A/N: I know this fic is more Nick and Katie but they had more to do with it then Sara and Greg, did you really want me to just add little bits of Sara saying that she's still driving with no destination in mind or Greg is worrying too much? Of course not. So sorry for that. A little long but I didn't feel like making it two chapters cause I knew it was never get posted if I did that so its one. Picks up where the last one left off only fast forwarding a couple of hours.
I actually was going to update a Nick and Katie fic for those who reviewed my new 'what if' little saga but to update them, had to get this out of the way so hopefully if I can actually sit down long enough they'll get out within a day or so. Thanks again for sticking with me through this.
I do not own, Anberlin, CSI or anything except for Torrent, Nevada, Katie Stokes, and Shatter Breakfast Diner. Wow maybe I do own something.
It was 12:37pm when the ringing that was nothing more than a minor annoyance became a loud shrill noise that only a hangover can cause.
The occupants of the house groaned as the ringing started, they both had too much to drink and then about ten drinks after that.
"Make it stop" the female occupant groaned as she took a spare pillow and covered her head.
"It's not my phone" the male turned over away from the ringing but the sunlight blinded him and he rolled back over bringing his pillow over his head as well in an attempt to drown out the ringing.
The ringing soon stopped and just as the two were about to doze off when the ringing started again.
"Fuck off!" the female threw the pillow in the direction of the phone but it did little to the ringing.
"Just answer it" Nick finally told his wife pulling the covers over his head.
Stumbling blindly through the bedroom – opening her eyes had been a no go after she'd been blinded by light the first time she opened them.
"I swear to god this better be- Katie Stokes" she sounded cheerful and awake the complete opposite of what she was.
"I don't know how I did but I got up and drove" she recognized the voice and she was instantly awake glancing towards the bed.
"What do you mean you just got up and drove?" she exited the bedroom closing the door behind her and made her way to the bedroom.
"After we had sex last night, I waited until he was asleep and got up and drove"
"Where are you now?"
"Not sure somewhere past Indigo and Crimson"
"That's over a 100 miles from here"
"I know and I feel great"
"Please tell me I'm not the only one who knows about this" throughout the conversation her eyes drifted towards the closed bedroom door at the back of the house which for the moment remained closed.
"Grissom and Ecklie will know in a couple of hours when they get in"
"I really don't like the position you just put me in"
"Just thought I'd call and keep you posted that I'm not missing" the door opened and out came Nick in nothing than boxers and his bed head looking somewhat cute. Katie closed her phone quickly cutting of the conversation regardless if it was done or not. She stayed silent as she watched him start the coffee maker.
"So who was it?"
"A friend" Nick looked at her but stopped when the cordless phone beside him rang.
"Hello" he answered tiredly
"Whoa Greg slow down, take a deep breath and repeat what you just said" Nick told the frantic caller. After Greg explained in detail about what he found that morning and Nick promising that he would call if Sara ever did, he hung up the phone ready to tell Katie everything he'd learned. He started talking as he looked up only to find he was talking to an empty room, Katie was nowhere in sight.
She knew he was sure of it.
--
Greg's ApartmentFor what seemed like the hundredth time he pressed the familiar buttons to connect him with Sara but found it went to answering service after three rings if he had to hear 'You know what to do' he was surely going to loose it.
"Sara this isn't funny anymore, just answer the damn phone we need to talk" flipping it closed.
--
Torrent, Nevada. Population 153 – now 154Sara pulled into town or lack there of a town with just one store that combined everything one would need to live off of, a supermarket, post office and all the other rest into one and decided that this was it, this is where she would settle down. Not sure of what she could do yet but the less people around her the better.
Pulling into an empty parking space in front of the only hotel she got out and looked around and fell in love with the place all over again. It was so quiet here, she could actually hear the birds chirping and the sun was real and not brightened with the help of neon lights from the strip.
Yep this definitely was the place she could get used to.
--
The Stokes Residence"Katie who was on the phone?" Nick asked his wife after he found her back in bed, pillows over her head and he would have believed she fell back asleep except her breathing wasn't in sleeping mode.
"I said no one"
"It was Sara wasn't it?"
"I'm not getting involved but I can't say I blame her, Greg deserved what he got after what he did to her now shush I'm trying to sleep"
"No Katie Greg's my friend, tell me who was on the phone" he said in a tone that he rarely ever used
"No" she said in a tone that she too rarely used
"Fine you deal with Greg when I tell him you were on the phone with Sara minutes before he called here"
"I never said I was on the phone with her"
"I know you were"
"Okay whatever call Greg and I'll tell him the same thing I'm telling you. NO" she rolled over away from him and he was torn between his wife and his best friend.
