Title Pending
By Jess
Disclaimer: See Chapter 23. Oh, and Danny, Sam, Mike, and Josh are all mine too.
Rating: PG-13
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Little Things
Emily pushed open the door to Layout Room Two and slumped onto a stool. Grissom raised his eyes from the light table and asked, "How was the autopsy?"
"Julie died from a bullet wound to the right ventricle," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "Hannah was held under water until she drowned." She rested her hands on her forehead and her elbows on the table. "How's this coming along?"
"It's not," he sighed. "Greg's backed up in DNA so we won't get those hairs back for a few more hours. Trace is almost caught up."
"Why? Day shift's stuff was all done."
"Warrick and Catherine brought their case in a few minutes before us. Nick and Sara were here long before them."
Emily's eyes swept over the enlarged photos on the table. "I can't believe we didn't find one muddy footstep in the house. It's been raining, their house is surrounded by dirt... Do you think the dirt the mom was wiping up was from the perp?"
"I doubt it," Grissom muttered, staring at the photo in his hand. "The perp must have heard them upstairs. He wouldn't have gone to the kitchen."
Emily nodded. "I'm going down to Trace." Grissom nodded and she left. She stopped at the break room and poured herself some coffee. It was one o'clock in the morning and, with all the stress she had about being lead, she needed a caffeine kick. Just as she was about to leave, Greg came in.
"Hey, baby."
"Hey," she smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly. "Why aren't you working? I want my results."
"I didn't make the damn machine," he muttered. He poured himself some coffee and said, "Hey, the receptionist told me there're a few messages for you."
"For me?" she frowned. "Who'd be calling me?"
He shrugged. "Let's go find out."
"I need to get back to Grissom," she objected as he pulled on her hand.
"Bull shit," he smiled. "Until you get the DNA results, your case isn't going anywhere. Trace hasn't even started processing your fibers yet." Emily groaned and he slung his arm around her shoulders. "Maybe you shouldn't waste time at a crime scene next time," he teased.
"Hey!" she protested as they stepped into the hall. "Griss made me be lead tonight. I was double checking every little thing."
"That's right. How'd that go?" Greg brought the mug to his lips.
"It was weird," she confessed. "I didn't like bossing the boss around."
"I'd kill to be you," he chuckled. They walked through the halls of the crime lab, heading in a vague direction toward the front of the police department. He spoke solemnly. "Did the babysitter do it?"
"No," Emily sighed. "At least, I don't think so." She sighed. "I'm thinking someone who knew her came in and killed her. I just don't know-"
"Hey, there she is!"
The rowdy yell caused both Emily and Greg to turn their heads. Four young men, probably just under his age, were walking down the hallway, toward the couple. Beside him, Emily yelped and Greg felt her slip out from under his arm. She ran up the group and flung herself into the arms of one of the guys. He wrapped his arms around her and spun her around. The three other guys stood behind them, smiling, but also eyeing Greg suspiciously.
Greg stood awkwardly in the hallway, looking at Emily's pleased face. Her eyes were shut and a large smile painted her face. "Danny, you're five days early!"
The man set her feet on the floor and pulled back, holding her at arm's length. "I missed my baby sister."
"Bull shit," she laughed, slipping out of his grasp. "You wanted to do some gambling."
"Hey, it's legal for a reason," he laughed.
Emily wrapped one of the other guys in her arms. He looked younger than the other one, but he was at least three inches taller. "Hey, Sammy," she squealed.
He hugged her back and smiled. "Hey, Em."
She tousled his hair and smiled at him. "Got your fake ID?"
He laughed. "What are you talking about?"
She went up to the other two guys and gave them hugs. "The whole posse's here." She started back for Danny but then turned toward Greg. She broadly grinned and grabbed Greg's arm. She pulled him forward and said, "Guys, this is Greg. Greg, this is my older brother, Danny; my younger brother, Sam; and their friends, Mike and Josh."
Greg stepped forward and shook hands with each of the guys, trying hard to ignore the glare Danny held and the extra hard handshake Sam bestowed. "Nice to meet ya," he said.
Danny folded his arms across his chest. "You're Emily's boyfriend?"
