(no subject)
Author: halfbloodme
Pairing: Catherine/Sara
Disclaimers: The characters are not mine... although the plot bunnies in my head swear otherwise
Title: A New Life
Sara awoke with a start. In her dream world she had been lying in bed next to Grissom, reliving those torturous moments when he fell asleep after they’d had sex. The times when she felt more disgusted with herself than she would ever care to admit. Finding an arm over her chest when she woke made Sara think she was still in his apartment and for a moment she wanted to scream. It wasn’t until she opened her eyes and saw her beautiful Catherine lying there, gently snoring, that she remembered where she was and breathed a sigh of relief. The sun was pouring through a crack in the curtains and she looked over at the clock on the bedside table, 10:20 am flashed at her. It was too early to wake her sleeping beauty. She gently lifted Catherine’s arm and slipped out from underneath the covers. Sara crept out of the door and down the hallway to the bathroom.
She started the shower and stripped off, catching sight of her naked body in the mirror. So many scars, so many painful memories. She was ashamed of the way she had taken it out on herself. As Sara stepped under the water, the scratch on her hand stung. She hadn’t meant to do it. But she had needed the release. Grissom didn’t realise just how much he’d hurt her. Just how much she’d hurt herself carrying on the façade. Sara had never meant for her relationship with him to get so physical so quickly. She hadn’t been prepared for the emotional turmoil it would cause. It’d been hell and she had tried to keep it in. Then she went one step too far. After Grissom had given her a sneaky kiss at work she had legged it to the bathroom, pulled the pocket knife from her jeans and cut her wrist, without checking if anyone was around. Before she passed out, Catherine’s face swam past her eyes.
Catherine. The droplets of water hitting her skin reminded Sara of the tears that had fallen from the beautiful CSI’s blue eyes. Sara had come round to find the older woman holding her in her arms and tears cascading down her face. Seeing Sara mutilate her body like that had been too much for Catherine to take. She had scooped the unconscious brunette into her arms and held her close, sobbing her heart out. She couldn’t believe her oldest friend, the man who had helped her through so much with Eddie had done this to the woman that she had loved from afar for so long. Unaware that Sara had begun to come to Catherine had shut her eyes and whispered, “Please Sara, come round. I love you. I’ll look after you. Just come round, please.”
“I…I love you too.” Sara’s voice had been so quiet that even she wasn’t sure if she’d said it.
“You… Sara, you’re awake. I think we should get you to a hospital.” Sara had mistaken her for Gil, Catherine was sure of that.
“No… Cath, I’m fine.” Perhaps she had only thought it. ‘You’re crying.” Sara reached up and wiped the salty water from Catherine’s left cheek, her hand shaking.
“I… I’m fine. You just scared me, you know. Just ‘cause we don’t always see eye to eye doesn’t mean I want you dead.” The strawberry-blond had regained her composure, she had helped Sara to her feet and they had carried on as if nothing had ever happened. Although both women knew it had. That moment had changed their relationship with each other and their relationships with Grissom forever.
Sara stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Drying herself off she sighed. It was a sigh of happiness. Things were starting to turn around, Sara could see that. She had Catherine in her life now, and not just as her colleague. She wasn’t sure how the guys at work would react, but that didn’t matter. Greg knew. Greg had known all along how Sara felt for Catherine. Best friends tend to know these things even when you haven’t told them. At least he’d support them. But the others finding out was the least of either her or Catherine’s worries. There was something else, something so tiny and at the same time so huge that was pushing to the forefront of their minds, as much as Sara kept pushing it away. And as the thought crossed her mind, she shook her head and ignored it as best as she could. She slipped into her bathrobe and headed back down towards the bedroom.
Catherine stirred as Sara walked into the room. Opening her eyes, she smiled. Her girl was where she belonged. She was safe. Now Catherine could begin to look after her. Help her to put her past behind her. She would take Sara into her home as well as her heart and bring her back from the pain and the hurt. Restore the light to her lover’s eyes. Grissom had extinguished the flame and Catherine was damn sure that she wouldn’t be letting him do it again. She’d tear him limb from limb before that happened.
