This is for one of my best friends, Heather. She inspired me to write this, and whatever Greg feels for Heather, so do I, just in less gay way:P Love you Heather!

"I feel like walking the world,
Like walking the world.
You can hear she's a beautiful girl,
She's a beautiful girl"

Greg was singing loudly and tapping his fingers to the music while driving his car out of town. There wasn't a cloud in the sky even though it was in the middle of October, but the dew from the cold night still covered the edges of the glass. The chilly wind blew in from the open window and breezed his face. He tightened the red scarf around his neck and looked out the window. He was taken by the beautiful fall-day. Vegas didn't get any lovelier than this; it was breathtaking. The first rays of sun stretched out over the desert and began its daily struggle to once again warm up the sand from the cold night that had passed.
It was early in the morning; the beginning of a busy day. Greg knew, but he didn't care. He knew it would all be worth it once he saw Heather's smile at the end of it, and today was special. It was her birthday.

Greg's snapped out of his daydreaming when he pulled into the driveway. He quickly recovered from his dreamy state and returned to reality, the cold and harsh reality a CSI had to face every day. He popped the trunk, picked up his kit and turned to face the building he'd soon be processing. The chilly air didn't help the house's cold expression, it only contributed to making the house look more ghost-like. Greg always thought he'd never get used to the cold and empty feeling he got before entering a crime scene, that would be the day he quit, he told himself. He sucked in the cold air and entered through the massacred door.

When Greg could finally got out again the clock was reaching almost 10. Not until now was Vegas once again waking up from last night's late drinking, gambling and partying, and he was on his way back to the lab for more work. He sighed, but continued the Strip down until he arrived at the lab.
"I'm so sorry Greg!" Catherine called when he entered the building. He turned around and she caught up with him. "I got called to a potential suicide down at the high school" she explained.

Greg nodded "It's ok Cath, I'm good..." Catherine raised one eye brow and looked questioningly at him.
"You seem distracted" she noted.
"That obvious, huh?" Greg half-smiled. Catherine stopped him and turned to face him, she cocked her head to the side and looked him in the eyes.
"I know you Greggo, don't get too caught up in this case, ok?". Greg nodded and continued to his lab.

Greg liked thinking of himself as a good soldier for the community of Vegas. He did his job, he got drug dealers, pimps, rapists and murders convicted and kept them out of the streets from the public. He made the streets just a little safer. He was proud of what he did, but sometimes he wondered why people couldn't pay him the same respect he paid them. Why did the the people he kept locked up even exist? He never had a day off. Always something new happened, never was he able just to be the innocent civilian that was being guarded, because he was the guardian. He was growing tired of that. Why couldn't he get just one day off, for personal business, every once in a while?
He was walking to the DNA lab with some cigarette-butts he had found at the crime scene, but all of sudden, he changed direction.
He walked into Grissom's office.

"Grissom", Greg was just as surprised at his sudden bravery as Grissom was to get a visitor. Greg exhaled and prepared for a long rant. "I am a good employee. I never complain about the hours, I never complain about the experiences, I never complain about anything. I do my job, and I do it well. I am good at what I do. I have sacrificed so much for this job, for you, for the rest of us. I have sacrificed a normal social life for working very hard, very much and very passionately, and I think I deserve to get something in return. Because, well because I am a good soldier dammit! I have always done what you have required, I've put up with lousy hours and dying people and hell, I've even put up with beatings, because I believe in what I do! And I've done it without hesitating, but lately I have found something I am as much engaged to as my job, and that is Heather. I love my job, but I love her too. And all I want, all I'm asking for, is a normal life every once in a while! I want to be able to do something ordinary without having to leave in the middle of it and seeing the disappointment in her eyes when I leave. Even though she says she's fine, I can feel she's hurting, and that hurts me. So please, I beg you, please let me go be with her on her birthday today. I have a thousand things to fix, and no time to do it. But I, she, deserves having her boyfriend with her on her birthday, no one should have to be alone on their own birthday."

Grissom looked at Greg and slowly took of his reading glasses. "Greg" he said and smiled.
"What?" Greg said, surprised.
"All you needed to do was ask" Grissom said and chuckled. He put on his glasses again and continued reading. After a second of sinking-in, Greg smiled victoriously to himself and left the office.

"No. No. No no no no no no no, not today! Please, not today!" Greg hit the steering wheel in anger. "Pleease, why?! Why are you doing this to me!?" Greg shouted to the car, it had shut down. Of all days, of course this was the day the old, ramshackle car finally decided it was time to move on. Greg moaned. In the middle of the dessert on his way to pick up Heather's gift, and the car shuts down. He lowered his head in defeat but jumped out of the seat when his head touched the honking-horn. Groaning he banged his head on the steering wheel, now there was no way to make it. He was already running late, this would be the doom. He'd have to call someone to come pick him up, then someone would have to come and toed the car and then... Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Greg looked up, a little ashamed of his little break-down. A beautiful woman was staring down at him. "Hey" she said, continuing to look down at him. He straightened his back and responded very politely.
"Hello".

