Disclaimer: I don't own 'em….if I did, Sara would never leave.

She slid her arms around me as I climbed into the bed beside her. "Where ya been, sexy?" she asked as she kissed my shoulder.

"I had an errand to run after shift," I lied. "It took longer than I expected."

Her hands started to move southward as her kisses became more insistent.

"I'm really tired, Cath. It's been a long night," I said as covered her hand with mine and guided it back to my stomach.

"No problem, sweetie," she said as she tightened her grip on me and gave me a final kiss.

I lay there ensconced in her embrace and plagued my guilt ridden conscience. Only an hour earlier I had been in Sofia's arms, or more precisely, she had been in mine.

Long after Catherine's breathing had evened out and she had drifted back to sleep, I still lay there, wide awake pondering the predicament I had put myself in.

When Sofia left, a piece of me died. Our relationship had been, according to her, brief, lasting less than a year. For me, it was intense and passionate. I failed to comprehend why and how she could walk away from me the way she did. In the end, it didn't matter what I wanted, she needed a change of scenery and a new work environment. So, she left Vegas—and me.

And I moved on. For some ungodly reason, Catherine and I found a happy medium. We quit bickering, fighting and backbiting long enough to find some happiness in one another's company. And it was good.

It was very good until two weeks ago. Two weeks ago Sofia showed back up in Vegas. She had gotten all she needed out of Boulder City and came back once a position had opened up in the LVPD.

She had kept her distance the first few days. Then she called. She called every day for a week. Never once did I answer. The message she had left for me at the beginning of my shift said that she'd stop by and see me afterwards.

I wasn't surprised to look up and see her standing there while Catherine was fucking me. I was, however, surprised that she chose to stand there and watch. I had never pegged her at voyeuristic. And afterwards, well, let's just say that I am glad I decided to go by her apartment.

But now I'm torn. Do I go on living the life I was building with Catherine or begin anew a relationship with Sofia?

XXXXX

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Catherine demanded as she stood over me, my phone in her hand.

I tried to wipe the sleep from my eyes and will myself to wake up completely—and quickly.

"What? I'm still trying to sleep here, Cath." Playing innocent and ignorant were my best options.

"Like I give a fuck! What am I talking about? I'm talking about the messages on your phone?" she threw the phone at me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I picked up my phone.

She was pacing back and forth, practically foaming at the mouth in anger. "I miss you. Love, S. Does that ring a bell?"

"What the fuck, Catherine. You've been going through my messages?"

"Your phone had been beeping for the last 30 minutes. I thought that maybe Grissom was trying to get in touch with you. I merely picked up your phone to see who was being so insistent," Catherine answered as she crossed her arms over her chest and assumed her customary intimidating stance.

"So why not bring me my phone? I could have checked my messages myself. What right did you have to go through my phone?" I was furious that she would invade my privacy like she had.

"Don't avoid my question, Sara. Is there anything you want to share with me?"

I threw the covers off of me and slid out of bed. "Nope, nothing at all. I'm going to get a shower now."

She blocked my path. "Who?"

"Who what?" I was growing tired of her accusations, despite how true they might be.

"That's right! Go ahead and play dumb now," she poked me in the chest. "Who sent you these messages?"

"What difference does it make who sent me the messages? I'm here with you right now," I offered.

"I miss you…I need to feel you…come back to me…I need you so much it hurts…Do I need to go on? Are you fucking kidding me?" she asked as she pushed me.

I had known Catherine long enough to know that barely arguing with her would make her even angrier. Yet, this is the path I chose.

Taking a couple of steps backwards, I calmly responded. "I'm here. I'm not with someone else. So, once again, what difference does it make who's sending me messages?"

She was incensed that I was being so passive. "You fuck someone else and I'm supposed to be happy that you're here? Are you fucking kidding me? Have you recently hit your head? Been diagnosed with a brain tumor? I mean, seriously, is something wrong with you?"

Now it was my turn to go on the offensive.

Throwing my hands up, I stepped backwards, "Whoa! What makes you think I fucked someone else? What gives you the right to accuse me of fucking around?"

"Whoever is sending you those text messages—that's what—no who--gives me the right," she said through clenched teeth.

I took a step towards you her and placed a hand on either shoulder, "Cath, baby, what are you talking about?"

She slapped my hands away, "Don't touch me. Don't fucking touch me."

"Who do you think is calling me or sending me messages?"

Eyes brimming with tears of anger she bit her lip before spitting, "I don't know. Why don't you tell me who the bitch is that's calling you and telling you that she wants to ….that she wants…"

"Let it go," I warned her.

"Let it go? LET IT GO? You're fucking around and I'm supposed to just let it go?"

"Catherine, dear, it's not important. Just let it go. It's nothing for you to worry yourself over."

"You're fucking around. You're fucking me over," she punctuated each sentence with a shove.

I let her push me around. "Believe what you want, Catherine. Just because she calls me. Because she leave me messages. You ASSUME that I'm fucking around. What happened to trust, Cath? What have I done to cause you not to trust me?"

I crossed the room to the bedside table and picked up my cell phone. I tossed it to her. "Here check it. Check my sent messages. Check the calls I've made."

She looked down at the phone in her hands and then away from me.

"No, I insist, Catherine. Since I'm some two-timing whore, go ahead and check behind me."

Her lips were moving, but no sound was coming from them.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to speak up if you want me to understand you."

"I said I already did."

I rolled my eyes, "And what did you find? What did you find, Cath?"

She stared at her feet and mumbled, "Nothing."

"That's right! You found nothing because there is nothing to find. I haven't done anything for you to find."

Defeated, she looked in my eyes, "I've been down this road before. I won't do it again. So help me god if I find out…"

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me. "There's no one else, right?" she asked.

I kissed her forehead and said, "There's only you babe. As for that errand I was running this morning," I walked back toward the bedside table and pulled out a box, tossing it to her. "I was planning on giving this to you tonight, but now's a good a time as any."

She looked down at the box in her hands and then back to me.

"Go ahead. Open it," I told her.

With shaky hands, she lifted the lid of the box and gasped. "Oh my," she sobbed. "Sara, it's…"

I took the necklace from her hands and moved behind her, fastening it around her neck. "It's not much, but I wanted to get you something."

"It's beautiful," she said as her fingers delicately traced over the curves of the pendant.

Moving to stand in front of her I let my fingers move over the necklace and up her throat and to the nape of her. I pulled her closer to me and let my lips hover over hers.

"I love you," she whispered against my lips before pressing hers to mine.

I pulled back from the kiss, "Okay, I'm going to take that shower now." I turned to walk away from her. She grabbed my hand and pulled me back to her.

"The shower can wait. Let me thank you properly for my gift," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Let me take a shower first," I pleaded.

She pushed me down on the bed and straddled me, "You can once I'm done with you." Her hands were moving under my shirt as her lips caressed whatever flesh she could find.

I closed my eyes and let her thank me. One thought resonated in my head. This was almost too easy.