This is inspired by 'Broken Bird' by Jack's Mannequin- beautiful song- you should go listen to it :)

As I started writing this it just took a life of its own, it went to darker places than I had intended and it is more heartbreaking than I had intended it to be- so instead of leaving it simply as a one-shot I've decided to make it a two-shot- unless people want more in which case I can keep going.

Set mid-Season 11.

Please review- let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own zilch.

Life in the Shoes of a Paper Doll

(Part One)

The night stretched out forever above her as she listened to the sound of footsteps and strangers strolling along the strip hoping to lose herself amongst the crowd. A cigarette slowly burnt out between her fingers as she did what she could to keep herself calm, to stop herself from breaking down in the way she knew she needed to. The lights, the noise and the anonymity of her surroundings weighed as heavy on her heart as her thoughts.

Life had been a strange thing for Sara Sidle- it had brought it with it bouts of pain along with moments of happiness that had blinded her. She thought of the moment she had realised she lost not only her father but her mother too. She recalled how overwhelmed she had been by the sound of her husband's voice as he had read his vows to her. But no one appeared to be with her now. After another long shift she had returned to an empty house, silence echoed back at her as she called out for affection, for someone to tell her everything was going to be just fine. The sense of abandonment seemed to be a constant cover to her life she acknowledged with a sense of defeat.

Taking a final drag from her cigarette she made her way towards some form of salvation, the sense of a saviour, from her own tortured mind. Sara picked up the phone looking around at the people passing the phone booth barely registering her existence. Absentmindedly she placed the required coins in the machine and began dialling his number- she knew it by heart. Resting her head against the top of the phone she listened to the sound of dial tone hoping with all of her being that he would answer. That he would save her.

"Hello?" His sleep clouded voice came from the other side like a light at the end of a tunnel. She remained silent for a few moments not knowing what to say. How does one go about wording a plea for help? She had never been good at asking for help, life had taught her the hard way that not many people were willing to waste their time listening to her complaints of how things were unfair.

"I need you Greg..." She almost whimpered into the phone, as if he were there in person, not holding back the tears that had been holding her emotions hostage all night. She could hear his heart break at the sound of her sorrow.

"Where are you? I'm coming to get you." He asked the concern in his voice making her heart well up with hope. She gave him her location and closed her eyes placing the phone back on the hook the tears not stopping as she hid her face from the world. If she was honest with herself she felt ashamed for the state she had found herself in, the position she had let herself accept. Pride had always one been one of her many flaws, but this time she wished she had spoke up earlier, she wished she'd stopped herself from falling. She found herself sinking to the floor, gathering her knees to her chest as she became the smallest she could be.

"Sara...Sara..." His voice rang through her ear as if she were waking from a coma. Greg was crouched down beside her, his eyes wide with concern and love. His cheeks were painted a red from the fact he had ran there as quickly as he could after parking his car sensing the urgency of her turmoil. She glanced at him with desperation; her arms found their place around him clinging to his warmth, to his existence as if it were the only thing keeping her alive. He held her tightly against himself wanting to protect her from every single one of her demons.

"It's going to be okay..." Greg whispered into her ear helping Sara to her feet. He gathered her shivering frame into his holding her up as she placed herself like a paper doll in his arms. She'd let all of her vulnerability show in that moment as she counted on him to keep her going, to keep reminding her that she was still living. Sara had tried so hard not to let her life become a routine of simple necessity but that is exactly what it had become. She woke to the brightness of neon knowing that the same loneliness that plagued the bed where she slept would continue to follow her throughout the day. Greg helped her into the passenger seat of his car squeezing her hand to let her know she didn't need to be alone any more. He was going to do everything in his power to make things to better. Like those old fairy tales she had hoped for, he would be knight in shining armour, saving her from the depression of everyday life.

