Title: Appearances Author: Amy aka Lady Julieanne Pairing: C/S, as if I could write any other Rating: Why don't we go with R. That covers NC-17 too, doesn't it? Disclaimer: All the little rich bastards in Hollywood own the rights to the show and the cast. I 'borrow' the characters for my own amusement and entertainment. Don't sue, it would be pointless. Feedback: By now you should know that feedback is required. The muse that lives in my head threatens to stop writing without it. Distribution/Archive: Just ask. Summary: A string of strange murders causes the whole night shift to pull extra shifts to try to catch the killer. A/N: So we start this fic pretty much where my last, Bad Thoughts (Shameless plug, get used to it), left off. For those of you who remember, our ladies are off to another breakfast. And you know what that means.... ********************************************************************** At the end of yet another long shift at CSI Sara patiently waits outside the building for Catherine. They had just wrapped up a particularly odd case. All is not as it appears. Or at least, it wasn't on their case. Happy family, requisite three children. The picture of Americana. Except that the family was beyond messed up. Both parents led alternative lifestyles and it cost the mother her life. All because her son couldn't handle it. Sara feels a rush of adrenaline when she works a case. The rush intensifies when she gets on the right track and solves the case. That rush has led to many sleepless nights, and many nights in the company of lovers she otherwise would never have taken. The adrenaline isn't really an aphrodisiac; it's just that Sara knows that sometimes the buildup of sexual frustration and the adrenaline can be eased with a night, most often in her case a morning, of good sex. Once upon a time Sara would be the first one in and the last one out. She had once used her work to distract her from her lack of a personal life. The few feeble attempts she made at lasting relationships never seemed to work out. Her lovers had all told her she got too involved in her work and that at the end of the day, Sara knew they were right. At first, it was an attempt to prove herself to her new unit. Then it turned in to a way to avoid things she didn't want to deal with. Mainly her growing attraction to a coworker. She knows that it's against all the rules to have an office romance. Romance. Like she wanted flowers and candy. No , she wanted endless nights of hot sex. A release. A diversion. Then things changed. And she started to want the flowers and candy too. She felt more like the courtier, though. She wanted to sweep Catherine off of her feet and treat her like the goddess Sara believed she was. Everyone thought Sara had a thing for Grissom. And truth be told, she did. As in past tense. They had known each other for years and were friends before she moved to Vegas. Well, as much as one can be friends with Grissom. But when he called her to Vegas, things changed. Working with him she realized that her crush was just that. She made a few attempts to see if it could be more, but Grissom never went for it. Always the professional, never really the friend. Sara also knew that a few of the guys had small crushes on her. Greg would become flustered every time she was near and he was practically drooling on a few occasions. Sara teased him, but made it clear that they would not end up as a couple. He took it pretty well and now they are friends. David, the assistant coroner, seemed to harbor a crush for Sara as well. Sara doesn't know what happened with that, but everything seems to be pretty normal and he seems to have gotten over it. The one thing she never figured out was Catherine. How could she be so aware about Greg and David and never notice Catherine? She's a trained investigator and she didn't figure it out. Not until just yesterday. Not until Catherine kissed her. It was brief and fleeting, but it opened Sara's eyes. And now she waits outside the CSI offices for Catherine to join her for breakfast. The case is wrapped up and Sara is buzzed. There is a small bite mark on her shoulder that feels a little sore, but every time Sara thinks about how it got there, she can't help but smile and then the pain seems to go away. She wonders if Catherine's knows that she left this little mark on Sara. I'll just have to tease her about that later, Sara thinks to herself. Sara watches as Catherine exists the CSI building. Grissom is just a step behind her, and they seem to be chatting about something or another. Sara watches the pair intently and notices as Grissom apparently says something funny and Catherine lightly touches his arm as she laughs