drive ahead of us and we'll follow you." I say and he's not really answering but moving towards the door nonetheless.
The trip to the cabin was quiet, which is until she decided to talk about my little confession. "Are you seeing anybody right now?" She asks and I am relieved that she's not talking about the drinking. "No I'm not. Not right now." I state and I swear I saw a twinkle in her eyes and a smile spread across her face. "How come a nice hot looking girl like you is still single?" Cath asks. Ah very good question indeed. It took me a while to answer that question myself. "Probably because I'm not looking for someone." I say. She's arching that eyebrow again. "Poor thing, you have a crush on somebody and it's unrequited. Tell me who is it?" Cath asks making me sigh deeply. "I really don't feel like discussing this at the moment; let's focus on the case shall we?" I ask. She takes my hand and entwines our fingers. Thank God I'm not the one that's driving. Her hand in mine would have distracted me too much. "Ok, whatever you want." Catherine states. Just when I thought I was out of the woods she starts talking again. "Just so you know that girl you have a thing for, she must be a real bitch and a fool to let a girl like you slip away." Catherine states. I can't help but laugh at the irony. "Sometimes she really can be a bitch when we are together." I say, looking over. Catherine looks as if she's hurt. Shit, she is onto me. I know for sure now. But why would she look hurt. It's not like I've never called her a bitch before now.
This has got to be the most awkward car ride I've ever been in with Catherine. And knowing our track record we've had a few bumpy ones. I'm glad I can switch to professional mode when we arrive at the cabin. It was located near the one we were staying at. It even looks a bit the same. We both exit the car and along with O'Connor we walk towards the entrance. I've got this ominous feeling when I look at the cabin. All the hairs in my neck stand up and look at Catherine hoping she has the same gut feeling. Our gazes meet and I know she feels the same. Officer O'Connor seems to be very nervous though. O'Connor takes the lead and enters the house with his gun drawn. We follow, but at a distance. He's the policeman so we better let him clear the house before we start our investigation. "All clear." He finally says. "Sara, could you check the perimeter with our dear officer while I start analysing the house?" Catherine orders. Great spending quality time with Officer Dickhead! On the other hand though I'm glad I'll be outside, that way I don't have to be with Catherine. "Come on Mike, let's go outside." I state.
"This yard looks like a dump. Are you sure the cabin hasn't been occupied since grandpa has sold it?" I ask. He shrugs his shoulders. Great, I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with Officer Dickhead. "There's garbage spread around the entire garden. Some of the garbage is rotting but not for a very long time though and certainly not for the past two months ever since the old man died. Which means somebody has lived here for the past two months." I say and I'm pretty sure that my explanation was clear and understandable, but he looks like he can barely comprehend what I just told him. How the hell can people be this stupid and still manage to be part of law enforcement? Manage to live even. I move away from him to examine a bush that looks like it has been crushed by some heavy object. On closer inspection I can see the ground behind the bush has been disturbed and there is a bulge visible as if somebody has buried something. I can hear the alarm bells ringing in my head. This usually means one thing in our profession. "Mike can you give me my photo camera and my kit?" I ask. I need to make sure I photograph the scene before I start digging. I collect the brush from my kit and carefully start dusting the soil to make sure I don't destroy any evidence. Whoever tried to hide what was buried here was in a rush, because I could already see some fabric in the dirt. "Damn!" I grumble. A dead body wasn't something I was hoping to find out here. "O'Connor? You all right?" I ask, looking behind me and he looks as if he's going puke all over my crime scene. "Why don't you go inside and get Catherine for me will you?" I ask. While I wait for Catherine I continue brushing the dirt from the body.
"What have you got?" Catherine asks. I know I should be worried when her voice is making me horny even at a crime scene sitting next to a DB. "Somebody has been killing more than just the vermin around here." I say. She's grabs the camera to take some photographs. "We'd better call David and Brass. Let them send in the troops. Guess what I found inside? Cocaine and a bag with money hidden in the bedroom closet. Want to make a bet who our dead guy here is?" Catherine asks. She's giving me that hot and sexy smile again. "Victor Manetti. What else did you find inside? Any leads?" I ask. Looks like Officer Dickhead has returned from his little trip to the bush, but something is still bothering him or else he wouldn't be pacing around like a maniac. "Whoever did this is really stupid. There's evidence sprawled around everywhere. I bet we have a suspect in custody before tomorrow afternoon." Catherine states. While Catherine's talking to me I retrieve a cell phone from the dirt. "What kind of knucklehead buries a corpse and doesn't take the cell phone with him?" I ask. I scroll through the address book on the cell phone and there's one name that stands out. So I call the number and hear another phone ringing. The three of us stare at each other and Catherine's at a loss as to what's going on, but O'Connor knows what's happening. And before I can retrieve the gun from its holster I have a gun pointed at my head.
