When Two Worlds Collide Chapter 11
Pairing: Greg/OC
Rating : K+
Spoilers: none
Disclaimer: None of this is true. And I own none of the characters. Not one of them.
The Departure
Sara kept her word and did not tell a soul about Connie and Greg's relationship, which they were extremely grateful for. The lovers already had a shadow hanging over them with the knowledge of Connie's increasingly imminent departure. Thanks to some minor interference on the part of Sara, the couple were placed together on a number of cases in the run-up to Connie's return to New York. Sara delighted in her role in keeping Greg and Connie together, as well as knowing she had Grissom wrapped around her little finger.
Connie and Greg's time together was bittersweet: they revelled in each other's company, but it was also marred by an uneasiness that crossed them both whenever New York was mentioned. They had made an unspoken pact not to mention Connie leaving. Just thinking about it had been enough to reduce Connie to silent tears as she prepared coffee in the break room one day. She was looking forward to seeing her New York colleagues again: the hectic schedules of two CSI teams coupled with a budding relationship had made it hard to maintain regular contact with them. She felt torn, she missed her old friends, but she had become close to the CSIs in Las Vegas too.
And then there was Greg. Greg made her think of all the cheesy love clichés she never thought would ever seriously cross her mind. She loved him, he was her soul mate, she couldn't live without him. Yet she could not bring herself to discuss with Greg where their relationship would stand once she was back in New York. Connie knew they needed to talk about it, but had avoided it so far as she knew it would upset him. She recalled his tears from the previous day when she had simply told him what time her flight left, and sighed. It was going to be a tough couple of days for them both.
It was the day before Connie was due to return to New York, and she still had not had 'the' conversation with Greg. He had cried every day that week so far, as reality finally began to hit when Connie began to pack up her things. It already hurt her to know she was the cause of Greg's tears, and could not bring herself to upset him even more. She already felt like she was being ripped apart. The exchange was not meant to be life changing; it was purely intended to provide insight into the workings of another CSI team. She wasn't meant to fall in love, she wasn't meant to question whether she belonged in New York with her colleagues, or whether she should stay in Las Vegas with Greg. Staying in Vegas had crossed her mind on a number of occasions, and she had been dropping hints to that effect with Gil Grissom, but she doubted anything would come of it. She just had to return to New York and then pick up the pieces.
Connie, Greg, Sara and Nick were sat in the airport departure lounge waiting for Connie's flight to be called. Connie sat gripping Greg's hand tightly, savouring the final moments of contact. Greg and Connie had said their goodbyes before leaving for the airport, and despite the haze of salty tears, neither of them mentioned what would happen to their relationship from this point onwards.
The four friends sat chatting aimlessly, but the nearer it got to Connie's departure, the quieter Greg and Connie became. Their hearts skipped a beat as the first call for Connie's flight was announced. Connie turned to Greg to take in every detail of his face, and upon seeing the tears clouding his eyes, climbed into his lap and cradled his head against her throat as his tears began to fall. She pressed her lips to his forehead as he quietly began to sob, and soon Connie's silent tears were falling onto Greg's head. They sat embracing each other tightly as their sobs began to rack their bodies. The second call for Connie's flight was announced as Connie and Greg sat in the middle of the departure lounge oblivious to anything but each other. Nick tenderly stroked Connie's shoulder, breaking the spell that seemed to be over the lovers. "Connie, your flight's been called again; I think you'd better go." He softly said. Connie stood up and wiped the tears away from her eyes with a gulp. "You're right, I'd better go." She replied, her voice hoarse from crying.
The four of them walked to the departure gate, and Connie hugged Sara and Nick in turn, with promises of phone calls and visits punctuating the tears. Then she turned to Greg. The tears continued to roll down both of their faces and neither could speak, their voices breaking with emotion each time they tried. Instead they shared a long lingering kiss, a tight embrace and a simple "Bye." With great difficulty, she turned away and walked the few steps to the gate. As she handed her ticket to the steward, Greg sagged against Nick, his sobs barely audible now, as Sara wrapped a comforting arm around him. Connie was about to step through the gate when a voice called her name across the departure lounge.
The four CSIs turned to see Gil Grissom rushing across the lounge brandishing a piece of paper. "Connie, don't go." He declared. The four CSIs looked at Grissom with looks of utter confusion on their faces. Connie walked towards him as she spoke. "Gil, what's going on?" Grissom smiled as she stood face to face with her. "I said don't go. I just spoke to the sheriff, he's agreed to fund another CSI for the graveyard shift, and I want you!" It took a few seconds for the words to sink in, but soon Connie squealed with delight, threw her arms around Gil's next and screamed "I'll take it! I want to stay." Sara, Nick and Greg soon jumped in, forming a huge 'group hug'. Once the initial excitement was over, Connie and Greg soon found themselves in a 'regular' embrace. In a familiar gesture, Greg brushed a strand of hair away from her face before whispering in her ear. "I love you. Marry me." Connie squealed again before accepting his proposal. She turned to Grissom before she spoke again. "I'll accept the job on one condition: you don't mind me marrying Greg." Gil Grissom looked from Connie, to Greg, and then back to Connie. "Okay then." He replied. "Let's get back to work."
THE END!