2) Meeting the Sixth

Greg snuck past the hallway to the morgue and silently jogged down the hall to the door. He dug out a keycard from his back pocket and swiped it. On his six month anniversary and Hodges had bestowed it on him, finally. It was a keycard that was activated under an alias so that no one could ever track the card back to Greg. The lab rat secret society didn't seem to collapse when he'd been promoted to CSI, and for that he was actually glad. There was something comforting about coming to the room to write about things he couldn't talk about to anyone else. He wondered if the others ever read what he wrote, then with horror, hoped they didn't. If they did, though, they never mentioned it to him.

Greg turned down the second row and hurried to the end. He liked this route better since Catherine had caught him in here once as he walked the long path to the end. He still didn't think she believed his 'I got lost and the door was open' lie. Going this way made it easier to hide if he heard anyone come into the room

Today he really needed to let off some steam. He had spent most of the morning – time when he was usually sleeping – sitting in court of the Demetrius James trial. The kid's parents were never going to believe their son would have killed Greg – but then, they didn't see his eyes or expression that night, either. He knew the kid would have left him beaten to death if he hadn't hit him. He needed to get his opinions about the matter off his chest, and the wall was waiting to listen to him tell it about those opinions.

Greg stopped and got a piece of chalk from the drawer, then slipped into the crack. He stopped, staring at the door that was open a few inches. Who was in the room? Archie was gone for the week, Hodges was busy, Gina was at her desk when he left, and Bobby was away at a conference. So who… The sixth person? No one had ever told him who that person was, and after a while he just stopped asking. It didn't really matter anyway.

Greg continued into the room and stepped around the door. Sara's head jerked up and the two stared at each other. Sara's hand froze on the cartoonish character she was drawing on the end of the table. Greg could only stare.

"You must be the sixth person I was told about," Sara said.

Greg smiled, closing the door. "Ditto."

Sara smiled. "I don't think we should tell them. They seem to enjoy that I don't know who it is."

"Okay. We won't tell them."

Sara went back to her doodle.

"When did you find out?"

"Three months after I got here. I think Hodges thought it might get him a date."

"Did it?"

She laughed. Greg smiled.

"You?"

"Three months too." Greg walked over to an open spot, lifting his hand to start writing.

"Why?"

Greg turned. She was watching him.

"Why… What?"

"Why did they tell you? They seem pretty set on keeping this place a secret."

"I lied to Grissom. They were talking about it and I made up a bit of a lie about what they were talking about."

"Not a big lie then?"

"Not really."

She looked back down. "I haven't even told Grissom about this place."

Greg turned to start writing and stopped. He turned to her.

"Why would you?"

"Hm?"

"Why would you tell Grissom about this place?"

Sara's hand stopped moving but she didn't take her eyes off the table. She slowly looked up at him, smiling an embarrassed smile.

"I don't know why I would."

Greg stared at her. She was lying, but he wasn't going to pursue it. If he let her have her secrets, then he figured she'd leave him with his.

"Yeah. Why would you?"

Without another word, the two turned back to their projects. Greg was about done writing when he felt her behind him. He turned, finding her reading what he wrote. He quickly moved in front of it.

"Oh… I'm sorry. I thought… Sorry."

Greg looked at his hands. They were coated in chalk. It was so white against his tan skin. Greg slowly moved aside.

"Are you sure?" she quietly asked.

He nodded.

So she read what he'd written and when she finished, she didn't say anything. She turned and walked over to the table, picking up her coat and chalk. She walked to the door and stopped.

"Over in the corner, there's a gossip you should read. It'll make sense after what I said earlier." Sara motioned toward the corner before looking back at him. "And it wasn't your fault, Greg. You had to stop them, you had to stop him."

Greg nodded.

"Greg."

He looked up at her.

"Sometimes… You just have to react. Not very often, but sometimes. Sometimes, out there in the streets, we're not very different than soldiers. We have to make a fast decision; we have to decide who dies to save ourselves or other people. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes. Don't beat yourself up, Greg. You did what you had to survive and safe the victim. You did good."

Greg nodded.

Sara left him. Greg looked at the corner. He walked over to it and started reading. His eyes stopped on: SS + GG Forever, encircled in a heart. Greg smiled. He knew a secret that no one else did. That was awesome! Greg gave his chalk a toss before he headed for the door.