“Morning Sleepyhead.” Sara sat down beside Catherine, leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
“Morning beautiful. How’d you sleep?” Catherine raised herself onto her elbow and gently brushed Sara’s back with her fingertips.
“Not bad. Not great. He’s still there. In my dreams.” Sara didn’t want to hide anything from Catherine. She had vowed to herself that she would always be honest with the woman who had become her saviour.
‘He will be. For a while at least. Sara we need to talk.” Catherine wanted to broach the taboo subject Sara had been avoiding.
“Not now Baby. Let’s just relax today. Neither of us is ready to bash that one out yet.” Sara just wanted to enjoy the sense of freedom that being with Catherine brought her. If she started thinking about that she’d start thinking about Grissom again.
Catherine wanted to object. She wanted to press the point. It wouldn’t be easy to ignore for much longer, but she also knew how fragile her girlfriend was and didn’t want to be the cause of any further self-harm. Instead she smiled and nodded. She needed to protect Sara from the past and the future and help her handle the present first. It wasn’t going to be easy, Catherine knew that, but Sara was worth it. After years trying to distance herself from her feelings, Catherine was finally free to play the part in Sara’s life she wanted to and if that meant allowing Sara time that they didn’t have to regroup then so be it.
Catherine sat up, put her arms around Sara, brushed the brunette’s hair from her neck and gently kissed her. Sara smiled contentedly. Catherine’s ability to kiss away pain was definitely one of the things that made her attractive. Another was that Catherine never put her under pressure. She allowed Sara to do things in her own time. Unless they were working on a case. Then, and only then did the CSI supervisor expect 110 percent. Here, inside the house there was no superior, no inferior. The two women were equals. Something Sara had never experienced before. Catherine was gentle, warm, soft, loving and considerate of Sara’s feelings. There was nothing about her that scared the younger woman. They sat there in the mid-morning sunlight, just enjoying the temporary calm before the storm.
Pairing: Catherine/Sara
Disclaimers: The characters are not mine... although the plot bunnies in my head swear otherwise
Title: A New Life
Sara awoke with a start. In her dream world she had been lying in bed next to Grissom, reliving those torturous moments when he fell asleep after they’d had sex. The times when she felt more disgusted with herself than she would ever care to admit. Finding an arm over her chest when she woke made Sara think she was still in his apartment and for a moment she wanted to scream. It wasn’t until she opened her eyes and saw her beautiful Catherine lying there, gently snoring, that she remembered where she was and breathed a sigh of relief. The sun was pouring through a crack in the curtains and she looked over at the clock on the bedside table, 10:20 am flashed at her. It was too early to wake her sleeping beauty. She gently lifted Catherine’s arm and slipped out from underneath the covers. Sara crept out of the door and down the hallway to the bathroom.
She started the shower and stripped off, catching sight of her naked body in the mirror. So many scars, so many painful memories. She was ashamed of the way she had taken it out on herself. As Sara stepped under the water, the scratch on her hand stung. She hadn’t meant to do it. But she had needed the release. Grissom didn’t realise just how much he’d hurt her. Just how much she’d hurt herself carrying on the façade. Sara had never meant for her relationship with him to get so physical so quickly. She hadn’t been prepared for the emotional turmoil it would cause. It’d been hell and she had tried to keep it in. Then she went one step too far. After Grissom had given her a sneaky kiss at work she had legged it to the bathroom, pulled the pocket knife from her jeans and cut her wrist, without checking if anyone was around. Before she passed out, Catherine’s face swam past her eyes.
Catherine. The droplets of water hitting her skin reminded Sara of the tears that had fallen from the beautiful CSI’s blue eyes. Sara had come round to find the older woman holding her in her arms and tears cascading down her face. Seeing Sara mutilate her body like that had been too much for Catherine to take. She had scooped the unconscious brunette into her arms and held her close, sobbing her heart out. She couldn’t believe her oldest friend, the man who had helped her through so much with Eddie had done this to the woman that she had loved from afar for so long. Unaware that Sara had begun to come to Catherine had shut her eyes and whispered, “Please Sara, come round. I love you. I’ll look after you. Just come round, please.”
