"So you're Grissom's girl." Greg spoke, noticing the new brunette standing against the doorjamb of the DNA lab. He peered into a microscope, pulling Nick's sample into focus.
"He asked me to come to Vegas, if that's what you mean." He listened to her footsteps as she entered the lab fully, coming to stop on the other side of his counter. She leaned against it, lowering her voice.
"It's not a bad gig, everyone's pretty nice. Except maybe for Hodges, Trace lab. Complete asshole. But he never leaves his cave. And don't piss off Catherine, she has an unbelievable mean streak." Greg sat back in his chair, reaching for a clipboard and scribbling down a few notations concerning the DNA sample.
"Better than Frisco."
"You got that right."
"That because you're a real lab tech, and not just an intern?" Sara smiled at him, and he rolled his eyes.
"No, that's because I'm in charge here, and I wasn't when I was there."
"Control freak."
"I just like things my way." He smiled at her, switching out the samples and sliding them into the CODIS processor. "When I left for Vegas you were passing your prelims. That obviously worked out well for you."
"Yeah. Made level two about nine months ago."
"Nicely done."
"What about you, what happened when you moved out here?"
"Grissom actually got me this job. There was an entry level DNA tech job open, and he called Jan Hubbard and told her that he was stealing her intern."
"She was always a bitch."
"Yeah. God I hated working for her." Greg smiled, leaning with his elbows against the counter. "So Grissom called me, and I left San Francisco. I wasn't here three months before Bob Kellerman, the head DNA tech, retired, and they promoted me to his position. So here I am."
"Head DNA?"
"Mmhmm."
"At 26?"
"At 24."
"Wow." She smirked at him, and he shrugged.
"Someone's gotta do it."
"Always looking for bigger and better things, Mr. Sanders?"
"I'm not the only one, Ms. Sidle. You made your way up from the coroner's dungeon."
"Too many decomps."
"And you came to Vegas because?"
"Because Grissom asked me to."
"I guess neither of us can say no to him then."
"How did he hook you, Greg?"
"Guest lecturing for one of my grad professors at Stanford, entomological DNA preservation." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "And you?"
"Guest Professorship at Harvard, 'Conceptual Physics Applied to Forensic Science.'"
"Nice."
"Yeah. It was a good class." She smiled. "So word has it you are still king of the coffee pot." He grinned at her, turning to the beeping CODIS processor, and removing Nick's sample.
"Yeah. Nobody in Vegas can make coffee that doesn't taste like shit."
"That's how I knew you were here."
"The coffee?"
"I walked into the break room with Catherine, got a whiff of Blue Hawaiian Dark Roast. They say scent is the most powerful trigger of memories."
"Well, just because I changed states, doesn't mean I had to change brews."
"That and Nick was going on and on about how no one could find your stash of grounds."
"I'd like to keep it that way."
"I won't tell them."
"Thanks." He suppressed a grin as she shifted her weight, suddenly looking a bit nervous. "What is it, Sara?"
"I, umm, I missed that coffee."
"It's orgasmic, definitely."
"Yeah." She swept her eyes over him quickly, and he laughed.
"What were you really going to say?"
"I missed you." She sobered, and his expression turned serious instantly. "And." She bit her lip, staring at an evidence tube on the counter. He leaned on his elbows, a few inches closer. She raised her gaze to meet his, and grinned at his questioningly raised eyebrow. "And I was hoping the circumstances might be favorable for us to pick up where we left off in San Francisco." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but had a touch of that raspy voice that had coaxed him to bed when he was twenty-two. His expression softened considerably, and he was aware that maybe, just maybe she might pick up on the fact that he loved her. Had loved her. Still loved her. Will always love her.
"Circumstances that resemble San Francisco are favorable always." He smiled at her, and she returned it with a grin.
"I better be going, the case and everything."
"Well, you know where I am."
"And you know how to find me." She turned, leaving the DNA lab, taking the hallway down to the layout room. Greg sat back in his chair, pushing himself to twirl around a few times. When his chair came around to the counter again, Nick was standing in front of him, laughing.
"Man, you do that too much and it won't be pretty." Greg smiled at the older man, and reached to gather his DNA results.
"That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty... you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are." Greg mumbled, turning back to Nick with the paperwork.
"Thanks." Nick scanned the results, engrossed in his case. "Later, Greggo." Greg watched him leave, and smiled to himself. Sara had come back to him. Well, Sara had come back to Grissom. But she wanted to pick things back up again with him. Greg glanced around, and laughed to himself. J.D. Salinger had women figured out to a tee. Greg, however, was only interested in one.