The next day
Shattered Breakfast Diner
"This place has the best pancakes here" Nick told her, he was telling here the truth he just forgot to tell his lovely wife that someone else would be here as well.
"I'm feeling more like French toast do they have that?" she asked, slipping into the booth grabbing menu pondering it over.
"I think so haven't really looked over the menu" Katie thanked the waitress as she filled her coffee cup.
"Hey guys sorry I'm late just needed to run one more sample before I left" Katie's eyes flew up to see Greg walking up to them and kicked with all her might at her husband's shin. He winced but didn't let out any notion that he felt the kick.
It was a while before anyone of them spoke, Nick knowing better, Katie too pissed off to talk and Greg wasn't sure how to approach the subject without seeming too much of a jerk.
"If you two will excuse me, duty calls" Nick looked towards Greg, winking giving the man a heads up that he was leaving for a few minutes to question all he wanted.
"Katie I don't know what I did to make you hate me"
"I don't hate you, I just think what you did to Sara was pretty fucking shitty" Greg's eyes widened at her use of curse words.
"You don't understand after all the bullshit she put me through, hot, cold, I'm in love with Grissom, I'm over him. For seven freakin years I've been lead on by her and now that I finally get my revenge I'm deemed the bad person?"
"Not once did she ever tell you, you two had a chance, you made her fall for you and then you say 'oops I never loved you I used you just like you did to me' Yes Greg you are the bad person in this why can't you see that?"
"I think it's because I'm in love with her" he said defeated "It was fun at first to see her completely under my control and then I don't know, I just felt guilty about it all and confessed to her the real reason behind it and now I would do anything to make it right again. Please just tell me where she is"
"Sorry Greg, like I told Nick I'm not going to tell him or you" she pushed back her half-eaten plate, her appetite lost. She got up as she saw Nick coming back to the table, grabbing her purse she was ready to leave when Nick reached the table. Looking at Nick she said words that Nick knew he made a wrong decision on what side he chose.
"Don't bother coming home tonight" and with she walked out leaving Nick staring after her and Greg looking at Nick apologetically.
"I'm done Greg, I'm Switzerland in this whole thing, Katie and I just worked through our little separation and because I took your side I can't even go home. You're going to have to find a new person to be the go between" Nick stood leaving the restaurant leaving Greg to pay the bill for all three meals.
--
8 Blocks East of Shatter Breakfast Diner"I just got fucking ambushed because I wouldn't tell Nick or Greg where you were"
"I thank you for that. I really do like it here, the people are so nice they didn't ask why I came here they just it's so breathtaking" Sara thumbed through the town's history book she found in the drawer beside the bible.
"Where are you anyways?" Katie was getting files from her filing cabinet.
"Torrent, Nevada it's about 6 hours away from Las Vegas and quite frankly not far enough away but its just so…I love this place"
"You sound happy" Katie spoke the truth
"For the first time in a long time I honestly think I am, now I just have to think of what I can do here there was a few job postings in the General store maybe I should look into those"
"Tell me if I'm over stepping this and you can tell me shut up at any time"
"Go on.." Sara urged her on
"Tell Greg where you are, you owe him that"
"I don't owe him anything
"He wasted seven years on you, I think you do owe him just a little bit. If you can't do it for him do it for a friend" Sara hung up a few minutes later after a promise that she would visit soon and deep down she knew Katie was right. Greg deserved to know where she was.
--
Greg's ApartmentHe was sitting in darkness something he'd been doing ever since he saw her note, because that's what he felt. Darkness. Shock was an understatement to say the least when he felt himself saying that he did in fact love Sara to Katie, that was something he wouldn't even say to himself out loud even though he knew it for quite some time now.
Hearing his most recent ringtone download ring in the distance he slowly made his way to it, if it was work he would ignore it, anyone else but his parents he was going to answer it.
Caller Unknown"Hello?"
"Greg it's me, I think it's time we finally got everything out in the open" Sara said
"I can be there where ever you are in an hour"
"Actually no you can't I'm more than an hour away"
"Are you in San Francisco?"
"No Greg, I called to say I'm sorry I know I shouldn't have left the way I did but I can't deal with it any more and I know we both know we deserve better than what we've been putting each other through"
"Even if I really do love you"
"I think that's the reason neither one of us know the real definition of love"
"I don't want this to end Sara we can make it work I know we can" Greg pleaded
"I'm sorry Greg, this is goodbye, this is where our love ends"
"I know I'll always love you"
"I will too. Goodbye Greg"
"Goodbye Sara" he hung up the phone whether he cried he wasn't sure but he knew this was the day the feelings stopped.