Sara finds out that her and Greg have a lot more in common than they think.
"So," the defense attorney said. "You say that you collect evidence without emotion, is that true?""Yes, Ma'm. It is." Greg wanted to know what was up. He was testifying at a trial about the evidence he had collected.
The case was one about child abuse and eventually murder. The Bastard sitting in the chair had beat his 10 year old daughter to death and was pleading that it wasn't him, even though Greg had found the girl's blood on his hands.
"How can you say that? Isn't it true that you had to leave the crime scene to go outside for a few miniutes?"
"Yes, I needed some fresh air."
"Are you sure that's all you needed. Whitnesses said that your partner, Miss Sidle, had to come out and calm you down after you saw the body of Mattie James."
"Sara, Miss Sidle that is, came outside to talk with me."
"What exactly did you talk about?"
"Objection, Your Honor. The defence isn't taking this anywhere," the prossecuting attorney said.
"Over ruled," the judge said in a bored tone.
"Thank you. So Mr. Sanders, what did you and Miss Sidle talk about, and remember you are under oath?"
"She asked me why I was upset. I said it was nothing and we moved on."
"But it wasn't 'nothing', was it? you became emotionally envolved with the victium because of your own experience as a child, didn't you?"
Greg's face became an instant shade of white, his eyes growning large. How did she know?
"For the record, Your Honor," she pulled a folder off the table where her client sat, "Greg Sanders was abused as a child. Here are his hospital records from where he came in with broken jaw when he was 6, another where he had 3 broken ribs and a fractured arm when he was 8, another where he had stab wounds his mother claimed was from playing with his friends but was later found to be stab wounds from a knife when he was 9, and the last where he was beaten half to death with a wooden baseball bat when he was 10." she laid the papers and photographs into the judges hands. "After the beating with the baseball bat, the police investigated and found that his father was the one who had caused all of his trips to the ER. Mr. Sanders was convicted and placed in jail for 10 years. He is now out and is still on paroll." She said all of these thinks with no emotion.
Greg couldn't even look up. He knew that Sara and nearly the entire lab was in the courtroom. Gasps had been heard through the courtroom as the attorney read off all of his trips to the hospital. His father had refused to let his mother pick his limp form off of the floor half of the time. His mother was only permitted to take him to the hospital when they thought he was going to die or when his father had passed out from the liquor.
"I believe that Greg Sanders, because of what his own father did to him as a child, fixed the evidence because he wanted someone to blame for poor little mattie's vicious murder. The blood evidence in this case should be thrown out."
"I will think about what is to be done about the blood evidence, we will recess untill tomorrow morning at 8 am. You are dismissed Mr. Sanders." With that the judge beat his gavel once and Greg hurried out of the court room.
"Greg!" Sara called after him as he hurried down the hall toward his car. "Greg, wait!" She ran to catch up with him. Placing her hand on his arm, he turned to face her.
"What? Do you feel sorry for me because you now know what that bastard did to me?" Greg's eyes were red, not with tears, but with anger.
"Greg." Sara gently placed her hand on his cheek, a tear excaping her eye.
"Don't cry for me Sara. Please don't cry," He placed his own hand on her cheek, whiping her tears away. He pulled her into a tight embrace.
"My father hit me too," she whispered into his ear, "all the time."
"What?" Greg pulled away from her slightly, just enough to look into her eyes.
"When I was a kid he would kick the crap out of me, refused to let me eat, he beat me up so bad once that I coughed up blood for a week."
"Oh my god, I had no idea," he breathed, pulling her towards him once again.
"I'm okay now, but I'm worried about you."
"Don't be, I'm okay too. I'm just a little scared that everyone knows my secret that I've kept hidden for all of these years. I don't even know how that woman found out about that, no one knew."
"Shhh." she hugged him tightly again. "Come on, let's go to my place. We should take, and besides, Grissom's going to want to talk to you. We should get out of here before he finds you."
An hour later Greg was sitting on Sara's couch as she made him something to eat. "Thanks Sara."
"For what?"
"For helping me through this."
"I know what you're going through. I still have scars from all of the bruises and cuts. I understand."
"Can I see?"
"What?"
"I want to see your scars," he felt aquard about asking, but he had to see what that bastard did to the woman he loved.
"Sure," she said in an almost whisper. She removed her shirt and pulled up her tank top. There were small scars across her tummy, along with round patches of skin around her ribs that were slightly darker than her skin. She turned around so that he could see her back. She had deapers and larger scars across her sholder blades. "He through a vase at me once," she explained.
"I didn't see them when we had to take the shower together."
"I cover them with a lot of make up, most of it's water proof and it takes a lot to get it off."
"Oh. I didn't look at you, I only glanced when they shoved me in there with you."
A small smile played across her lips. "It's your turn now," she said after a few moments.
He slowely took off his tie and then unbuttoned his dress shirt. He had a fair amout of scars there and the permanent marks from all of the brusing."I can't feel the it when you touch a lot of the skin around my ribs," he found himself telling her.
She slowely moved her fingers along his ribs, testing what he said.
"I can't feel a thing. The doctor said that most of the nerves there are dead." He then turned in a circle for her. He had 3 deeps scars on his back. Sara traced each one with her fingers. "That's where he stabbed me," he whispered. Before he knew what was happening he felt Sara's lips brush against the scars. She then turned to face him, brusing her lips across his.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"For what?" Greg asked her softly.
"For not knowing about what your father did to you."
"How could you know, I never told anyone, I was too embarassed."
"Don't be embarassed, we've been through more in our childhood than many people go through in a lifetime."
"You're right. I guess that's why I love you so much, you always understand me."
"You love me?"
"Yes, I do, with all my heart."
"I love you too."
"You're my concrete angel Sara Sidle."
"And you're mine Greg Sanders."