Unknown Territory
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or any of its characters or any of the places that are going to be mentioned here.
Summary: Greg and Sara break up to completely new ground. SaraGreg
Rating: K+
A/N: Thanks to Emmithar for the beta!
Chapter 1
"You were specially requested!" Conrad Ecklie exclaimed, laying his hands on Gil Grissom's desk. The other man was sitting behind that table calmly, looking up at the lab director.
"It's impossible, Conrad." He shoved the papers Ecklie had laid on the desk earlier back into the direction of the other man, letting them come to a stop near his fingertips. "I can't go," he emphasized.
"You have to!" Ecklie demanded. "It was originally a Las Vegas case. The perp apparently fled to Europe and is continuing to murder over there," he told Grissom what he already knew. "They specially requested you to help out there, to make a connection with our colleagues there. They want Gil Grissom… your name is known…" Ecklie tried to convince him, but Grissom only frowned slightly, and Ecklie had to admit that this way of persuasion was completely lost on Grissom.
"I can't go," the head of the graveyard shift repeated. "The entomology convention in Dallas… it's a never-been-there-never-to-come-back event!" Grissom explained, for the first time somewhat excited. He leaned back in his chair, still looking at the other man. "On the long run the lab will benefit more from me going to the convention."
"But your methods, your knowledge…" Ecklie gave it a last try. Grissom only shook his head slowly. He was anyway fascinated to what hymns of praise about him the lab director was suddenly able to, now that an investigator from his very lab had been requested.
"Send somebody else," Grissom advised him decidedly, knowing that Ecklie would not like it.
"Who?" the other man returned justifiably, the tone in his voice indicating that any answer would be a bad one.
Grissom turned his head to look out of his office into the hallway where two people were just walking by slowly. Greg was talking to Sara animatedly and she smiled at him weakly.
Ecklie had turned his head as well. "Them?" he asked unbelievingly, which was no surprise for Grissom who had reckoned with this dissent.
"Sara has been my student for many years, Greg for several. They know a lot of that what I know, additionally to their own qualifications. They know my methods. They complement each other. They have often made me superfluous," he reasoned. "And they were involved in the original case."
"It would double the costs," Ecklie intervened.
"Not necessarily. I'm sure they're frugal," Grissom assured him. "And it's you who wanted to send somebody," he pointed out, knowing that Ecklie could not push aside this argument.
"And if they don't want to?" Ecklie asked, his gaze fixed on Sara, apparently expecting objection from her. Sara was just smirking at Greg outside in the hallway without that any of the two men in the office could tell what Sara and Greg were talking about.
"They'll have to," Grissom clarified.
It was at the end of shift in the morning when Grissom walked into the locker room where both Greg and Sara were getting ready to head home. Sara was just closing her locker, while Greg was playing around with his I-Pod, the headphones not on though, out of consideration for Sara, Grissom guessed.
When Sara turned to him, he handed her a book he had bought earlier and she took it, frowning surprised. Greg glanced up to them.
Sara looked at the cover. "Europe in 32 maps?" she read aloud, puzzled.
"You'll need it," Grissom explained contently.
"Why?" Sara did not look too happy under her confusion. Grissom knew that it was wiser to not enter into a discussion with her.
"You'll go over there," he clarified. "We had that triple homicide last year in Henderson, followed by another double in the city. It turns out the perp fled to Europe and is continuing to kill over there. Methods, the way the scenes look, connection to victims, everything points at him."
"And what do we have to do with that?" Sara wanted to know, but her tone suggested that she had already a clear idea. She had put up a rather confrontational posture, while Greg was looking rather curiously.
"You were requested," Grissom explained. Sara raised her eyebrows at him suspiciously.
"It's you who was requested," she determined finally, her expression not changing. When Grissom did not reply anything, she added in an unbelieving tone, "But we will have to go?"
Grissom nodded silently. Sara stared at him for a moment, but he did not give her the hint of a sign that an objection might be successful.
"I like it," Greg interjected from the back of the room. Grissom guessed that Sara was not that opposed either; she just did not like that the decision had been taken out of her hands.
"I can imagine that," Sara replied at Greg's statement, sighing, turning her head to him. Greg smiled at her cheerfully, and Sara looked back at Grissom. "When are we going to leave?" she asked resignedly.
"Tomorrow in the afternoon." Grissom himself would leave right after that as well; to the convention in his case.
"Tomorrow." Sara's enthusiasm was clearly not increasing.
"Yeah," Grissom nodded.
"How long are we going to stay?"
"As long as it takes," was Grissom's little helpful answer.
"Well, then already Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and Happy Birthday to you, Grissom," Sara stated sarcastically.
"Who's going to pay?" Greg wanted to know, his earlier cheerfulness slightly subdued, apparently at the imagination of having to pay for everything himself.
"The lab," Grissom assured them. That was actually the reason why they would really stay not too long. Besides the fact that they were needed at the lab as well of course.
"At least something," Sara sighed, dropping down at the bench and glancing at Greg again.
"You're off work tonight of course," Grissom stated, knowing that the preparation for a travel like that would not leave them much free time, or time to sleep for that matter.
"Great."
Thirty hours later Greg was moving their two suitcases towards the luggage disposal at the airport of Las Vegas, both he and Sara carrying additionally a back bag. He stopped at the end of the line of people, turning towards Sara whose expression did not mirror the sunshine that shone into the hall through the glass walls.
"I like it," he told her smiling. "It's as if we're on honeymoon." He stopped for a second. "Did I just say that out loud?" he questioned, not able to hide his grin.
"You did." Sara was still frowning, but obviously suppression a smile. "Have you never read the studies that show that although employees might conceive traveling for work as an award, it indeed keeps them back in their career at home?" she asked. She was actually not too much opposed to the whole venture, but disliked that she had not been asked before, that it had not been her own decision, and that she would be away from the lab for who knew how long.
"Uhm, no," Greg replied simply, still smiling. Sara brushed past him, moving her own suitcase several paces ahead to where the end of the line had gone, and Greg hurried after her.
"I've never been over the pond," he stated when he had reached her, moving his suitcase next to hers again, ready to shove both the next time.
"I know," Sara replied with a glance. "Me either, as you know."
"No worries, I'll find the way for us," Greg assured her smiling, waving with the book Grissom had given them that he had just taken out of his back bag.
Sara mirrored his expression. "I wouldn't worry. Somebody will get us from the airport in London after all," she reminded him innocently.
TBC