Part 11
"What the fuck are you doing?" Catherine is yelling at O'Connor who's still holding his gun to my head. "Shut up bitch!" O'Connor screams. Catherine realised she only had a split second to act so she drew her gun aimed for Mike but he was able to aim his gun at her before she could. He's going to shoot her. I wasn't really thinking, the only thing I know is that I reacted I slammed my body into him. When I heard the shot I was terrified. I hoped he didn't shoot her, but from the corner of my eye I can see Catherine falling to the ground. This is so unreal. I'm not a cop and yet I'm here in the middle of this mess. I can only hope she hasn't been fatally injured. This all happened in less then a second. It really is true that everything moves in slow motion when you are in danger. You're more aware of your surroundings and are able to think faster. A very primal feeling almost like a rudimentary skill that only surfaces in these kinds of situations. O'Connor and I are still struggling when I hear a second gunshot. At first I was wondering where it cam from, but after a few seconds I was starting to feel the sharp pain that originated from my lower abdomen. My body's getting weaker and I can't hold him off any longer. He delivers a blow with the butt end of his gun to my head and everything went black.
Next thing I remember I Catherine's hand stroking my face. At least she's ok. For a brief moment I had the illusion that everything's ok and that we are on our way to the hospital. "Its okay baby, just stay real quiet everything is going to be fine." Catherine said. From the terror I can still hear in her voice I know it's not all right. My entire body is shaking. Cold shivers are tormenting my body so badly that I rather would have been unconscious again. My face is leaning into the touch of her warm that's hand stroking my face. She feels so good. I never want this feeling to stop, but she abruptly stops all movement and orders me to pretend to be unconscious still. I guess O'Connor had to take a leak in the woods. Where are we anyway? The environment is so different then the dusty and rocky roads we encountered near the town where the crime scene was. I hope Catherine has paid enough attention as to where we are and how we got here.
After half an hour navigating through some treacherous terrain the car stops at what I can only assume is our final destination. Once I realised what that meant I got scared. It's a deserted and remote place, perfect if you want to get rid of some bugging CSI's. We don't have any solid evidence, but I think it's save to say that he was responsible for my buried body we found in the garden, so what or who is going to stop him from doing it again. My heartbeat accelerates and breathing increases. The suspense in the air is palpable. "Fucking car!" I hear O'Connor swear. Only then I can smell the fumes of oil entering my nostrils indicating that something's wrong with the car. So maybe it's not the final moment in my sad life.
I know Catherine instructed me to keep a low profile, but I have to make sure she's all right. With all the strength I can muster I try to move my aching body. It takes a lot of effort and not to mention pain that's shooting trough my belly to lift my body. Catherine sees me struggling and makes a wild dash to the rear seats of the car. "Where you think you're going to bitch?" O'Conner yells. I'm paralysed with fear, because I can't let anything happen to her. She's too important to me to die. I was taken aback by my own little revelation, but decided not to pay attention to it until later when. "I'm checking if she's all right!" Catherine stated and the door opens and immediately she takes me in her arms. It's becoming my favourite place to stay. I feel protected from the world when I'm so close to her. Without wasting another moment I wrap my arms tightly around her as if my life depended on it, maybe it does. "Try not to move honey, you'll only risk reopening your wound again and you've already lost too much blood," Maybe that explains why I'm cold all the time. "Don't leave me girl, I need you." Catherine says. Her plea brings tears to my eyes and makes me wonder what's been happening to us ever since we came here.
Contemplation is a funny thing. At least to me it is. I've never been the type of person that looks back at life. What's in the past is in the past and cannot be undone. So why bother contemplating. That's why I'm so surprised that that's exactly what I'm doing now regarding my relationship towards Catherine. We've always been a good team and tolerated each other when we were off the clock, but never friends. Yet from the moment we arrived here we fell into an easy banter and I even was quite comfortable with all the touching between us. So this all makes me wonder what happened and am I ok with it. My brains are telling me to be careful, but my heart and body are telling a different story.