Greg carefully pulled up in front of her town house with a small sigh. He glanced at Sara and realised that he couldn't leave her alone, not now. Climbing out of the car he made the short walk to the passenger door, opening it he offered Sara his hand. She grasped hold of his fingers as if he was a life jacket and she was drowning in an ocean. Sara wrapped her arms around his neck breathing in the scent of his skin seeking the sense of comfort he provided her as he carried her up the steps to her front door. Using the spare key he had, he let them both into her inner shrine, to the place that held every single of her deepest, darkest thoughts.

He sat himself down on the sofa letting her rest her head on his lap as she sobbed letting every single one of the tears she had held back escape into the dim light of the night. Greg held on to her hand as she shook with sadness against his body, her unhappiness hurting him more than anything.

Sara pulled herself up sitting beside him emotionally drained, her head suddenly feeling light as she attempted to regain herself control. Greg stood himself up but her finger's intertwined with his and she stood up beside him indicating that she didn't want to let him go.

"Stay..." Sara whispered with broken hope. He could feel his heart stop in his chest as he nodded, silently promising not to leave her till she was okay. She slowly led him by the hand to her bedroom, not saying a word as she turned to face him. With a moment hesitation Sara closed the space between them placing her lips on his. Greg realised that he couldn't help but kiss her back taking in the taste of her tears. She pulled away looking into his confused hazel eyes before leaning back into him.

"Make love to me." She whispered in his ear gently pulling one of his hands towards her body. It had been so long since she'd felt the physical contact of a lover, and Sara realised that she needed Greg in a way she had never imagined before. She needed his lips on hers, she needed his hands trailing over her skin and his body aching for hers. Greg kissed her again his hands tangling with her hair pushing it out of the way displaying her desperate expression to his eyes. He kissed her again his hands gliding down her back pulling her body against his. Sara's arms were around his neck as she moved them both back towards the bed.

Sara helped him take off her shirt exposing her pale skin to his hungry eyes his hands discovered her body, running over her skin without hesitation. She laid back giving him full access as he trailed kisses from her neck to her breasts his hands still holding hers. She arched her back into him bringing her body closer to his mouth, almost begging him to devour her. His kisses seemed to dance on her skin, leaving a trail of warmth across her chest that made her breath shudder in her throat and her heart pound. Greg's eyes sought her own again, the uncertainty shining through as he dipped lower following the curve of her stomach with his lips and the sweep of her hip with his hand. She responded with a low moan and twisted her hips provocatively against him relishing the vibrations of his growl against her sensitive skin. Every feather-like touch made her body tremble with anticipation. Greg didn't grasp at her with desperation, he savoured every second he could spend worshipping her body and it felt incredible.

He slowly unzipped her jeans, tugging them down her long legs and throwing them unceremoniously aside because they were simply in the way of their skin on skin contact. His hands smoothed over her legs moving back towards her hips. Greg kissed the inside of her thigh making her whither with anticipation; Sara bit her lip and rolled her head back her body willing him to continue. His hands placed pressure on her hips as he kissed her stomach his tongue flicking over her skin, the taste more than arousing than he could have ever imagined. Sara's hips rocked forward again; she wanted to get lost in the sweet, deliberate softness of his touch.

Greg pulled her panties away exposing her to his eyes but she wasn't embarrassed, or nervous as he had expected her to be as she lay naked in front of him. A growl escaped her lips as she pleaded with him to touch her before she went insane. Greg brushed his thumb purposely over her clit watching her response with amazement. The sound of his moan ran through his body like a shiver. He dipped his head again kissing the inside of her thigh before sucking on her clit as he inserted two fingers into her seeping sex. He began pumping in and out of her slowly not wanting to rush, tonight was about Sara.

"Greg..." she groaned her eyes shut as she gripped hold of the sheets around her. He sped up knowing that she was close, his tongue flicking over her purposefully. She groaned loudly her whole body tightening. Greg pulled him up covering body with his own kissing her slowly as she undid his belt and then his trousers. He helped take them off before positioning himself between Sara's legs glancing nervously down at her as he entered her, his heart beat increasing triple fold. He remained still for a moment catching his breath before he began moving over her. Sara wrapped her legs around his waist pulling him deeper matching every one of his thrusts with her own.

