Okay, so this fic has been flying around in my head for ages. I've got at least 3 chapters wrote so far and more to come ;)
Catherine looked up at the building looming in front of her; it had been over three years since she had been here. Scanning her eyes over the grey building that had once been like a second home to her she wondered how much had changed since she had left. On the outside everything looked pretty much the same, there were a couple of bushes now standing either side of the entrance which hadn't been there before but everything else seemed the same. Moving her eyes to the doors she brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the glare reflecting off the surface and thought of the many times she had walked in and out of them, the memories that they kept safe inside the building. Now she watched the people coming and going, some old faces and some new. She watched as a pretty brunette paused outside the doors, phone pressed to her ear. From her hand gestures she seemed to be in a heated discussion with the person on the other end, tilting her head slightly Catherine watched the woman until she entered the building and the doors closed behind her, blocking her from Catherine's sight. Catherine briefly wondered if this new person was her replacement.
Taking a deep breath she braced herself, she hated to admit it but she was nervous about going back into the place that held so many memories. Both good and bad.
Taking one last look at the building she climbed out of the car checked she had her badge clipped to her belt and her gun holstered on her hip. Finding both in place she walked to the entrance and swung the door open with a confidence that betrayed nothing of the nerves she felt.
Walking through the lab was like walking down memory lane, every room she passed brought different memories to the surface. She smiled remembering Greg dancing out of one such room wearing an elaborate headdress.
Heads lifted from microscopes as her heels clicked on the tiled floor. Some waved, to which she gave a smile and a small wave back, as others whispered amongst them, asking who this mysterious redhead was that seemed to be causing quite a bit of excitement in the older employees.
Tossing her hair over her shoulder she rounded the corner that she knew from many trips following this route, would take her to the break room. She came face to face with an excited Greg Sanders, who upon seeing her threw his arms around her body and hugged her tightly. Catherine chuckled at his antics and hugged him back; she had missed his spunky personality. Everyone was so uptight at her new job and seeing Greg brought her immense joy.
A short while later she was in the break room with all of her old colleagues and a couple of new ones. She laughed as Greg told her stories about the lab; he always had a way of making the most mundane of things seem funny. As he finished his story the conversation turned to Catherine and her life in D.C. A subject she had been hoping to avoid.
Plastering a fake smile on her face she took a sip of her coffee to buy her a little time before speaking. "It's good, cold."
The room remained quiet for a few moments as they waited for her to continue. When she didn't Sara let out a slight chuckle.
"That's it? It's cold." Everyone in the room burst into laughter at the statement, Catherine merely smiled and tried to think of something she could tell them.
"Come on Cath, give us more than that. You got a fella down there?" Greg asked eagerly and plopped down into the plastic chair opposite Catherine. She patted his knee and smiled sweetly, declining to answer.
He opened his mouth to ask more questions when the door to the break room opened. All heads turned to see who had joined their group and Catherine's stomach flipped when her eyes saw the one person she had been hoping to avoid at all costs.
Lou Vartann's eyes narrowed as the room fell silent upon his entrance, catching movement from behind Greg he stepped closer so he could see the cause of the commotion he had heard from down the corridor. Looking over the younger man's head he was met with a familiar pair of sparkling blue eyes.
Eyes he hadn't seen since her last night in Vegas.
The tension in the room went up a few notches as the graveyard shift watched the former lovers meet for the first time since things between them had gone sour.
Lou swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to remain professional, even though his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest. He had known the F.B.I. was sending someone to help with the case but he had hoped against hope that it wasn't her.
Clearing her throat Catherine stood up and wiped her palms on her black pants, she looked around at her former colleagues.
"Okay, fill me in on what you have."
End of chapter one.
Let me know if you want more.