Chapter 1
Greg Sanders felt like all he had was his work anymore. He had no life. He really didn't want one anymore after getting burnt so badly after the whole 'Ellen thing'. It started to make him feel old and very lonely.
Not that he didn't get looks from women he thought to himself, he did but he wasn't interested. Nick told him a few times that he needed to get out there again and find someone.
As he got ready for work one night, he took a look at himself in the bathroom mirror as he turns on the cold water. He lost some weight. It wasn't surprising given the odd hours he worked and only grabbing a quick bite if he got the chance while working or the occasional breakfast w Sara and/or Nick after shift. He sighs to himself then splashes the cold water on his face.
Ten minutes later, he grabs his keys, locking his apartment door and heads to the lab.
As Greg was leaving for work, Leigh Moon Fox was entering Las Vegas. She covers a yawn with her the back of her hand as she pulls into an all night convenience store. She hadn't even turned off the car when she heard the gun shots coming from inside then saw two young males in baggy jeans run out the door, one of them carrying a plastic bag filled with something and both were carrying guns. One popped off several rounds at her. Leigh ducked as her windshield exploded. After a few seconds, she lifted her head up slowly then grabbed her I-phone and dialed 911. Without thinking, she got out of her car and ran inside.
The store clerk was laying on the ground bleeding. She yelled to the operator that an ambulance was needed at the stores address then dropped her phone beside her as she gets down on her knees beside the guy. "Help me" the guy gasps sounding scared. Leigh pulls a plastic baggy out of her jacket and held it fast against his chest. She checked his vitals, talking to him. His hand went over hers. "You've done this before." He says. "More than you think." She tells him w a smirk. She hears sirens outside. The guy started to close his eyes and she pushed down a bit making him groan. "Stay with me, okay?" she says and he looks at her. "Just stay with me." She repeats just as she hears the door open and someone yell "LVPD!" "We are over here! " She calls back. A tall black officer comes into her line of sight, a gun pointed. "Are you okay?" he asks. "I'm fine. I got a gunshot to the chest here." She says. "Ambulance is on its way." The cop tells her, looking around. "They left firing at me while I was in my car three minutes ago." She tells the cop. He nods and speaks into his shoulder walkie-talkie.
A minute later, an ambulance arrives.
Leigh is outside talking to a detective when a black Denali rolls up. She impressed the detective with her description of the shooters and possibly saving the clerks life, but is snarky with her. He didn't seem to believe who she said she was. "Jim, what do we have?" a muscular, man with a Texas accent asks walking up, followed by a lanky young man; both carrying black cases. The detective turns to them and gives them what she had given him. The lanky guy walks up to her and asks to see her hands. She holds them up, palms up as he sets down his case, pulls on gloves and takes out a small case.
Greg looks at the woman in front of him as he swabbed her hands for GSR. After what happened, she was actually being calm. Not many women would be. He saw smears of blood on her hands. "Is this yours or the clerks?" he asks her. "It's the clerks." She says quietly as he finishes and finds nothing. "Negative for residue, Nick." He says as he gives her a 'sorry' look. Nick walks over. "Miss Fox?' he starts. " It's Lieutenant Fox." She tells him tiredly. Nick starts again and introduces himself. "I'm Nick Stokes and this is Greg Sanders from the Crime Lab. Do you mind answering a few more questions for us?" he asks. Leigh nods and goes through it again with the two CSI's for a few minutes and Greg processes her before she's allowed to leave. While Nick went inside to process, Greg went and got Leigh her bag from her car since she had to leave it there for processing. "Do you have someplace to go?" he asks her, handing her the bag. "Right now, any place that has a shower and a bed would be the shiznik." She tells him. That got a grin out of Greg. He tells her a hotel down the block was pretty decent. She gives him a look. "And you would know this-?" she asks in a teasing tone. Greg looks at her. She smirks at him and he grins back. Thanks, Greg." She says then starts walking. "You're going to walk?" he asks. "Yep! I've been stuck on a plane for 18 hours. I could use the semi-fresh air!" she calls over her shoulder. Greg shakes his head as he turns to go back to process her car.
The following evening, Greg was walking up the side walk to the lab when Leigh was walking out. "Hey." He says seeing her. Leigh grins at him. "Hey, back." She says. "What brings you here?" he asks. Leigh holds up her dog tags that had been put into evidence. "To get these back, I sort of need them." She says then starts to walk past him. "Um, hey, don't know if this wrong but uh, would you like to have coffee or something sometime?" she says curiously as she passes him. "I don't think that would be a good idea." He tells her. Leigh nods, disappointedly then resumes walking away. Greg couldn't resist turning his head and watching her walk away.
He never thought he'd see her again after night.
Until, nearly a month later they run into each other at a crime scene. She was one of the EMTs on the scene when he walked up as she was getting ready to leave. "Hey, fancy meeting you again, Fox." He says. Leigh looks up from her clipboard. She smirks seeing him. "HEY!" she says. "You're an EMT?" he asks. "Yeap. Good to see you to Sanders." She replies glancing at his name tag on his vest before he turns away.
At the lab later, Greg was paged to the front desk. Curious, he put the evidence he was working on away then headed to the front desk. There stood Leigh holding a large plastic bag. She hands it to Greg. "The sheets from the gurney your victim was on; thought you might want them." She tells him. "Um, thanks." Greg says taking the bag from her. "Oh, before I forget, you owe me coffee." She tells him as he turns to go. "How so?" he asks, looking at her. Leigh smirks. "Because now, we are just two regular people who met and besides, I love coffee." She tells him. He liked her spunk. He laughs and she tells him to pay up soon then leaves.
Greg tells Sara and she laughs. "I say go for it. She's into you." She tells him. "We met that one time and she had blood on her hands!" he says. "Well now, I suppose her hands are clean." Sara tells him.
Two mornings later, Greg sees Leigh leaving her work. He calls out to her from across the street. "What are you doing here?" she asks, jogging over to him. He shrugs. "Well, how about paying up with breakfast?" he asks her. She arches a brow at him and gives him an impressed look. "Wow, I get breakfast. I so like you." She says with a smile.
They meet up at Denny's and Greg was a gentleman by opening and holding the door open for her to the restaurant.
Over breakfast, they talk. Greg was surprised when she told him that she had been over in Afghanistan and Iraq during the wars being a nurse at field hospitals. She told him she had been in the Army since after high school. They talk about where they were from. (He from California, she was from a small town in Nebraska.) He told her about him becoming a CSI and being a former lab rat. For three hours they talked, only stopping when they both started yawning simultaneously. Greg pays for breakfast and they walk out to their vehicles. "Thanks for breakfast, Greg." She says. "Not a problem. I enjoyed the company." He tells her and they grin at each other before saying 'bye'.
Because of his crazy schedule, they saw each other when they could. When they 'met up' they had fun just talking and laughing at her dry sense humor. Greg liked her easy going personality, though she was a tomboy through and through. (She told him it was because of being a small town girl and was always around the farm boys until she went into the Army. She got along better with the boys than the girls all her life) He wanted to take her to a fancy restaurant one time when they had off together but, she told him to cancel that plan. He looked at her curiously. "I'm not into the whole fancy date stuff. Consider me a cheap date." She tells him. "Don't call yourself that." He tells her as they drive to a pizza place. "You're not cheap, just like things simple that's all." He tells her, getting a grin from her.