"Your car break down?" the woman said and placed back a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Greg looked down on his lap. "Yeah, I.." he drifted and looked up at her. He opened the door and stepped out of the car. "Yes" he said again. "Natural causes I guess" he said and shot a look at the old rusty Volvo. The woman laughed. "Yeah! Where did you even find that?" she said and smiled. Greg giggled. "My first car. People tell me to get a new one, but I just can't let it go. Perhaps this is what they were talking about, huh?" He said and chuckled, relieved for the distraction from the disaster he was going to have to face.
"I might not look like it" the woman said, "but I actually know a thing or two about cars, mind if I try working on it?" she asked and started shovelling her long-sleeved shirt up her elbow. Greg shrugged. "I suppose, I have nothing to loose, right?" he said and smiled at her. "I left my tools at home, so I could probably use all the help I can get... What's your name?" He asked.
"Alexandra James, but everyone just calls me Sasha." she said and rolled her eyes.
"Greg, Greg Sanders" he responded. "Nice to meet you Sasha" Greg smiled.
"Nice to meet you too, Greg" she said. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Sasha and Greg stood and looked at the car. Sasha turned to Greg. "It's as good as new!" she declared smiling. "Ok, that is one hell of a stretch" she giggled, "but I think the engine might last another year or two" She flashed a brilliant smile at Greg, who smiled back. "Yeah, you're good" he said and furrowed his brows, she really was.
"3 older brothers, no girls in the family but me and mum" she explained and turned to look at the car again.
Greg rocked back and forth on his heels "So, I guess that's it then" he said and rubbed his hands.
"Yeah..." Sasha said, but stopped Greg who was about to leave. "There is no way I could get your number?" she tilted her head and tried reading the man's expression. Greg smiled, obviously honoured by the proposition, but shook his head. "No. I am a man in love already" he said and smiled; he was thinking about Heather. He looked at Sasha, but stopped what he was going to say.
"What?" Sasha asked, curious about what was going on in Greg's head. He held up his index fingers as an indicator that he was thinking. Sasha waited.
"Ehm." Greg hesitated. "You think I could get an input from you?" he asked after a while.
"Sure" Sasha said and made a face, she wasn't sure of what was going on. Greg picked up something from his pocket. It was a little, black velvet box.
"Open it" Greg said. "Tell me what you think. You like it?" Sasha opened the box. "I'm not sure, I want it to be perfect, you know? Would you like it?" He asked, looking rather scared of hearing the answer.
Sasha held the box and studied the contents, a small diamond ring inside it. "It's... Absolutely lovely." she finally said. Greg sighed in relief.
Sasha closed the box and handed the ring back to Greg. "She's a lucky girl. What's her name?" Sasha asked.
"Heather. Heather is her name" Greg smiled. He looked at the clock. "Oh! I'm so sorry, but I got to run! Thank you so much for your help Sasha, I really appreciate it!" he shook her hand and jumped in the car. "Good luck with everything!" she called after the speeding car.

Greg stood a bit outside of Vegas with a map in his hands. According to it, the shop he was looking for should have been here. It was located in a small, village-like gathering of houses and small shops outside of Vegas, in the middle of the dessert. He quietly muttered to himself why someone would open up a shop in this tiny hole instead of Vegas, but then he reminded himself that he had dragged himself out of Vegas to visit this 'hole'. He snorted. With the map in his hands he walked across the street to the diner to ask for direction. A little bell rang when he entered. He went to sit at the counter. "Excuse me?" he asked a lady dressed in pink across the counter, "Could you help me with some directions?"
"Of course young'un, where ya headed?" Greg showed her the map and pointed on the location of the shop. "Oh darling, I'm sorry, they moved that shop from here further away a few months ago..." Greg rubbed his face and sighed. "Ok. I'll take a scotch, you serve that?" he asked and groaned. The pink lady rubbed his shoulder. "It'll be fine, don't worry, I'll get you a scotch and the directions, mkay?" Greg nodded and rested his forehead in his hands.

By the time Greg had found the shop and the business was done, it was starting to get dark. He walked through the doors and worked out pretty fast that he wouldn't be able to make it to the dinner reservations he had made. He sighed. He looked at the clock, it was closer to 9 now, he was right, the reservation was long gone by now, and he had at least a 2 hour drive back, and that was if he broke the speed limits all the way home. Heather was probably starting to get worried by now, but he couldn't call her. I didn't want to worry her, but he wanted this to be special and uptill now he had only been a disappointment...

He got into the car and began the long drive home. He would have to work something out while driving. All he wanted right now was to sit on the sofa with Heather in his arms and just be. He knew she wasn't big on gifts and surprises, but he thought she deserved every last thing he could give her, and he also knew she'd love this.

