The Replacements

Fandom/Pairing: CSI, C/S
Summary: Part of the 'Variations on a Theme' series. Catherine finds out what Sara does on her nights off. Warning: Angst and anti-fluff.
Spoilers: Through season 5 of CSI (Bloodlines, Viva Las Vegas)

I heard what you said
And I recognize those feelings
I know how hard it is to watch it go
And all the effort that it took to get here in the first place
And all the effort not to let the effort show

I could almost like you
Now you're falling over
Now you're feeling hopeless
Now you're looking over your shoulder
Who's gonna come and find you?
-Everything but the Girl, "Downhill Racer"

Prologue

Warm hands slide up her sides, her mouth teased and captured by a roving tongue, stifling her moan as her thighs part. Soft, smooth, sweat-damp skin teases her body as a slow friction builds until her body bursts into heat and she gasps out, "Catherine."

Sara slowly recovered to sunlit blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, held down by the body snuggled into her body like she belonged there. As she raised her head, the blonde smiled a bright beautiful smile and asked, "Who's Catherine?"

Sara could still feel the aftershocks of her orgasm in her stomach and her mouth went dry as she realized she was still at the blonde's, what was her name, it started with a letter early in the alphabet, A, Amy, Abbie, Alex, Angie, that was it, Angie's bed. Sara had actually fallen asleep instead of lying quietly until the woman in her arms relaxed into sleep and she could slip out, unobserved. But this time she had stayed the night, and even though the wakeup had been pleasurable, now the inevitable questions started. And the first was the most awkward.

"Um, Catherine? She's a co-worker of mine." Sara shook her head, pretending to be shaking off the cobwebs. "I was dreaming about work when you, ah, interrupted me." Sara plastered her wide fake smile on her face and prayed the woman bought it. "Those last few minutes of the dream were odd, to say the least."

"Really?" The blonde in her arms smiled, either not bright enough to catch on to Sara's discomfort or smart enough to pretend along with Sara. Sara didn't know her well enough to tell. "What do you do?" she asked, making small talk.

"I'm a cop," Sara told her, feeling like it was close enough to the truth that she didn't have to feel too guilty.

"Really?" the blonde said again, and Sara started to lean toward the 'not too bright' category. "You carry a gun and handcuffs and a nightstick?" she asked, her voice lowering as she went through the list. Luckily, she didn't wait for Sara to reply, so Sara was spared the need to lie again, "That's really exciting." She squirmed, her body writhing on Sara's to leave no doubt as exact what she meant by exciting.

Sara managed a quick look at the bedside clock and decided that one more lie wasn't going to damn her any more than the previous ones had, and said, "I, I'm on soon. I need to go." The blonde pouted up at her in a show of disappointment, but stopped her movements and slid off of Sara, standing to pull a robe off the back of the door. "Do you want a take a shower? I can make some coffee."

Sara already had her jeans on and was tugging on her shirt, running over her mental inventory as she did so: watch, wallet, keys, pager, cell phone, underwear. Keeping her back turned so the other woman couldn't see her wince at the offer to spend more time in her company, Sara mumbled, "No, I really have to go or I'll be late to work." She finally turned and met the woman's eyes, "I'm sorry."

The blonde shook it off, "It's ok," she said as she walked out of the bedroom, leaving Sara to follow. She had paused by the phone on the kitchen counter, scribbling a note, before turning back to Sara to hand her the number and give her a quick peck on the cheek. "Call me?"

This last lie damned her more than all the others, as Sara smiled and said, "Sure." She made it out the door and down to her car then, crumbling the paper into a ball before letting it slip through her fingers.