"How's the bitch doing?" O'Connor states, his aggressiveness shook both Catherine and me out of our silent musing. "She's holding on" Is what she says at him while squeezing my body a little bit closer to herself. "To bad, would have been easier if she was dead." O'Connor mumbled. The cold remark sends even more shivers down my spine. He's coming back to the front seat to reach the lever to pop the hood of the truck.
"Go make yourself useful and get the toolbox from the trunk!" I hear him yell at Catherine. She gives me a final hug and a kiss on the cheeks. I wish that kiss could last forever. I instantly miss her warmth around me and continue to stare at her while she walks to the trunk. It doesn't take long before she has found what she's been looking for and walks towards O'Connor. He's busy trying to find out what's wrong with the car. Probably the fuel line has ruptured and that not easily fixed. Just when O'Connor is starting to get his head out from under the hood I see Catherine's hand coming down along with the crowbar in her hand. Images of loosing her were shooting through my mind; I can't let her get hurt just like I was when I tried to disarm him. O'Connor never knew what hit him and the only sound that could be hurt was the sickening sound of a cracking skull. The silence was almost unbearable and made me feel sick to the stomach.
"Catherine?" My voice is raspy and unsure. Finally the relieving words come "I'm ok babe, but he's gone." Catherine states. I've never been so relieved to hear someone has passed away. "So no need to worry about him anymore. It's time to take care of you though" Catherine says and her protective motherly nature is kicking in and I love that about her. "Are you still cold?" Catherine asks while she knows I am, because the shivering got even worse. Once again she took me in her arms and pulled me from the truck. Eventually she managed to lay me down near a tree. "You're burning up." Catherine mumbles and her fear is evident in her expression. I've lost a lot of blood, but I'm also running a high fever, the wound must have gotten infected. "Let me see your wound." Catherine asks and it was more a statement then a question and she wasn't expecting one, since she's already undressing me partially. "If we were in a different situation I might find it very erotic; you undressing me," Even in the fading daylight I can get a glimpse of her blushing face. "Looks good on you that colour." I say. I can't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Here I am lying wounded on the ground in the woods in the middle of nowhere and all I can do is hit on my female colleague. But who am I kidding I love it and she doesn't really seem to mind either. "The wound is infected and the bullet is still in there." She says, her voice sounds ominous and fearful. "Think we can fix the car?" I ask. The car is useless. "No we can't get it fixed here. The sun is setting so we better make a shelter for the night. The car is the best option to protect us from the cold night. We can look for help tomorrow." Catherine says and the word tomorrow is echoing in my mind. The fever is getting worse and I can't help but wonder if tomorrow will come for me.
Part 12
It's completely dark now and to be honest it scares me a little. It reminds me of the nights when I was a kid back in Tamaless. The only difference is that now I have someone to cling to, Catherine. Even though it's a big car, we're still forced to sleep in an awkward position in the backseat. Catherine laid down first and spread her legs to accommodate me in between. Her hands wrap tightly around me and I can feel her breasts press into my back. I need to shift my position a few times to get comfortable and there is no way I can deny now that I don't like the sensation of her hardening nipples rubbing on my back. They are rock hard and I'm tempted to keep moving just to feel her nipples once more. "Try not to move too much, the infection is bad enough as it is and I don't want you to deteriorate even more." Catherine states. Ah, there's the mother in her again. "Worried about me hey?" I ask. I think I meant it as a sarcastic remark more then a question, but her answer surprises me. "You're very important to me Sara and I can't lose you. I never want to lose you." Catherine states and I'm dumbstruck by all this and I wonder what she meant by that. I really want to know if she cares about me, but I'm afraid to get a different answer.
I'm still contemplating if I should ask her to clarify her statement when I feel her body starting to shake and small tears are dropping on my neck. She's sobbing now. For me this is a strange sight, I've never seen Catherine in this weakened state of mind like now, except of course when Eddy died. "What's wrong Cath? Why are you crying?" I ask and pause. She's not answering me, I take it she doesn't want to talk about it, but her hold tightens even more. Normally I would relish this, but she's hurting me now. "Cath, you're hurting me." I groan and as if she's been bitten she releases her hold and cries even more. "I'm so sorry baby. Why do I always hurt you? I care about you so much and yet I still hurt you." Catherine mumbles. Again she comes with a confession about caring, I need to know now. "In what way do you care about me Catherine?" I ask and the question makes her nervous and she starts fidgeting with her hand, so I take her hands with mine and bring them back around the waist. "I like you Sara. Not just as friend or a colleague, but it's more like…I'm attracted to you," Catherine pauses and I'm sure my heart stopped beating "And I think I'm falling in love with you." Catherine finishes. I was at a loss for words. I'm half dead and now she's telling me. I like her too, I know I do, but I don't know if I love her. Either way I can't give her false hope. I can't tell her I like her too. It's easier for her to deal with it in case I die if she's under the impression it was never meant to be, that I wasn't attracted to her. But still I need to know how her lips taste like. Before I realise that I'm moving my lips connect to hers. The kiss only lasted a few seconds; partially because of the awkward position we are in, but I know one thing for sure, I want to kiss her forever if I make it through. Right now I'll let her believe it was a kiss out of mercy.