It was completely dark when he finally drove up on the driveway. The clock had passed midnight and the lights were only on in one of the rooms. Greg locked the car and stepped out on the gravelled path leading to the door. The only thing he could hear in the silent night was pebbles crunching beneath his feet. He slowly unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was warm inside compared to the chilly October air, it felt welcoming. It smelled of food, Heather must have cooked for him and he felt bad for not showing.
He hung his black coat and the red scarf on the stand and took of his shoes. The wooden floor creaked as he walked over the sofa. Heather was lying there, she had fallen asleep with the lights on. He couldn't help but smiling when he saw her sleeping. She looked so peaceful.
She looked really nice, she was still wearing the clothes she picked out for the restaurant visit, a blue dress. The colour matched her intense bright-blue eyes. She was curled up in the corner of the sofa and the blanket that kept her warm had slid down and to her waste and only covered her waste-down now. Her arms looked cold. Greg walked over to her side and pulled up the blanket to her shoulders. He couldn't stop looking at her. She was so beautiful, so amazing, so smart and so funny, and she was his. She had him too. He stroke her brown locks of hair and kissed her forehead. He breathed in her scent and everything about her. The feeling, the atmosphere, it was all her. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her chest.

Together they sat. Greg didn't know for how long, no time was ever enough with Heather. But after a while he decided to wake her up. He gently whispered her name in her ear placed his hands on her cheek. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled. "You're here" she whispered. "I'm sorry" he said and leant in to kiss her, but she pulled away and sat up in the sofa.
"Where were you?" she asked and eyed him cautiously. Greg sat down next to her and smiled to himself. If only she knew everything that had happened. "It's a long story love, I'll tell you some time" he said and looked her in the eyes. "I was looking for something" he explained after a while. "Because it's your birthday" he said and he flashed her a dazzling smile. "Happy birthday" he said and leant into her. Heather giggled and put her hands on his cheeks. "Hold perfectly still and close your eyes" she said. Greg raised his eyebrow but when Heather shot him a look he obeyed. Heather leaned into him put stopped an inch away from his lips, she whispered "You know you didn't have to get me anything. But thank you." Greg smiled. "I know" he whispered back and smiled. "Don't you want to know what it is?" Greg asked.
"Not until I have paid the effort back" she giggled.

Epilogue

Heather's eyes were sparkling as she looked out over the city, New York City. Heather tightened her jacket around her slender body and stepped closer to Greg standing besides her. Greg took his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms around her, squeezing her closer. She giggled and sighed. "This is one magnificent view" she said with awe, feeling the city pulsating with life beneath her. Greg and Heather were standing on a roof-top looking out over the city. Millions of buildings and millions of people, all visible from their position. Heather looked up at Greg from his side and he met her gaze. She sneaked her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "This is amazing, you are amazing!" she exclaimed. Greg laughed "don't say that yet, I have one more surprise ready for you. Are you ready for it Heather?" he asked smiling and raised his eye brows. "Oh, I dunno, am I?" she said and giggled. They took each others hands and Greg led Heather down the spiral stairs. Before they stepped into the room Greg turned around and looked at Heather, she tilted her head questioningly. He walked up to her and put his hands on her eyes. "No cheating" he threatened jokingly. Heather stuck out her tongue. "I saw that you know" Greg chuckled. He continued leading Heather and when he had arrived he gently let go. Heather looked at the room. At the other end, by the window, was a small table set. Candles and roses, food and drinks. She turned around to face Greg. "You. You.." she trailed off. "You are making me speechless Mr Sanders" she said and giggled after the instant shock was over. She smiled hugely and hugged him. "It is amazing, I love it." she put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Greg smiled crookedly and raised his eyebrow suggestively. "You hungry?"

On a bench, again up on the roof, they sat and stared out in the night. Heather was lying with her head in Greg's lap. Greg was fiddling with her brown hair.

"I have something to ask" Greg suddenly said.
"Hm?" Heather sat up on the bench. Greg let go of her hand and walked to the edge of the roof. He stared out over the city. Heather waited for him to turn around, but he didn't. She walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"What is it? What was it you wanted to ask?" she asked warily. Greg turned to face her. He looked her in the eyes and put his hand on her cheek.
"Heather. You know why I did all this? I love you. I love you like I have never loved anyone before. You are my life, and I want you to be my life forever. You're the most amazing woman I have ever met," he took her hands and bent down on one knee "Will you, Heather McKinty, please marry me?" He held up the black velvet box with the diamond ring.
Heather's mouth flew open, and after a while she stuttered "You, you, you're asking me to marry you?"
Greg smiled. "Yes, I wouldn't want our baby to become a bastard now, would I?" Heather was shaking, but she couldn't help but giggle. She carefully bent down and put her arms around Greg's neck. "Off course I will you silly, silly man" she said and kissed him passionately.

"Wake up future husband" Heather said and poked Greg on the chest. Greg was snoring. She giggled. "Greeeeg" she jokingly whined and poked some more. This time Greg opened his eyes. "Oh, hello there future Mrs Sanders" he said after a while and kissed her on the nose.
"Shouldn't we be headed back to Vegas? You probably need to work..." Heather said and looked down with her eyes. Greg thought about this for a while. But finally he said "No, you know what? They're good without me. They might as well get used to me being away, because 'til death do us part' is not enough time for me to spend with you," he smiled "I can go be a good soldier some other time".

The End. Thanks for reading;)

CommentsLove:P

Happy birthday Heather!