So this will probably be the last update until after my finals. Who hasn't read 'Attachment' yet, can go and read this lol. Yeah, I'm already advertising my own fics, because really... I like Attachment better than this story but way more people read this than Attachment ;-)

Thanks for the reviews and thanks to Emmithar for the beta! And uh, yeah, I'd like to know what you think :D


Chapter 9

Sara was silent during the drive. Greg could hardly make out her expression in the dim light of the car, her face being lit only for a split second every time they drove past one of the bright lights along the street.

There was nothing to talk between them anymore, their decision had been made. Greg wondered if it had been certain from the very beginning that it had to come to the current situation, if there had been anything they could have done differently, apart from telling the truth right away. Maybe they would have been able to keep it to themselves after all, even though it would have been hard, and wrong anyway.

But right now Greg had the feeling as if he was driving them to what would turn out to be a very bad night. His heart was heavy when they got out of the car at the brightly lit parking lot at the police department and he saw Sara's sad expression.

It was his fault. If she had not cared so much about what would happen to him, she would have given an accurate statement right away, would not have been in this mess.

Sara stood nailed to the spot next to his car, avoiding his look, but he noticed that she was sneaking glances at him.

"Let's go," he said and it sounded spiritless. Sara nodded, but did not move. Greg walked over to her, and then she hugged him all of a sudden.

"Greg, I'm so sorry," she sniffed. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey," Greg tried to sound lighthearted, patting her on the back. "There's nothing you need to be sorry about." She should never be sorry about that she just was not able to lie to her co-workers again and again, even if it was to save Greg's neck.

Sara collected herself and a minute later they were finally making their way inside the building. When they were walking along the hallway, Greg could not help glancing at the people around him who had been taken into custody and were now being led to holding cells, and wondering if he would find himself in one of them soon as well.

Shaking his head slightly, his determination increased that he would not let that happen. He had not done anything wrong, at least nothing criminal. He had not known about Charlie's plan, about what he had done, and once he had found Sara, his only intention had been to save her. And Sara would confirm that, Greg was sure of it. He only hoped that they would believe her. After all they could doubt that Sara was able at all to tell what Greg's intentions had been, what he had known.

And then there was their wrong statement. Sara's wrong statement actually, and Greg's silence. It could actually be ruled criminal, an obstruction of justice. But as Sara was the victim in all of this, Greg doubted that they would go that far.

They arrived at Brass's office soon and Sara knocked at the open door. Brass called them in and smiled when they entered the room. His expression changed to a concerned one though, when he saw Greg's grave and Sara's pale and rigid face.

"What's wrong with you two?" he asked almost fatherly.

"We have to confess something," Sara replied crestfallen. Brass looked confused, and his expression changed between an almost laughing one and a very puzzled look, apparently thinking he was in the wrong movie or that Sara was dramatizing things.

"Okay, let's go slowly," he said, making a calming gesture. "I doubt you two have robbed a bank, have you? Sorry. So don't look as if you have to 'confess' something like that. Whatever it is I'm sure we can talk calmly about it, okay?"

Sara nodded hesitatingly. Brass motioned her to sit down. Sara wondered how on earth she was supposed to start, but Brass answered that question for her.

"Is it about the abduction?" he asked concerned, watching Sara closely. She nodded. Brass looked at Greg. "Do you want Greg to go outside?"

"It has kind of to do with Greg," Sara returned quietly. Brass frowned, looking at the younger man again, who stood feeling clearly uncomfortable near the door.

"What do you mean?"

Sara knew that she had to tell. That was why she was here. Why Greg was here. She looked directly at Brass, looked into his face that would turn from worry to deep disappointment in only a few moments. The room was not lit very brightly, and somehow it helped Sara in feeling rather distant from herself. She needed to feel like that. She just had to make herself tell the truth without really feeling any emotions, without feeling the sadness about doing to Greg what she had never wanted to do, about having to admit that she had lied to her friends and co-workers.

"Greg was there as well." Greg who was standing behind her right now, even though she could not see him.

