***A/N***

I am hitting a block on how to proceed with "Life is what happens" and I have had this scenario running through my head for a while so I decided to give it a go. I have been watching some old episodes and realized I miss the carefree, hilarious Greg from the early seasons but I love how he had developed at the same time. Anyway, hopefully you will enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it! As always, Happy Reading!

Chapter 1

Sara Sidle walked slowly down the hall of the Las Vegas Crime Lab, the locker room her destination. Tiredly, she rubbed a hand over the stiff muscles in the back of her neck. Hunting for the killer cannibals had made for a very stressful shift and she just wanted to get her things and go home and start her weekend. She craved the quiet solitude after being surrounded by so many people and so much noise. She stepped into the locker room and hurriedly opened her own locker, hoping the make her escape without having to get involved in a conversation. Having grabbed her jacket and purse, Sara secured her locker and turned to leave just as Greg and Morgan were walking in.

"Hey, Sara!" Greg smiled at her warmly and Sara could not help but smile back. Greg had always been able to make her smile. "We're going to go get some breakfast, you want to come?"

Sara looked at him for a moment and wondered if he would ever get up the nerve to ask Morgan on an actual date. Having seen the chemistry between the two, Sara hoped he would soon or he might just miss his chance. "Thank, but I think I need some down time at home. Put on some music and relax. Next time?"

"Of course," Greg took a closer look at her. "You doing okay?"

As always, she was touched by his concern but she really did want to get home. "I'm fine, Greg. I'll see you guys in three days," smiling she gave a brief wave and made her escape. Sara managed to make it to her car without seeing anyone else and she sank into the driver's seat with a sigh of relief. As she started the engine of her little Prius she saw Greg step out of the lab and hold the door open for Morgan to pass through. Sara watched his face as he looked down at the pretty blonde woman and remembered a time when he had looked at her in a similar way.

Sara smiled a little remembering when she had first come to Vegas and had met a young spikey haired, goofball with a penchant for outrageous flirting. Brilliant despite being only in his early twenties, Greg had been fun and lighthearted. He had been the first true friend she had had in this town. Watching him walk with Morgan toward the parking lot, Sara noted the changes in her friend. Greg had long since given up the crazy hairdos and had exchanged jeans and vintage t-shirts for suits, though he kept the sneakers. She realized with a pang that he smiled far less than he used to and she couldn't remember the last time she had heard him laugh.

Sara had been so wrapped up in her own pain and problems that she realized how little she had noticed changes in the people she cared about. Greg had always been a good looking, kind, and caring guy but more importantly he had grown into a good man. Sara watched Greg and Morgan drive out of the parking lot together and thought about what life would have been like had she given Greg the chance he had wanted so badly all those years ago. If she hadn't been so infatuated with Grissom and had instead agreed to a date with the younger man would they have fallen in love? Gotten married? Would they still be happy and enjoying life together instead of both being single and in love with people they could not have?

Shaking her head at these errant thoughts, Sara put the car in reverse and started the drive home.

….

An hour later Sara was home, dressed in shorts and a tank top, sitting with her feet up and a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other. Every few weeks she started to feel the strain of the ugliness in the world and just needed time to herself, with little to no contact with the outside world, to regain her perspective and positive attitude. It had taken a long time to realize how necessary this down time was to her mental health but now she enjoyed this time and recognized the improvement in her disposition after taking a short break.

Sometimes she was more in the mood to watch movies but recently she had been on a reading kick. Surprisingly, Sara loved thrillers and mysteries. Most people thought she would rather read something technical or science related but she enjoyed losing herself in fictional stories. She was just beginning to relax and really get into the plot when the doorbell rang.

Her first thought was to ignore it but after a few moments the bell rang again and she decided she should take care of whatever it was now so that she could spend the rest of her weekend undisturbed. With a groan, Sara swung her legs to the floor and set her wine and book on the coffee table. Barefoot, she padded to the front door and looked through the peep hole. When she saw the man standing on the other side of the door she reeled back in shock.

Gil Grissom, he ex-husband, was the last person she had expected to see on her doorstep. She stood there so long, in shock, that he pressed the doorbell again startling her into movement. Sara reached out and turned the deadbolt, unlocking the door. Then taking a deep breath to steady herself, she opened the door and stared at Grissom, at a loss for words.

She could not help but note how good he looked. His hair was cut close to his head and he had grown his beard back. He had lost some weight and regained some muscle tone in his arms and chest. His polo shirt clung to his broad shoulders and his blank pants showed a trim waist.

He stared back at her, eyes moving over her face and down the length of her body, and she felt her face flush wondering what he saw when he looked at her. Had he missed her? Did he still find her as beautiful as he had once said he did? Had she shaved her legs that morning? She found the compulsion to look down at herself, not willing to let him see that she cared what he thought of her appearance. It sounded petty but she did not want to show him how affected she was by his sudden presence at her home. The home they had once shared.

Sara straightened her spine and lifted her chin unconsciously and crossed her arms over her chest. "Grissom." She saw him flinch at her use of his last name, reverting to addressing him as she had before they had become a couple.

"Hello, Sara." He looked as though he wanted to say more but decided against it.

"I didn't know you were back in the states." She knew she sounded abrupt and didn't care. She also had no intention of inviting him in. As far as she was concerned he did not deserve courtesy or politeness.

"I got back a few months ago," he admitted.

Despite herself, Sara felt a stabbing pain in her heart. He had been back in the U.S. for months and had not contacted her. Not that Grissom had an obligation to her any longer. Their divorce had been final for nearly a year. Their contact minimal until matters had been settled and then nonexistence since then. So what the hell was he doing here now?

"What do you want, Grissom?" Sara's jaw was starting to ache and she realized her jaw was clenched painfully. She made a conscious effort to relax, taking a deep breath. She saw an emotion which looked like hurt flash across his face but refused to be swayed.

He brought a hand up to rub the side of his face, a nervous gesture she recognized immediately. "I'm sorry to just show up here unannounced. And I understand if you don't want to see me, Sara. I was….I was just hoping….wondering if we could talk."

"I think we've said all there is to say, Grissom. I can't imagine what you think we have to talk about now," she said, shaking her head.

"Even after everything…that's happened, Sara, I still lo-," he stopped when Sara's head snapped up and she met his eyes. "I still care about you," he quickly amended, seeing the anger on her face.

"No."

He stepped back in confusion. "No?"

Sara advanced a step, "No! You don't get to do this, Grissom! You wanted a divorce and you got it. You don't get to care about me. Or if you do care about me you don't get to come here and tell me about it. I won't let you jerk me around and mess with my head. I let you get away with that for too many years and it will never happen again." With that, she stepped back inside and slammed the door. Her last image of him was the shocked and hurt expression on his handsome face.

She turned the deadbolt, locking him out and collapsed against the door. Sara closed her eyes trying to regain control of her emotions but heard a sob escape. Covering her mouth, afraid he would hear her through the door, she walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. After a few minutes of taking deep, slow, even breaths she felt more in control and she reached for her wine glass, taking a sip and then downing the rest of the red liquid.

"Son of a bitch!" Sara's vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears and she laid down on the couch, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging herself. She cried until sleep finally overtook her.

TBC….