She Will Be Loved

Chapter 1

Catherine POV:

I knew she was pissed the minute I saw her. She came storming out of Gil's office and the anger just rolled off her in waves. I knew better than to say anything to her. A pissed off Sara Sidle is not something to toy with. I would check on her, just not at that moment. She needed time to cool off from whatever had set her off. Instead, I made my way to Gil's office.

"What did you do?" I don't bother greeting him as I walk in. He's sitting behind his desk, looking like nothing has happened. Typical, clueless Gil Grissom.

"What are you talking about?" He doesn't bother looking up from the file he's currently reading.

"I'm talking about Sara storming down the hall like a bat out of hell just now." I cross my arms and stare at my friend. He is truly socially inept at times.

"We had a disagreement." Gil shrugs, still not looking up.

"A disagreement about what?" I push. Getting Gil to spill anything is like pulling teeth from a grizzly bear.

"She, uh, she asked me out." Gil finally glances up at me. He looks like he would rather talk about anything else.

"Well, I take it from her reaction that you're not making dinner plans." I huff in annoyance.

God, he's my best friend but I swear he's an idiot. Who in their right mind would ever turn down Sara Sidle? She's beautiful, passionate, funny when she wants to be, and sexy as hell. I've been living in my own personal Hell because of her for the last 3 years. We don't always get along, but that's mostly my fault. I tend to turn into a bitch around her to mask my true feelings.

"Catherine." Gil sighs, taking his glasses off and tossing them on his desk. "I'm her supervisor, she's my subordinate."

"Gil, you know you mean the world to me, but you are truly an idiot." I glare at him.

He stares at me for a few moments before pinching the bridge of his nose. As long as I've known Gil Grissom, I've never known the man to be in a serious relationship. He is truly and completely married to his work.

"I really hope you don't live to regret your decision, Gil." I give him a look before I turn and leave his office.

I wouldn't be surprised if Sara has already left the building, but I go in search of her anyway. I'm actually a bit shocked when I find her sitting in front of her locker. She doesn't see me standing in the doorway, so I take the time to look at her. She's breathtaking, as usual. She's wearing a blue v-neck shirt that hugs her in all the right places with tight, black jeans. Her dark hair is down, framing her beautiful face. I can tell by her posture that she's still upset.

"You okay?" I finally speak as I walk into the locker room. She jumps slightly at the sound of my voice.

"Oh, hey Catherine." She mumbles as she looks over at me. "I'm fine."

"You may be able to pull that with the boys, Sidle, but I know better." I arch an eyebrow at her. "I saw you coming out of Grissom's office."

"Oh, that. That was nothing." She waves a hand dismissively. "I did something I shouldn't have. Something stupid."

"He told me you asked him out." I sit down beside her and choke back a laugh at the look on her face.

"He, uh, he told you that?" Sara scratches the back of her neck nervously.

"Well, I pretty much forced it out of him." I shrug. "He's an idiot, ya know?"

"I don't even know why I asked him out." She sighs, putting her head in her hands.

"Shift ended ten minutes ago." I say as I look at my watch. "You want to grab a beer?"

"Uh, sure." Sara looks at me in surprise. "That sounds good."

She reaches into her locker and pulls out her bag and a black leather jacket. Oh, I love it when she wears leather. Easy Willows. It's just a beer, not a date.

"Ready?" I ask, breaking myself out of my thoughts. She gives me a nod and we head out of the lab.

"Yours or mine?" Sara asks as we reach the parking lot.

"We can take mine." I offer, nodding toward my Tahoe. "I know a place."

We climb into the SUV and I start the engine. I immediately reach for the volume on the radio to turn it down as Melissa Etheridge blasts from the speakers. Sara smirks at me from the passenger's seat.

"What?" I glance at her as I put the truck in gear and ease out of the parking lot.

"Nice tunes." She nods to the radio. "I didn't figure you for a rock fan."

"What did you figure me for?" I grin as I continue driving.

"Well, you are from Montana." Sara shrugs. "So, I was thinking somewhere along the lines of country music."

"I do like some country." I give her a smile as we stop at a red light. "Good country. Dolly, Garth, Reba."

She laughs, giving me her adorable gap tooth smile in the process. She truly is gorgeous. Gil is such an idiot to have turned down this amazing woman. I sigh to myself as we finally reach the bar and I put the truck in park. One of the great things about Vegas is you can find a bar open at any hour, which is especially nice for people like us that work graveyard. We each order a beer and take seats at a booth in a back corner of the bar.

"So, I have to ask, Sara." I say as I take a sip of my beer. "What possessed you to ask Gil Grissom, the most socially awkward man on the planet, out on a date?"

"I honestly don't even know." Sara laughs as she sips her own beer. "I felt connected to him at one point. I thought I felt more for him than I really do. I guess... I guess I'm just tired of always being alone. Never having a life outside of the lab."

"There are other people out there, ya know." I shrug. I decide to press her, see if I can find out more about her. Like if she's ever been with a woman. "Was there anyone before you came to Vegas?"

"There were a few, yeah." She takes another swig of her beer. "My last serious relationship left a lot to be desired, though."

"Oh?" I look at her. God her eyes are gorgeous. "What happened?"

"She decided her Latin professor was a better choice than me." Sara shrugs as she finishes off her beer.

"She?" I almost choke on my beer. Holy. Shit. Sara Sidle likes women! I may actually have a shot. Play it cool, Willows.

"Uh, yeah." Sara shifts in her seat. I can tell she's trying to figure out what I'm thinking. "I, uh, I've mostly dated women."

"Good to know." I give her a smile, hoping she gets my meaning.

"Really?" Sara gives me a small smile back. "Why is that, Catherine?"

"At least now I know I may have a chance if I were to ask you out." I wink at her as I bring my beer bottle back to my lips and finish it off.