Title: The Brightest Crayon in the Box
By: goosie
Rating: PG
Pairing: David Hodges/Bobby Dawson
Warnings: Coversation based snooping. Death threats. True love.
Status: 26 of 50 (csi50 challenge)
Summary: Wherein Sara figures it out.

She'd barely been paying attention really.

"Hodges, it's not so much that these guns are my babies, okay." Bobby started. "It's just that in order to replace them I gotta go to property, gotta locate another gun, and fill out all this paper work... So all I'm saying is that I would appreciate not being left out of the loop, kay?"

And then Hodges had gone on this ridiculous rant that had included a metaphor that cast him in a role of a solider and Grissom as the general.

Okay so maybe Sara had been paying attention.

But if it hadn't been for Bobby doing something that she had always figured to be completely out of his character, she probably wouldn't have ever looked up from the microscope in front of her.

While it was true that over the years Sara had noticed that Bobby did seem to have a more than healthy attachment to his guns, the ballistics tech had been... "snippy". Bobby Dawson was never snippy. Bobby Dawson was friendly and helpful... sometimes overly so in both aspects if you asked Sara, but never snippy.

Now Sara had taken into account that the person that Bobby had been "snippy" with was David Hodges-a man that could annoy even the most un-ruffle-able individual.

Okay so maybe, Bobby Dawson was indeed only human.

Sara didn't get long to ponder on any of these things, because just then Warrick interrupted and a mere moment after that Hodges found blood. Then, once again, everything else became way more important then why Bobby Dawson had suddenly become someone else completely.

It was a couple days later when Sara's curiosity was once again kindled. She'd walked in on Bobby and Hodges in the Trace lab bickering like an old married couple.

"That doesn't make any sense, Dave." Bobby grumbled.

"Look, I didn't do it. Don't take that tone with me." Hodges said turning back to his microscope. "And don't come in my lab whining and not expect me to say anything."

"I'm not whining... I'm just..."

"Whining. Bobby, good god, if the guy is being such a pain in the ass just tell him and stop bugging me about it. Every time he rearranges your precious guns you come in her pestering me about it and... what can I do for you Ms. Sidle?"

Sara had almost been startled when she'd realized that Hodges' icy glare was now trained on her. Bobby just looked like he'd been caught committing a felony.

Sara could see how he could confuse the two. I mean he was willing associating with David Hodges.

"Oh, hi Sara," Bobby smiled. "Bye, Sara." And just like that the ballistics tech was off, but not before sending one last glare in Hodges' direction.

Sara just watched the other man go. Well, that had been strange.

"Something I can do you for you CSI lady?" Hodges said, his eyes once cast on his current task. "Or do you just like standing in the middle of labs and generally being a nuisance?"

Sara rolled her eyes.

It was almost a week later when Sara wandered into the Ballistics lab and walked in on this train wreck of a conversation. Their voices were hushed but the tone more than got the point across.

"Y'do know that I could shoot you n'make it look like a'accident!"

Bobby's accent had thickened so that Sara had to strain to figure out exactly what the man had said. The preceding look of absolute shock on Hodges' face was enough to confirm it.

"Hey, you're not the only one who knows a few tricks, Dawson!"

"What you gonna do, Dave?" Bobby bolstered. "Plant fibers on me then kill yerself?"

Oh dear lord.

"I can't believe you just said that to me." Hodges frowned. "That was just mean. I..."

There was only one excuse for an argument like this.

"Bobby? Am I interrupting something?"

The two men froze at the sound of the woman's voice, although, it was actually more of a squeak than anything.

"Sara?" Bobby immediately paled. "Uh, no. You're not interrupting anything."

The reaction was understandable. He had just been caught having what sounded like a very personal and very volatile argument in the middle of his place of work. Not to mention that he'd just openly spilled his plans for David Hodges' "accidental" death in the middle of a crime lab.

Yeah, that-I-have-just-committed-a-felony (or-am-planning-to) look Bobby had been adopting lately was probably more appropriate this time.

Hodges did have the tendency to do that to people. However, Sara was still in complete awe that the man had seemingly succeeded in cracking the previously believed indestructible goodwill of one Bobby Dawson.

No, it couldn't be, not sweet, southern sugar, gentle as a kitten Bobby Dawson. Sara had officially fallen into the twilight zone.

Sara Sidle' mouth dropped open as the revelation of revelations finally fell upon her like a ton of bricks. There was only one acceptable line of reasoning to what could bring... that ...out of the man.

"Sara." Hodges frowned. "I see you've decided to add ease dropping in on others people's conversations to your list of hobbies."

Sara hadn't even registered the trace tech's remark. She was still staring wide eyed at the two of them.

Hodges raised a brow before walking up to the gaping woman, his frown still firmly in place.

"Sidle?" He said, finally waving a hand in front of her face. "You alright? ARE. YOU. HAVING. A. STROKE?"

Sara slapped the man's hand out of her face. "Hodges!"

Bobby just watched the pair of them like he was the sane one. Sara of course wasn't buying it. Something was terribly wrong here. And it definitely didn't have anything to do with her.

"How could I have missed this?" She uttered to no one in particular.

"Okay. I'm calling an ambulance."

"Dave!"

"You two." Sara began to clarify. "How could I have missed it?" She laughed. "You two are dating." She grinned, gap toothed and proud.

Bobby's brown eyes widened marginally. Hodges' brows just inched up a bit higher.

"Say no more." Sara continued grinning. "I'll leave you two to your little lovers' quarrel. But remember Bobby; you are in the middle of a crime lab. Plenty of trained observers. They make great witnesses."

"Sara... I..." Bobby sputtered but it was no use. The Georgian sighed.

With that, the CSI snatched up her folder from the top of Bobby's out pile and walked back out the door, stifling a chuckle when the she heard further bickering from the two men.

"An' you owe me twenty bucks."

"I do not owe you twenty bucks."

"Yeah, ya do."

"I do not."

"YEAH. Ya. Do. I told you Sara'd figure it out first."

"You did not."

"I did to."