I wake up soaking in sweat and my brains feel like they are burning. What seems to me like just a few minutes that have past by, must have been e few hours. It's dark and cold outside and soon my body starts shivering again. The moonlight shines down on the fog that's surrounds the car. It's so surreal and mystical, but still nothing compared to the dream I just had. Never before did I have a dream that was so real and vivid. Needless to say that it was about Catherine and me. We were kissing again. This time it was more demanding and primal. I even groped for her breast. They were so soft. For a moment there I thought in was in heaven. To bad I had to be shaken from my dreams by the stabbing pain in my abdomen. I try to ignore it, but it's not really working. Catherine wakes up and has that immediate concerned expression on her face. "It's almost daylight," She says I could hear a little bit of victory in her voice. "You made it through the night sweetheart." Catherine states. Sweetheart? That's new. Can't help being flattered by her small words of endearment. She should do that more often, it's good for the ego and I'm definitely in need of an ego boost right now.
"So what are we going to do now?" I ask. I could swear he eyes loose a bit of the blue colour in it when I ask her about a plan. She must have thought about it and obviously she doesn't like the only plausible solution. "I need to find some help. Because there's nobody here to help us, but I can't take you with me. You are too weak to even walk." Catherine mumbles. I can see the pain in her eyes. The scientist in me can still see the logic in her deduction in the quest for help. "So you're leaving me already huh? Confessing your undying love and abandon me at first light. What kind of girl do you think I am," I say, trying to make light of the situation and tease her a bit. Obviously that notion is not penetrating to her brains. That explains the horrified look on her face. "Relax Cath, it's a joke." I say and I try to tell her while taking her hands in mine. "It's not funny to me. I have feelings for you Sara. So to me it's not funny at all to leave you here. What if anything happens while I'm gone? Finally I've told you how I feel about you, but instead of being happy about it I have to deal with the possibility of losing you before I even have the chance of asking you out on a date." Catherine states. I gently stroke her hand. For a few moments I'm speechless. "Wow." I mumble and I admit I usually give better answers to question, but she totally overwhelmed me with her declaration. "I'm baring my soul here and all you can say is 'wow'?" Catherine asks. I don't think it's possible in human physiology to be more nervous then she is right now. "I don't want to rush into things." I say. Who am I kidding here? If it weren't for the injury I would have jumped her bones last night when she told me she's falling in love with me. Somehow I think we would have been too occupied to even care about being alone here or finding a way out. "We need to set priorities Cath. First we need to find help, well actually you have to, and once I'm sound and safe out of the hospital you owe me a dinner." I say. "So you're accepting my offer to take you on a date?" Catherine asks. Oh yea definitely. You are just so hot and sexy. "Let's find a way out first and after that we'll see what happens. I'm not really in the position to make future plans right now." I tell her with a fake smile. "You're the lead CSI on this case, so what's the plan?" I ask. Catherine is still in deep thoughts. "Cath?" I finally am able to draw her attention. "I'm going to walk back along this road. I'm bound to hit a village or a gas station sometime." Catherine states and I agree with her plan. We don't know what's ahead, probably even more rough terrain. "I'd better get going now before the sun has fully ascended into the sky." Catherine states. I hate saying goodbye. Always had that. So instead of saying goodbye, I grab her head forcefully and crush her lips onto mine. The kiss is hot and passionate, as if we are saying farewell to each other for good. Reluctantly I pull away from the kiss "Go now! I'm not going anywhere." I say. She nods her head in agreement. "Ok." Catherine states and my heart breaks as I see her walk away from me. But that ass looks so great. I have a new mission in life; seeing her ass again, naked that is.
To Be Continued