CHAPTER 7:…OR DO THEY?

"Greg, you look exhausted." Sara said to him as they drove home. Sara had asked Greg to pick her up, since she had gone on a rant about how taking two cars was a waste on gas. "Really, do you think you can make it home?"

Greg attempted to suppress a yawn, but failed. "I'll be fine Sara. You look just as tired."

"Yeah, but I'm not driving. No, that's it," She said as he parked at her apartment building. "You're coming to stay with me."

"Sara, come on, I'm…" Sara growled and glared menacingly at Greg. "happy you asked me to stay, and wouldn't turn down your invitation even if you asked." Greg gave a very fake smile and made Sara laugh.

"Come on you clown. We need some sleep." She got out, and the two of them made their way to main entry door, arms linked.

"Oh, wait Sara," Greg said almost at the building, "I forgot my clothes. I'll only be a sec."

"Okay. I'll have the door opened by then." She said, and she continued her way while Greg jogged slowly to his vehicle again. She smiled, and went to her floor. She turned the corner and went to her door. She stuck the keys in the lock and turned, and was halfway between a curse and a laugh when the key expectedly got stuck. It was that way since she got the place. 'Mental note, new lock and key' She said to herself. She felt someone behind her. "Help me with this, will you? You're a big strong man." The door clicked as she said this. She shook her head.

"I know." Sara bolted straight up, when she felt a strong arm whip her around to face the man behind her. "Strong enough so that you cannot resist me."

Sara made to run, but her wrists had been grabbed, and now she was helplessly pinned against her wall near her door. Thoughts of screaming were lost on Sara, but not those of fighting back. She thrashed and kicked, but her body was pushed against the wall. Now she was scared, her heart pounding madly, her mind racing as she thought of a plan. "What do you want? Let me go!"

His smile was one of delight. His eyes sunken back, double chin jutted out as he laughed. The sight of Charlie Scoot disgusted her, and now frightened her to no end. "Struggle girl, it's a welcome change to the other women." He licked his lips for emphasis.

That was something she did not want to hear. He foreshadowed something Sara never wanted to be. No, not a rape victim. That wasn't it. Injury was something that never really frightened her. It was the possibility of being controlled. That was what she was afraid of the most.

She struggled more, but was met only by laughter. Sara started to feel more exhausted, helpless, which was what he wanted. She felt like she was struggling to stay afloat in deep water, exhaustion from struggling overtaking her, making her limbs feel like deadweight. Charlie reached for the door handle, and she could not do anything. She was underwater, with no hope in sight of seeing the surface again.

It hardly registered when she slumped against the wall, the grip against her wrists and pressure against her body lifted. While her body was numb, her mind was clear, and her heart jumped when Charlie gave Greg a solid jab to the shoulder. However, Charlie's size wasn't enough to overpower Greg's youth, especially added to the fury with which Greg threw punches. In just a minute, he had succeeded in bloodying up the nose, and creating places on Charlie's face that would certainly bruise.

Now, all three of them were on the floor. Scoot, a bloodied mess of lost pride, Sara, who was still shaking and felt like jelly, and Greg, who was at her side, helping her to stand. "You bastard." Greg's voice was low, but potent as it sent Scoot standing and ready to flee at a moments notice. "Leave Las Vegas, never return, and if you do, make sure I never see you again. I will make sure that you never hurt us again." Scoot fled the hallway like a dog with its tail between its legs. Then, as soon as it had come, all anger left Greg as he turned to Sara. "Sara?" He asked, and when Sara turned her head to him, he felt relief wash over him. "Are you okay? Did he…?"

"Oh, no." Sara reassured him. "He never got that far, thanks to you." She paused and, with the events that took place in just a few minutes finally registering with her, she sobbed. "Let's just get in the apartment."

"Okay." Greg didn't press further. She wasn't ready just yet. Knowing Sara, she wouldn't be ready for a long while, even granting their relationship. This may just be a reason for Sara to break it off with him. Why did other men always have to do this and ruin everything for the good ones? He opened the door, and when he saw Sara struggling to stand, he picked her up and brought her in.

She still sobbed, but never shed any tears. She was just stressed and tired. "Greg? Please…I need your help for something."

"Anything. What do you need?" Greg asked tenderly, still cradling her in his arms.

"I'm still too weak to try anything on my own…my arms and legs feel like jelly." She sighed, the released air even sounding tired. "I'm really in desperate need of a shower, but a bath will have to do…can you…?"

"Sure. Just hold on for a sec." He laid her down on her couch, made sure she was comfortable, and ran off in the direction of her bathroom. The next thing she knew was the sound of water as it splashed into the bottom of her bathtub. She listened to it, anticipation for the feeling of heat as it enveloped her body. Anything to stop the ache that had developed in her limbs and torso from the struggle.

Greg stepped out for a second and retrieved something from the kitchen, but Sara was too sore to check what it was. A few minutes later Greg came back out. "Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah." She replied, and almost effortlessly, he picked her up again and brought her to the bathroom. Then a thought occurred to her. "Um, Greg? How am I supposed to get undressed and into the tub if I can't even stand up?"

Greg smiled. "Got it covered. I've thought of everything." He brought her into the bathroom, which was already warm with steam. A glass of cool juice was laid on the stand next to the tub, and a chair was laid next to the tub. He placed her on the chair. "Okay, if you can manage now, I'll be in the living room, so give a shout if you need me."

He made to leave. "Greg wait." He stopped and looked at her, and his heart went out to her. She looked the most vulnerable she had in a long time sitting there, not able to even stand. She was, however, smiling. "Thank you, so much. You have no idea what this means to me. I mean, what may have happened if you hadn't come…"

"It was lucky that you convinced me to stay over."

