Hey guys! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story so far! Hope I can meet your expectations! :)


Greg was, as well as Hodges, pulling a double and hanging around in the trace lab rather bored. "I hate those days... I'm tired, I want to go home and get some sleep but have to stay here doing nothing..."

Hodges rolled his eyes. "You know there's a lot you are supposed to do."

"Ah that can wait. I just need some time to chill... recharge my batteries without sleeping." His cell phone rang and he tiredly answered it. "Sanders. Oh, hey..." He had an uncomfortable look on his face. "No, it's not too early to call, it's just..." he went on to explain to Marvin over the phone that he was not gay. "...Oh, no. I'm sorry, I just figured you... Yeah, I had fun, too, I..." After talking to him for a few minutes, he hung up the phone with a faint smile on his face.

"Got yourself a date?" Hodges asked teasing.

"He wasn't hitting on me and Charlotte wasn't trying to set me up with him."

"What did he want, then?"

"He just wants to see me again."

"So... he did ask you out on a date?"

"No." Greg hastily shook his head. "Just as friends."

"Oh for Christ's sake! You can't be that naive!"

"...He's not gay, either. We were just having a good time and I guess he wants us to be friends."

"Oh, suuuure..."

"You might never get a reaction like that when you first meet people, but it's not uncommon," Greg teased with an evil grin.


After work, Nick and Greg walked out of the lab. On their way to the parking lot, Marvin walked up to them with a smile. "Hey Greg!" Marvin was bulky looking man as he was doing weight lifting as a hobby.

"Oh hey Marvin." He introduced Nick and all three of them ended up in some small talk.

"So..." Marvin finally said, "Nick, you wanna join us? We're having a beer."

Nick hesitated for a moment, but after Greg asked him to come with, too, he agreed.

As the three men walked off, Charlotte watched them with a confused and rather disappointed look on her face. "What the hell is he doing?!"

Hodges looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"He's not supposed to take Nick with him! Just Greg!"


"I brought another round!" Marvin said joyful as he walked over to the booth Greg and Nick were sitting in. They already had a few drinks, but Marvin obviously wasn't done, yet.

Greg had a look on his face that could tell he worried drinking another drink would be too much. "I don't know, I..."

"Come on! Last one, I promise."

While consideration was shown on Greg's face, Nick chimed in. "You do know you have to work tomorrow?"

"...You're right, I do."

"So?" Marvin grinned. Charlotte gave him a mission that involved getting Greg at least a little drunk. She couldn't have known he was having his own agenda.

"Well..." Greg looked at his watch. "Okay, last one and that's it." As the night progressed, Greg indeed got a little drunk. But he called it a night before he would get wasted. "I should get going now."

Nick nodded, getting ready to leave.

"Hey Nick, you don't have to work tomorrow, do you?" Marvin asked.

"Well, no, but..."

"But what? We're having fun! Just because he has to go doesn't mean we have to, either, right?"

Greg nodded while shrugging his shoulder.

Nick thought about it for a moment, then agreed. "Alright. I'll get the next round!"

"Have fun you guys," Greg said laughing while walking out of the bar.


Charlotte walked into the break room the next day. Greg was sitting there, drinking his coffee and reading a newspaper.

"There he is! How was it yesterday?" she said with a big smile.

"It was fun. Nick and Marvin stayed after I left, don't know for how long, though. They got along real great."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I've seen the three of you leave. So, Marv's a pretty hard drinker, right? Could you keep up with him?"

Greg chuckled. "I know my limit and try not to go overboard with the drinks. But it looked like him and Nick were. Marvin's a really cool guy."

She looked slightly disappointed at him. "Yeah, he's great. So... what did you two talk about? Boy-stuff?"

"All kinds of stuff." He started to become a little bit suspicious. He wondered why she would ask so many weird questions. "There's nothing wrong with him, right?"

"...What should be wrong with him?"

"I don't know..."

She playfully patted his shoulder. "You shouldn't worry so much! Try to be a little more lightheartedly!"

The past few months had been rather hard on Greg and he indeed kind of lost his jauntiness. He tried to hide that fact, though. "I am. It's just... all your questions got me wondering."

"I'm just nosy, don't mind me!" She laughed. "...So... what did you talk about? Any girls in Marv's life lately?"

"Well I..." It dawned on Greg. She was being so nosy because she was into Marvin, he was sure. He shook his head with a big smile. "He didn't mention anyone but was talking a lot about you..."

"Really? What did he say?" She had a sexy smile on her lips.

"Charlotte, I need you to process these," Russell walked in with a box full of guns. "One of them should be my murder weapon."

She looked at Greg quite seductive. "We'll talk about this later."