Chapter 6

Sara walks into the Hard Rock Casino, her insecurities making her doubt her initial confidence that Warrick is here. Is it conceited to think he'd go back to the place where they initially got together? That conveys a certain degree of seriousness on his part, and despite what Nick said, Sara's not so sure. Warrick could be with anyone he wants, and Sara has to force away the thought of him forgetting her in the bed of another.

She checks the lounge they sat in for hours the morning before, talking and flirting and kissing and groping. He's not there.

This is stupid, she thinks, and turns to leave. But as she weaves her way through aisles of slot machines, she catches a glimpse of a very familiar lanky frame leaning against the wooden railing that surrounds the centre bar. He's watching a blackjack game in progress and she notes the contemplative look on his face. She wonders if he's fighting the urge to sit down and play a hand or two, and the thought frightens her. She's not sure if she wants to have that amount of influence over him, that her actions would affect him so much. That level of intensity makes her want to turn around and walk out the door, but she doesn't. Instead she forces herself to walk toward him, and when his eyes meet hers, she sees hurt. She recognizes the look, has seen it many times in the mirror after Grissom has once again crushed her hopes, and to see it on someone else, because of her, is hard. But she's willing to push through her fear of intimacy, of letting herself get that close to someone else. Warrick makes her feel special, and sexy, and despite her insecurities, like someone who is worth his time. She hasn't been doing the same, and she hasn't considered what that might do to him.

"Hey," she says as she approaches him.

"Hey," he says, looking back to the blackjack table. His arms are lazily crossed over his chest, but the tension in his shoulders gives away his uneasiness.

"Can we talk?" she asks, reaching up and touching his elbow.

"What's there to say, Sara?" he asks, glancing at her. "You obviously made your decision."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

Warrick looks at her and sighs, then nods in the direction of the Viva Las Vegas Lounge. Familiar territory. They sit down at one of the tables, not the same one as before, but close. Warrick looks at Sara expectantly, and she knows this is her chance to make it up to him.

"You were right," she starts. "Grissom and I had unresolved issues. I had feelings for him that were unresolved. So when he came over and kissed me, I let him. I had to find out, I just had to see…"

"I get it, Sara," Warrick interrupts. "I told you that you had to figure things out, I guess I just didn't think you'd be locking lips with the guy right after I walked out the door. But I'm glad it worked out for you. You got what you wanted."

"I haven't, actually. Not yet."

"What, did he turn around and freeze you out again?" Warrick asks, getting visibly angry. "Don't you get it, Sara? This is his game. You know I respect the man, but I don't get him when it comes to you. It's like a game. You're like a cat chasing a piece of string, and just when you lose interest, he jerks it a little, and you go on chasing."

"Warrick…" she says, putting her hand on his.

"I'm sorry, Sara, it's really none of my business."

"Yes, it is your business. You're right. I shouldn't have kissed him right after you left. It was unfortunate timing, but I'm glad I kissed him, or I would never have known for sure."

He looks at her, skeptical, and she knows she just has to say it.

"I want you, Warrick."

"Tell Grissom I won't be in tonight, would you?" Sara says into the phone. "Never mind, just tell him, okay? I've got a lot of vacation time stored up… Yeah, I found him… Yes, he is off tonight… Nick!... I'm hanging up now… Goodbye, Nick." She puts the phone back on its cradle, blushing furiously. Warrick laughs.

"I can only imagine what he said to make you blush like that." He reaches up and strokes her flaming cheek. "How'd he know you were looking for me?"

She tells him about her little stopover at Nick's, minus the part about Greg being there. For all she knows, he may already know about them, but it's not her place to tell him if he doesn't.

"I'm glad you found me," he says, sliding his hand under the sheets to rest against her bare stomach.

"I'm glad you came back here," she says, looking around the room. "Why did you get a suite this time?" It was beautiful, but it must have cost a fortune.

Leaning up on one elbow, Warrick shrugs. "The standard rooms aren't all that great. Pretty bland."

"I didn't notice," Sara says with a grin. He smirks back.

"Yeah, well we're spending more time here this time."

She runs her fingers up his arm, his skin warm under her touch. "We could have gone to my place, or yours."

"I couldn't wait," Warrick says, leaning in to kiss her neck. He gently pushes her down so that she's lying on her back.

"Yeah," she agrees, closing her eyes as he continues to kiss her neck. She wraps her legs around him, eliciting a moan from him as their bodies press tightly together. "But we can't make a habit of this, you'll go broke."

"We can't make a habit of staying here," he says, leaving her neck and moving on to her ear. "But this," he says, doing something with his hips that makes her gasp. "This we can make a habit of."

"Oh yeah."

Sara walks down the hall toward the break room, nervously sipping the latte she picked up on her way in. She dreads seeing Grissom. Calling in last night probably did little to ease the tension between them, but she knows that it will be some time before they can really begin to mend their relationship anyway. She needed a night's reprieve, regardless of what Grissom may think.

Nick and Greg are leaning against the counter when she walks in, talking in low tones. They don't notice her at first, and she wonders that she never picked up on their relationship before. Greg says something and Nick's hand twitches toward him before it clenches into a fist, and Sara can tell that he's mindful of not touching Greg at work. It's a trick she'll have to get him to teach her, because while her relationship with Warrick is out in the open, they still want to keep it away from the job as much as possible.

"Hey Sara," Greg says, noticing her standing there.

"Hey," she says, smiling.

"You look a lot better today," Nick says with a knowing grin. Sara blushes and he just laughs. Sara sits down at the table, Nick and Greg joining her. Greg starts telling her about Hodges's lame attempt to hit on Mia, making her laugh and keeping her mind off things. But it's only a few minutes before someone else enters the room, and Sara can feel the tension before she even looks up.

"Hi Catherine," she says, attempting a conciliatory smile.

"Sara," Catherine says, taking a seat next to Greg though Sara is the sole occupant of her side of the table. Not knowing where else to look, Sara stares out the door into the hall. So when Grissom rounds the corner and walks toward them, she's looking right at him. He meets her eyes but quickly looks away, studying the folder in his hands as he shuffles down the hall.

He still doesn't look at her as he enters the break room and moves to the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee. Sara feels uncomfortable, and she wishes Nick or Greg would say something to ease the tension. She looks down at the latte in her hands, and for a brief moment, wonders if any of this is worth it.

"Hey." Warrick's deep voice breaks the silence as he walks in the room and sits down beside Sara. She looks at him, and when their eyes meet, her doubts are cast aside. It's worth it. He's worth it. For the first time in her life, she's with a man who makes her happy, and she hopes she does the same for him. Work might be a little uncomfortable for a while, but she doesn't have to face it alone. Warrick is right here beside her, and as if reading her thoughts, he squeezes her knee once under the table before crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back, waiting for assignments.

Catherine looks annoyed, frankly, but resigned, and Grissom looks as enigmatic as ever. She glances at Warrick, and he winks at her. She looks at Greg, who is stealing a sideways glance at Nick.

Yeah, she thinks, everything's going to be all right.

"Okay," says Grissom, "let's get to work."

END

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who's read and reviewed this, your comments have meant so much to me. And the biggest of thanks to Jeanine for being an amazing beta. You rock.