“I…I love you too.” Sara’s voice had been so quiet that even she wasn’t sure if she’d said it.
“You… Sara, you’re awake. I think we should get you to a hospital.” Sara had mistaken her for Gil, Catherine was sure of that.
“No… Cath, I’m fine.” Perhaps she had only thought it. ‘You’re crying.” Sara reached up and wiped the salty water from Catherine’s left cheek, her hand shaking.
“I… I’m fine. You just scared me, you know. Just ‘cause we don’t always see eye to eye doesn’t mean I want you dead.” The strawberry-blond had regained her composure, she had helped Sara to her feet and they had carried on as if nothing had ever happened. Although both women knew it had. That moment had changed their relationship with each other and their relationships with Grissom forever.
Sara stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Drying herself off she sighed. It was a sigh of happiness. Things were starting to turn around, Sara could see that. She had Catherine in her life now, and not just as her colleague. She wasn’t sure how the guys at work would react, but that didn’t matter. Greg knew. Greg had known all along how Sara felt for Catherine. Best friends tend to know these things even when you haven’t told them. At least he’d support them. But the others finding out was the least of either her or Catherine’s worries. There was something else, something so tiny and at the same time so huge that was pushing to the forefront of their minds, as much as Sara kept pushing it away. And as the thought crossed her mind, she shook her head and ignored it as best as she could. She slipped into her bathrobe and headed back down towards the bedroom.
Catherine stirred as Sara walked into the room. Opening her eyes, she smiled. Her girl was where she belonged. She was safe. Now Catherine could begin to look after her. Help her to put her past behind her. She would take Sara into her home as well as her heart and bring her back from the pain and the hurt. Restore the light to her lover’s eyes. Grissom had extinguished the flame and Catherine was damn sure that she wouldn’t be letting him do it again. She’d tear him limb from limb before that happened.
“Morning Sleepyhead.” Sara sat down beside Catherine, leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
“Morning beautiful. How’d you sleep?” Catherine raised herself onto her elbow and gently brushed Sara’s back with her fingertips.
“Not bad. Not great. He’s still there. In my dreams.” Sara didn’t want to hide anything from Catherine. She had vowed to herself that she would always be honest with the woman who had become her saviour.
‘He will be. For a while at least. Sara we need to talk.” Catherine wanted to broach the taboo subject Sara had been avoiding.
“Not now Baby. Let’s just relax today. Neither of us is ready to bash that one out yet.” Sara just wanted to enjoy the sense of freedom that being with Catherine brought her. If she started thinking about that she’d start thinking about Grissom again.
Catherine wanted to object. She wanted to press the point. It wouldn’t be easy to ignore for much longer, but she also knew how fragile her girlfriend was and didn’t want to be the cause of any further self-harm. Instead she smiled and nodded. She needed to protect Sara from the past and the future and help her handle the present first. It wasn’t going to be easy, Catherine knew that, but Sara was worth it. After years trying to distance herself from her feelings, Catherine was finally free to play the part in Sara’s life she wanted to and if that meant allowing Sara time that they didn’t have to regroup then so be it.
Catherine sat up, put her arms around Sara, brushed the brunette’s hair from her neck and gently kissed her. Sara smiled contentedly. Catherine’s ability to kiss away pain was definitely one of the things that made her attractive. Another was that Catherine never put her under pressure. She allowed Sara to do things in her own time. Unless they were working on a case. Then, and only then did the CSI supervisor expect 110 percent. Here, inside the house there was no superior, no inferior. The two women were equals. Something Sara had never experienced before. Catherine was gentle, warm, soft, loving and considerate of Sara’s feelings. There was nothing about her that scared the younger woman. They sat there in the mid-morning sunlight, just enjoying the temporary calm before the storm.