at his joke. Sara remains focused on Catherine and barely realizes that the pair is now less than ten feet from her. Grissom seems to be saying something to her. "Huh?" Sara looks at him confusedly. She had been so lost in Catherine that she barely noticed his presence. "Sara, are you all right?" Grissom asks with genuine concern in his voice. "You've been distracted lately and right now you looked kind of spacey. Is everything okay?" "Oh. Yeah. I was just thinking of some things I needed to do after breakfast this morning." Sara replied locking eyes with Catherine, who blushed a little. Grissom is an expert investigator, but his people skills are lacking and he doesn't notice the interaction between the two women. "Well, as long as everything is all right. I'll see you ladies tonight then. Have a good time at breakfast." Sara snapped her head in Grissom's direction when he said that. Catherine wouldn't have told him, would she? I mean I know it will come up eventually, but I was hoping not so soon. Sara realizes that Catherine didn't say anything when she looks at her. Catherine's eyes tell a different story. Sara remembers to ask about that later. Grissom walks away and when he is almost to his car, Catherine asks Sara for a ride. "What about your car? I mean are you sure you want to leave it here? And have everyone know we left together?" Sara looks a little flustered at Catherine's question. This was still the beginning of their relationship and neither wanted to expose it to their coworkers just yet. They both wanted some time together before they figured out how to tell everyone how their relationship had changed. A small way to keep eyes off of them had been to take separate cars to and from work. "Well, since I already told Grissom that we would be having breakfast together, I'm pretty sure it will be okay. It was either tell him I had plans or listen to another lecture on his bugs." Catherine just smiles at Sara as she explains. Sara simply nods and opens the door to her car for Catherine. As they drive off toward Sara's place, Sara notices Catherine's hand creeping up her thigh. Dangerously close to just where she wants it to be. Her heart beats faster and her temperature rises. Catherine, however, looks as calm and collected as always. They chat about work and how their case went when Sara pulls into a parking lot at a small café. "Where are we?" Catherine asks. She pouts a little and sticks out her lower lip. "I thought we were going to your place for breakfast." Sara doesn't respond. Instead she covers Catherine's wandering hand with her own and leans over and kisses Catherine deep. When she pulls away she is breathless with want. Catherine is resistant to stopping the kiss and attempts to pull Sara back in. "Later." Sara says, the lust evident in her husky voice. "First I think we should grab breakfast." With that Sara removes Catherine's hand from her leg and cuts the engine to her car. Disappointment is written all over Catherine's face as they walk into the diner. Sara slides into a booth and Catherine sits opposite her. An aging waitress walks over to the table and glances at Catherine first. When she looks at Sara, a grin spreads across her face. "Sara, honey. It's so good to see you." She turns her head and yells to the kitchen, "Ed, Sara's here. Get started on her breakfast would you?" She returns her attention to Sara and simply asks "Usual right?" Sara just smiles and nods her head. The waitress turns to Catherine and says "So what'll be this morning, hon?" Catherine can't help but notice the cliché in it all. Old time café with old time waitresses and kitchen you can see behind the bar where the cash register is. She sees an old man in kitchen preparing what she assumes is Sara's breakfast. She also notices that there are no menus on the table. "Got a menu?" Catherine asks. "Nah. But we got whatever you want so you just think about it a minute. Can I get you a drink maybe?" Catherine asks for water and the waitress walks away. "Okay. So what's up with this pace? You have a usual?" Catherine questions Sara. "Yeah. We're only about two blocks from my place and I come here a lot for breakfast. Sherrie there insists I eat a healthy breakfast every time I come in and she never lets me order anything else. It's easier to go with the flow. By the way, she's right they have about anything you could ask for. Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, biscuits. Ah, here she comes again." Sherrie returns to the table with Catherine's water and a glass of milk for Sara. "Have you decided yet?" "Um, well…." Catherine clearly doesn't have an answer. "Sherrie, she's had a long night and it's not over yet. So something energizing please. How about the biscuits and gravy?" "Coming right up." "Energizing, huh? And just what do I need an energizing breakfast for?" Catherine asked with a smile on her face. "Just some things I need to do after breakfast." Sara tells her, reaching across the table to grab Catherine's hand. "Some unfinished business from work." Her fingers trace circles on the back of Catherine's hand and the light touch is half ticklish half sensual. They sit like this until Sherrie comes back with their breakfast. Catherine notices that Sara usual is blueberry pancakes, fresh fruit salad and more milk. They break their contact and start on their breakfast. Catherine's plate is a generous serving of biscuits and gravy. Much more than she would be able to eat. Sherrie sees Catherine's eyes widen a little when she looks at her food and explains, "Ed thought you could use some extra. He thinks you're too skinny." Sherrie just smiles and Catherine can see Ed, who is now reading the morning paper, smiling a nearly toothless grin at her. "Thanks, I guess." "Plus, if I know Sara here, she has quite the morning planned for you if she says you need an energizing breakfast. I'll bring a carton you can take some of it home in." Sherrie walked off towards the kitchen. "How much do these people know about you?" Catherine says as she blushes at Sherrie's comment. "Only that I never come in with men, and that I don't eat meat. We'll I don't eat much meat. Sherrie there got me back on track by slipping some bacon or sausage on my plate. Tells me it's good for me. And I don't argue with her, it takes too much energy. Energy best spent on other things. Sherrie is pretty observant and has probably picked up on a couple of things on her own over the past few years." Sara explained while drenching her pancakes with the house specialty apple syrup. One thing is for sure, Sherrie and Ed knew how to make a great breakfast. When Sherrie first put a plate of blueberry pancakes and apple syrup in front of her, Sara nearly kissed her when she finished eating. It wasn't a combination she would have put together, but it tasted great. Catherine must be enjoying her breakfast too, Sara thought. She seems to be making small sounds of appreciation every now and then. It's really pretty sexy. I think I need help. How can everything she does suddenly be a turn-on? Sara tries to stop the thoughts running through her head and finish her breakfast. She can't help but notice that Sherrie is standing behind the counter watching the two of them with a big goofy grin on her face. As they finish eating, Sherrie returns to their table with the promised carton for Catherine's remaining food. She's still grinning and Sara can't resist telling her to just spit it out. She's been here enough times to know that Sherrie has something on her mind. "Sherrie, you want to tell me why you're grinning like mad?" "No, I don't." "C'mon Sherrie. Don't make me haul you in," Sara said laughing. It was a joke they had going. Sherrie could be outspoken, but sometimes she just would not admit what was on her mind. Every time Sara really wanted to know, she just joked about having Sherrie arrested. Sherrie laughed with her and caved in. "Okay dear. No reason to get rough. Save that for your friend here." At this Catherine blushed a deep red. "I was just wondering if this was the one." "The one what?" Sara asked, though she was pretty sure she knew what Sherrie was getting to. "You know what I mean. The one from work. The one you wish all those other girls had been. The one you've been madly in love with since you moved here." Sherrie's grin got bigger when she noticed both Sara and Catherine's embarrassment. "Oh. That's what you mean. Well, when you put it that way, yes." Sara slipped Sherrie a twenty for their breakfast and slid out of the booth. Catherine was still looking shocked and Sara couldn't help but notice how cute she was like that. "Come on Cat, let's get out of here before Sherrie reveals any more of my secrets." Sherrie walked away from the table laughing and Sara grabbed Catherine's hand and headed out of the café. Sara was tempted to leave her car in the lot and walk home, as she had done many times before. On the other hand, if they took the car it might save her a minute or two, and she'd have Catherine in her arms that much faster. Car it is. ********************************************************************** Fooled ya, didn't I. You thought it was all going to be smut. Tricky me. Anyway the good times are ahead. I promise. But you don't get to read them until you tell me what you think of this one. js1n2001@yahoo.com for those that don't like to post feedback on this site.