Title: The Line | Observing It
Author: TheDawn
Rating: NC-17
Challenge: None
Pairing: Catherine/Sara
Spoilers: Up to Sex, Lies and Larvae
Disclaimer: Ooh, wouldn't it be fun if they were mine? Well, okay, maybe not for you. But I would enjoy it.

A/N: It took awhile, sorry:/ I won't make any promises about the next one, but I do hope it won't be quite so long. The first one is post #10846

A/N 2: It's kinda short, and...well, kinda rough. But entirely consensual. Just a heads up;) Also, the line at the beginning is from the show, I don't claim to have written it (I think I would have made it a little less clunky, personally:P)

The Line | Observing it

"That way, when I wake up in a cold sweat under the blanket, hearing Kaye's screams ...you can tell me it's nothing. It's just empathy."

Catherine found Sara leaning against a sink at the far end of the bathroom, tension rolling off of her in waves. It seemed as though her entire body was clenched in the effort to keep from punching something.

"Sara?" She ventured, resting a tentative hand on the brunette's shoulder. She jerked, and Catherine's worried gaze was met with intense anger flashing in Sara's eyes.

"Don't." She all but growled, staring back down at the sink as she tried to gather her thoughts. Catherine looked down at Sara's hands, clenching the sides of the sink so hard her knuckles were turning white. She ignored the warning, moving to cover Sara's hand with her own. Before she could blink, she found herself pushed against the wall, her hands pinned on either side of her head.

"I said, don't." Her voice belied the struggle within, the desperate restraint. Her hands held Catherine's wrists tightly, their bodies dangerously close.

There was a moment of awkward silence, of breathing one another's breath, before Sara crushed her lips to Catherine's with bruising intensity. Catherine grunted at the force of it, but it turned into a moan as Sara's body pressed against hers. Sara took advantage of the opportunity, thrusting her tongue into Catherine's mouth.

The blonde struggled against Sara's hands, wanting desperately to touch the other woman. Sara responded by dragging Catherine into the nearest stall, slamming her against the wall while she reached for the lock. That done, she continued her assault on Catherine's mouth as her hands pushed their way under her shirt.

Her own hands freed, Catherine began eagerly grasping at the taller woman's flesh, gasping as Sara straddled her thigh, thrusting her knee between Catherine's legs. Sara's hands moved up, roughly kneading Catherine's breasts through the fabric of her bra. Catherine arched her back, hips rocking against Sara's leg.

Sara's mouth left Catherine's, moving down to suck and nip at her neck and collarbone. The tiny jolts of pain sent waves of electricity through Catherine's body. Sara's hands made short work of Catherine's zipper and slipped inside, her fingers slamming hard into the other woman. The sound that erupted from Catherine's throat was intensely erotic, a strangled combination of a gasp and a moan.

Sara was in no mood for teasing; Catherine clutched the taller woman's shoulders tightly as Sara thrust hard and deep, and her orgasm hit her before she could blink, the intensity of it catching her off-guard. Still shaking, she slid her own hand into Sara's pants; Sara buried her face in Catherine's neck, panting and rocking her hips against the blonde's hand.

And then it was over, almost as quickly as it had begun. Slowly, Sara pulled away from Catherine, eyes dark and face flushed. Without a word, they righted their clothes, fixed their makeup, washed their hands side-by-side. Before Catherine could leave, Sara grabbed her arm- gently.

"Hey, Cat?" She looked awkward, nervous. She wanted to ask if this was okay, this unexpected repeat performance. They'd been together once, with the understanding that Sara was leaving and it was very clearly a one-time occurrence. Once was a fluke, could be blamed on the beer or the case or any number of things; twice implied some sort of continuous relationship, a friends-with-benefits sort of thing. Except they hadn't been friends, not really. When Sara stayed on in Vegas, both women avoided one another, pushed each other away for fear of their coworkers suspecting something. After all, what was the point in being outed because of one night of admittedly very good sex?

So, they weren't friends. What did that leave? Sex. Not quite the sort of relationship Sara had ever imagined herself getting into again. At least with Grissom it had been simplified by the fact that they didn't work together, didn't have to see one another every day.

And what if Catherine thought there was more to it? Sara didn't harbor any delusions of romance, but what if Catherine read something into this? She didn't want to hurt her, didn't want to make things even more strained between them.

Catherine smiled, sensing the questions running through Sara's mind; the same questions that were racing through her own. "I know, Sara."

Sara returned the smile, relieved. There was a tension-filled moment, both of them reflecting on what had just happened, and then it was over. "I should go find Grissom, get back on the case."

Catherine nodded, pushing open the door, holding it open for the taller woman.

"Good luck."

fin.