She had lost every ounce of misery in the intensity of that moment the only thing she could feel was the ecstasy of Greg's touch. He leant forward kissing her as he continued at a feverish pace helping Sara lift one of her legs over his shoulder. The passion they both felt in that moment was more than either of them had ever experienced with anyone else. The feeling of each other's skin, the warmth of each other's bodies and the taste of each other's lips replaced all of the disappointment, the heart ache and harshness of reality.

Sara let go of all of the memories of her broken childhood, the abandonment she felt by her husband and the depression of facing death every day as she felt her body let go. She breathlessly embraced Greg as her orgasm rippled through her body. He let every single disappointment love had brought his way as he let Sara drag him under along with her. Greg breathlessly rolled onto his back pulling Sara into his arms, holding her as tightly as he could. Their eyes met with an honesty that neither one of them could have expected in that moment.

"Thank you..." Sara muttered to Greg as she rested her head on his chest her finger tips dancing over his skin before tangling with his fingers.

"You don't need to thank me Sara... I love you..." He whispered into her hair, his hand caressing her back absentmindedly. Sara planted a gentle kiss on his collar bone and closed her eyes letting her exhausted body settle and rest in his arms as if there was no other place for her to be.

Sara woke to find the morning light tangled with their bodies as they sprawled out on the bed clinging to each other. The air was heavy with the scent of their sex and as Sara slowly unravelled herself from Greg's body she caught sight of the wedding picture that took pride of place on her night stand. But unlike what she had expected Sara realised she didn't feel any guilt. She had needed the previous night. She had needed to feel alive again.

With a strange sense of confusion Sara picked up the clothes from the previous night and pulled them back on as silently as she could doing her best not to wake Greg. Finding her cigarettes and a lighter she crept down stairs. Stepping into the fresh air Sara began to let her thoughts race through her mind like the cars on the road as she walked taking drags from her cigarette as she did so. Greg had always been there for her even when she hadn't known what she needed. He had listened to ramble about how dark everything seemed and not judged her. He had always been there to pull her into his arms to make sure she was okay. And as the lack of guilt settled into her system Sara began to wonder if she felt the same things for him as he did for her. Greg had always been honest about his feelings- he had always made it clear that he'd be happy when she was happy. The previous night she had felt a sense of contentment she had never experienced with anyone else before. And in that moment she knew exactly what it was she felt for Greg.

Greg woke with the sun in his eyes he reached out his hand for Sara but he was to be greeted by an empty side of the bed. His heart jumped into his throat as he pulled himself up realising that her clothes were not in the places they had been shed the previous night before. She had put on her costume. She had become the woman she had been the previous night. And in that moment it hit Greg that he'd made a mistake. He pulled on his clothes and began searching the house but found her nowhere. Sara had done what she usually did when she was upset or confused- she'd run away. He could imagine her guilty thoughts as she regretted everything that had happened the night before. Greg took a deep breath opening the front door being faced with a new day, a new light on what had happened. He climbed into his car and started the engine deciding to leave before Sara had a chance to look into his eyes and tell him that she didn't love him.

Sara approached the house, an odd smile tugging at her lips, for the first time in a long time she'd made a decision. She was going to do the right thing. She was going to try and make things work. But as she realised that his car was gone a sense of panic settled in her stomach. Racing to the front door she hoped that he'd just simply decided to move the car out of her neighbour's way- that he was still there. That he loved her. That he'd waited for her.

But as his name resounded from the walls, the same silent echo that had started the night rang in her ears as a fresh set of tears made their presence know.

In that one night they had fallen in love, they had saved each other and they had broken each other's hearts.

(The End)