Author's Note:

Greg one-shot. Based off of the prompt "forgotten sanctuary".

This is in a "universe" where Wordy has Parkinson, but is still on the team. And, Greg has gone on a few dates with Marina. I know that I've skewed the timelines a bit, but this little story needed both post-Parkinson Wordy and post-A-Day-in-the-Life Marina.

Don't own Flashpoint; Correct me if I make mistakes. Oh, and this is my first fanfic to have any hint of JAM.

Enjoy!

Greg was stressed out. It seemed like he always was nowadays. He rubbed his eyes with his palms and removed his cap. He just didn't feel like he was capable of this job. Everyone had something to keep them waking up in the morning and coming home at night. Sam had Jules and Jules had Sam. Spike had Babycakes, and Sam's sister, Natalie (although Greg knew that it wasn't serious [yet]). Wordy and Ed had their families. But Greg had no one. He wasn't in too deep with Marina, she could easily 'dump' him for a younger guy with a less dangerous job.

He hid in the debriefing room until the others had left. He quickly changed into his civilian clothes and bypassed Winnie, who was taking a quick nap. Greg made it to his car without incident, and climbed in. As he drove down the highway, he nearly fell asleep at the wheel. The only thing that kept him from having an accident was the sudden chirping of his cell phone. He jolted awake, and picked up his phone.

"Hello, Greg Parker speaking," he drowsily mumbled.

"Hey, boss." It was Wordy. "How are you doing?"

"Hi, Wordy. Can we talk tomorrow? I just want some alone time right now." Greg didn't feel like talking to his gentle teammate at the moment.

"Boss, wait. You've been, well, off lately. I can't put my finger on it, but you've started avoiding us after work. I was just calling to check up on you." Wordy seemed genuinely concerned. Greg felt his facial expression relax.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to recharge, you know? Tomorrow I'll be as good as new." Greg only fudged a little. Sure, he was going to try to act normal tomorrow. But, there was no way that he could 'recharge' without taking vacation time. During this time of year, the SRU couldn't afford to lose a team member, much less a sergeant.

"Okay, Boss," Wordy skeptically stated. "Good bye."

"Good bye, Wordy." Greg hung up quickly. He didn't want to betray himself. He knew that Wordy would try to be kind by talking it over, but Greg didn't feel like he needed Wordy's way of going about things at the moment. He stared at the phone resting in his palm, wondering if he should call someone, and if he did, who he should call.

He could call Spike. He'd helped Spike through a lot of things; mostly abandonment issues (his parents hated his job; Lou died; Mac died; his father died). Maybe Spike could help him now. But Greg couldn't muster up the courage to call Spike; he was probably curled up on the bed in his room, relishing the quiet before the storm of angry words.

Greg knew that Jules would lend an ear, and wouldn't hesitate to tell him what she thought of his state of mind. But she was probably with Sam. Same thing with Sam; he would be with Jules.

There was the obvious choice of Ed. Greg's long-time friend would surely listen. But then Ed would tell Greg to go talk to Marina, because family is what got you through each day.

That's it! thought Greg. I'll call Marina.

By the time he actually punched in the numbers, he was sitting in his driveway. He was slightly nervous, but knew that Marina wouldn't mind listening to him grumble about his life.

He went to contacts and found the button that said "Marina XOXO ;)" Marina must have taken my phone and changed her contact name. thought Greg as he pushed a button. He looked at the tiny screen, and noticed that something was off. The receiver wasn't Marina, it was Markus.

Greg panicked slightly, and started to hang up. Before he could, though, Markus answered.

"Hey, it's my old pal Greg Parker!" came the voice from the phone. Greg sighed, and raised it to his ear.

"Hi, Markus. Sorry that I called; I must have mis-dialed," Greg said shortly.

"No, Greg, don't hang up. Listen, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Greg knew very well why Markus was sorry, but wanted to hear him say it.

"I'm sorry for everything. For swearing not to speak to you for the rest of my life. For disowning you as my brother." Markus sounded truly repentant.

Greg sighed. "I forgive you."

"...just like that?" Markus asked, surprised.

"Just like that." Greg smiled as he stated it. It felt good to be on even terms with his brother.

"So... you sound like you're emotionally strained." Markus was almost as good of a profiler as Greg.

"Yeah." Greg suddenly found himself pouring out his soul to his brother over the phone. He told Markus about everything that had happened to him since he sobered up. He talked about how he became the best negotiator in the SRU, how he had assembled Team One, how they were his new family. Greg positively gushed about Marina, and whispered about Sam and Jules' forbidden love. He cried while talking about Wordy, and burst with pride while relating Spike's life story. Greg found it hard to say much about Ed, because there was so much to say. He told the story of Lou's death, and the story of Izzy's birth. When he was done, it was close to 2AM.

"Wow. Just... wow. Okay, little brother. I'm coming over to your house. We'll talk, and I might just have to spend the night. Maybe I'll tell you what I've been up to since we... stopped talking."

Author's Note:

If I didn't make it clear, Markus disowned Greg when he hit rock bottom and his wife divorced him.

So... how did y'all like it? Personally, I think that it's my most powerful bit story, but I'd like to know what you think.

Ciao!