For Sara her statement was clear, so she wondered why Brass' expression was still confused, why he did not look at her realizing, and disgusted.

"He was kidnapped as well?" Brass tried to clarify carefully, glancing back and forth between Sara and Greg. Sara shook her head. Brass was silent, finally standing up from his chair, turning away from them, rubbing his forehead.

He turned back to the pair. He looked at Greg. "Could you wait outside, please?" Greg nodded and was out of the room quickly with a last glance at Sara, closing the door behind him.

Brass sat down in his chair again, apparently needing the time to calm himself.

"I sent him out so you can talk freely," he told Sara explaining. "So that we get this right: Sanders kidnapped you?"

Sara shook her head, frowning. If Brass thought that, why had he just sent Greg outside? Or did he trust that Greg would not make a run for it?

"You have to see," Brass continued, "that I'm rather confused now. So, please, tell me what happened. Open your mouth and talk to me." The last bit had already an irritated undertone and Sara could not blame him, for she was beating around the bush.

"It was Greg's friend who kidnapped me," she started. "And Greg was just there."

"He was just there?"

"Greg did not know about it. He and his friend were out on a trip to Lake Mead and Greg did not know that Charlie had taken me earlier," Sara explained. "Greg found me in Charlie's car and saved me."

"He saved you?" Brass sounded clearly unbelieving. "I didn't exactly see him coming here, bringing you to the hospital, or anything else that would have indicated that." He looked at her sternly. "As far as I know it wasn't him who found you lying close to hypothermia in the woods."

"Greg saved me," Sara stated firmly. "Charlie wanted to kill me and he would have done so if Greg had not kept him from doing it." She had to convince Brass that it had been this way, she simply had to.

"Why are you telling me about it only now anyway? Why didn't you tell about it when you gave your statement? Why did you lie to me, to Catherine?" Brass asked her, the anger in his voice now clearly audible.

"Because I didn't want to get Greg into trouble. I was afraid you wouldn't believe me," Sara admitted.

"So why should I believe you now? Do you think Greg's going to be in less trouble now? If he did save you so greatly, there was nothing he had to fear," Brass threw back. "But now both of you are in big trouble, I can promise you that." He turned away from her, looking out of the window, although he could clearly not see anything outside, since the light of the room reflected in the dark window.

Sara stared at the edge of his desk, and despite her earlier resolution, tears were coming up by now. She had never thought she would screw up her job, her career in a way like that. She had even managed to screw up the relationship with the only people she was somewhat close with.

She did not notice how Brass turned to her again. He sat down at his desk, watching her. His anger diminished and he looked at her rather sadly now.

"Sara, I'm sorry," he said finally. "I shouldn't forget that you're the victim here, and not the culprit. I'm sorry." When Sara did not answer, he brought out a tape recorder, placing it on the desk between them.

"Can you tell me again what happened, from the very beginning?" he asked softly, and Sara noticed that he did not add 'the truth this time' to his request. He probably just did not want it on the tape. She nodded and started recalling the events. While she clearly stated the truth this time, she still tried to make especially clear that Greg had only helped her, that he had saved her. Several things she had to speak out sounded very bad for him, she knew that, so it was even more important that she clarified that she had only survived because of him.

Brass' expression was grim when she was finished. "Are you sure that Sanders was not in it?" he asked her again.

Sara nodded decidedly. She knew that there were extraordinary circumstances that made Brass doubt the young CSI so much. And she had to admit that it was partly her fault that he was doing so. Brass apparently wanted to make very sure to learn the whole truth this time.

He stood up. "I'd advise you to just go home and get some rest," he told her. "You know that I have to inform the lab about everything?"

He could not really mean it as a question, but Sara still nodded.

"Send Sanders in on your way out."

Sara looked at Brass questioningly and he shook his head, understanding her silent question. "If he confirms your statement, he's free to go. It seems as if he really saved you." Brass did not sound convinced. "We don't have anything against him yet."

"You won't find anything," Sara ensured him, and Brass nodded, motioning her to get out.

TBC