Title: Oppugn
Disclaimer: I only on a postcard with JF face on it.
Spoilers- 8x7
Special thanks to the amazing ButterflySidle for the beta!
"What the Hell was that?" Greg slammed into the locker room behind me. The sound of his angry steps had made me jump, but I wasn't stopping for anyone. I had already thrown myself up against my locker and was tearing for the handle.
"Leave it Greg." I growled.
"No. Sara. I won't." There was something dangerous in his voice. I whipped around. His brow was furrowed and his eyes were deadly serious.
"Greg."
"You had no right to talk to her that way; treat her that way. You could blow the entire case!" His voice was like someone tearing across gravel. I blinked, but I didn't back down.
"Ecklie made it apparent that I've already done that!"
"We both know you did the best you could at the time… You followed the evidence. Hannah manipulated you! But you still had no right to do what you did back there… you had no right to yell to Ronnie that way."
"I said leave it, Greg." There. I had humored him; I let him have his say. Now I could resume my flight.
"I don't get what is with you recently!" His voice packed a punch now- he was loosing it. Dangerous. Angry. Stupid. "You're never like that with suspects! Ronnie can't help it, she's young, she's passionate… she's new. I was like that once and you never chewed me up and spit me out like you did to her. If you had talked to me like that, I never would have made it! She just asked a question! You didn't have to rip her new asshole in front of everyone at the crime scene. You NEVER treat a fellow CSI Like that!" I know he was waiting for me to turn around, to admit wrong doing. I could tell by the way he was breathing how pissed off he was. I racked my brain for another time I had known him to be this mad and couldn't think of anything. He took one step closer, I could feel the hostility rolling off of him.
I moved with a force I didn't know I had and came face to face with the person yelling at me. My fists balled, knuckles painfully tight. My jaw set. Our eye's met, like two wildfires converging. We were toe to toe and I wasn't backing down.
"Go ahead Sara… Do it." He spat the dare at me.
We stood for a moment. My eyes softened and tried to fill with tears. I wouldn't let them. Not yet. I started to shake. He heaved a sigh—not one of relief, one of someone that was trying to keep control. He had something to learn about control, too. Let he without sin cast the first stone.
I whipped around and threw my fist into my locker. Pain shot through my hand. Throbbing, blood seeped through broken skin. Shit.
"Get some help Sara. You can't continue working like this. Grisso-"
"Grissom can't do anything about it. He saw to that when he let our secret out. Grissom isn't my boss anymore, Greg." I cut him off with a fury. The words were cold and acidic. My voice wasn't my own. I didn't mean to say it. I don't even know where it came from. It broke out of my mouth before I could catch it, bringing bile with it. I spun running, headed deeper into the lockers, leaving a stunned Greg in my wake.
I didn't make it to the toilet stall. I hit the door and vomited next to the trash can. I slid down the wall, cradling my head in my hands. The tears won this time and broke free. I crawled my way to the stall, for a little privacy. The cool floor soaked into my jeans, tears wet my hands, my shirt, my jacket. Rivers of mascara snaked across my face. Shoes appeared and stood next to the stall, but their owner didn't speak.
I sat like that a long time, wedged between the toilet and the black metal stall. The evening cast dim glow through frosted panes. It was the only way I knew how long I had been there. Greg gave up on me and left me to sort my demons, with only the smell of bleach to comfort me.