"Don't say that. You're just amazing. Don't ever forget that."

Greg smiled. "I won't. Remember that I'm just out here if you need me."

Sara nodded, and when he left, she laboriously shed her clothes, and with patient work, lowered herself into the water. Greg had worked wonders. The temperature was just right, the water level was just right, and the little bath side radio was on just the right volume and station. She sighed in relaxation as the heat worked itself into her aching muscles. Sara lowered herself further into the water, until only her nose and head bobbed in the water.

Meanwhile, Greg was boiling the kettle, getting himself a cup of tea. No, not coffee, tea. He didn't need anything to keep him awake any longer. Tea always calmed him down. He needed it. His knuckles had bruised from the beating he had given Scoot, and his shoulder throbbed from where he had been slugged. He let the water steep, added his sugar and milk, and made himself comfortable on the couch, his bed for the time being. He turned on the T.V., and just as he was getting into an episode of Gilligan's Island reruns, he heard Sara call out. In an instant, Greg bolted up and into the bathroom, careful to close his eyes and not run into anything. "Sara?" He asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She said, chuckling at his over-protectiveness. "I need some help."

"With what?" He asked, coming nearer to her, feeling his way about. He heard splashing, and felt his hand connect with hers. She dragged him closer.

"My arms aren't up to the task of washing my hair. Can you do it?"

Greg gulped, and felt his face redden. "Umm…yeah, um, sure, yeah…uh, how can I do that if I can't see?"

He heard Sara laugh and he felt more heat rise to his cheeks. "You can look you know. I'll just tuck in my knees, and then your vision will be slightly blocked. Just don't go looking for anything." More heat rose to his cheeks to the point he felt like he would start spouting steam himself.

"Okay then, sure, but that's not fair." He added, his flirty side returning a bit in light of the situation. "You've seen me before." Sara whistled, and the heat rose yet again. He took the chair and seated himself directly behind Sara. "Where's the shampoo?"

"Over there." Sara pointed to the stand where the empty glass once housing her juice lay. "The green bottle."

Greg nodded, and reached for the bottle. He popped it open, and squeezed out some aqua green gel. It had a particular fruity scent; one that Sara always seemed to have. He smelled it that day when he was beaten. It was how he knew she was there for him. 'Smell is the sense that the memory familiarizes itself with most', said a voice in his head. Must be Grissom. He rubbed it between his palms, and then started massaging it into her hair. She groaned, and he hesitated.

"No, don't stop Greg." Sara said, feeling him pause. "You have no idea how good that feels." Greg started once again, lathering it in through her hair, massaging her scalp gently, slowly. After five minutes, he stopped, and rose.

"You need any help with washing it out?"

Sara shook her head. "No, I can manage that." She sighed longingly. "God that felt good. You're good at that, you know? Remind me to get you to play with my hair later on."

"I'll remind you to let me." Greg said with a smirk. And then he left. "Let me know if you need any help getting out."

"Okay. Thanks again Greg." Sara said.

Greg left again. 'What has that girl done to me?' He thought with a smirk as he settled down on the couch once again, exhaustion once again settling down on him like a blanket. Only about five minutes later, Sara emerged from the bathroom, slowly, still trying to get her muscles to cooperate with her. A small towel was wrapped about her hair and body, reaching only from under her arms to the upper part of her thighs.

"Greg?" He turned his head and she smiled when she saw his face when his eyes landed on her. "I'm gone to bed. There are blankets and pillows in the hall closet. Okay?" All he did was nod. "Goodnight." Another nod. She chuckled and went into the room.

Greg was still trying to calm himself down when he settled down ten minutes later onto the couch. He had a pair of pyjama pants on, but the temperature inside the apartment was higher due to the steam still present from Sara's bath, so he went shirtless. He stretched himself out onto the couch, and letting the artificial darkness caused from blinds cover him, he started to doze. That is, until he heard Sara call his name again. He rose and went to the bedroom where she was already curled into a blanket. "Sara? Is anything wrong?"

"Yeah, there is." She said.

"What's wrong?"

"You're not in bed with me."

Greg nearly choked on his own breath. "Excuse me?"

Sara rose to her elbows, and smiled. She had a spaghetti string tank top on, from what he could see. "You don't need to sleep on the couch like a bad dog. My bed is plenty big. Plus," She added more quietly, "I need some company right now."

Greg smiled too, and nodded. He walked over to the bed and, careful not to crush any of the woman under him, crawled to the other side of her. He made himself comfortable under the covers. His mind was reeling. She wasn't closing him out like he thought she would after the incident. She was bringing him closer? He smiled, and turned to his back. The bed was a lot more comfortable than the couch, and he soon found himself dozing. But not before Sara snuggled up to him, her head nosing its way into the crook of his head and neck, and her hand laid tenderly upon his chest. He breathed a bit heavier with the sensation of her touch on his skin, but it was welcome. He brought his arm about her head, letting it fall on her cool shoulder, where he rubbed it comforting, warming it with the friction of his hands. He felt her breath on him. And then those three precious words, the ones he'll never forget her saying for the first time.

"I love you too, Sara." He whispered back, but both were too tired to return passion as they both fell into deep sleep filled with dreams of what the future could hold.

The End

Hehe, see? Proud of myself...that's the best Sandleness I have ever come up with, I thought it was cute:) Anyways, I hope ya enjoyed it...I'm going on hiatus for a week while midterms happen...and I'm working on a huge project...a whole plot plus characters? It's an interesting concept, coming live to FictionPress...soon...hopefully? Haha...we'll see...til next time folks;)