Greg frowned and nodded. "Yeah."
Emily immediately sensed the tension. She stepped between the group and Greg and faced her brothers. Her hand found Greg's behind her. She smiled at the boys. "Um, I don't get off work for another six hours or so."
"Yeah, Ma said you worked nights," Sam offered. "We just wanted to stop by and tell you we're here. We've left messages."
"I've been out."
"Now we're damn tired," Josh yawned.
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Now here's why we're really here: how do you get to your apartment?"
"My apartment?" Emily repeated slowly.
"Yeah, where else would we crash?" Danny frowned.
"You're staying at... Emily's apartment?" Greg asked incredulously, stepping forward into Emily.
Danny frowned at Greg's actions. "Yeah." He looked down at Emily. "You don't expect us to pay for a hotel do you? The ones around here are freakin' expensive. Besides, I forgot where your apartment was from when I helped move you in."
Emily felt Greg's fingers digging into her back. She squirmed and said firmly, "I actually I do expect you to stay at a hotel."
"What the hell?" Sam exclaimed.
She glared up at her younger brother and immediately established the unwritten rule that, despite he was in college and a good six inches taller than she, there was no sane reason for him to oversee the fact that she had been in charge since they were toddlers and she still was. "You guys showed up almost a week early. And it's not just Danny, it's you and Josh and Mike. Yes, you're staying at a hotel. They're not all expensive," she eased. "You don't have to stay at the Rio or anything."
Greg bit his lip to hide his smirk and rubbed his thumb over the spot his fingertips had just jabbed her.
Danny noticed Greg's demeanor and said, "Fine. But don't forget we drove two days to bring you home."
She teased and said, "You act like I've forgotten how to find it."
"Emily!"
All six turned at the voice behind them. Grissom stood in the hallway. He eyed the men surrounding her suspiciously and said, "Al wants to speak to us. Greg, DNA?"
Greg nodded and looked past Emily to her brothers and friends. "Nice to meet you guys. I'm sure I'll see you before you leave."
Danny gripped Greg's hand one last time. "Our pleasure."
Greg pulled back behind Emily again and said, "See ya later." He bent down and quickly kissed her cheek. She smiled and he hurried down the hall. "I was working, honest!" he exclaimed as he passed Grissom.
Emily turned to the boys and said, "Call my cell phone when you find out where you're staying."
"When do you get off work?" Sam asked.
She started backing down the hall. "Eight or so."
Mike laughed. "Screw that. We're going to sleep so we can party all week." They other guys started cheering.
She smiled and blew her brothers each a kiss. "Talk to you later." She turned on her heel and took the remaining steps up to Grissom. She smiled at him and touched his elbow, turning him away from her small crowd.
"Who's that?"
"That's my brothers and their friends," Emily said. "They came to take me home."
"You're here for the rest of the week."
"I know," she yawned. "They wanted to get some partying in."
They entered the morgue. Doc Robbins looked up and said, "I conducted a more thorough search on Julie's body." The two investigators approached the stainless steel table. The coroner pulled the bottom of the sheet up, revealing the teenager's ankles and feet. He pointed to her ankles. "Slight contusions." He pulled the blanket further up to rest on her thighs. "More bruises just above her knees."
Grissom leaned over and peered closer. "Someone was holding onto her."
"She tried to get away," Emily muttered. Her eyes slipped up the sheet to Julie's face. The scene once again played through her mind, differently this time. Julie was still trying to get Hannah to take a bath. Someone came in. Was it someone Hannah knew or was it a stranger? If Emily's hunches were correct and Julie did indeed follow the rules laid out by Mr. Harshell, then it would have been a stranger. Julie and the intruder started to fight. Hannah got frightened and started to scream. The trespasser was focused on the child for a second and Julie tried to get away. Did Julie trip on a toy? She fell and scrambled to get up. The intruder grabbed at her legs, then her ankles. He shot her and then turned to Hannah. Or maybe he drowned Hannah first.
Emily shook her head. "Were those bruises caused by a man?"
"More than likely," Doc Robbins stated.
"We need more than likely," Grissom sighed. "We need absolutely."
Two hours later, the results came back from Trace and DNA. The blue fibers found of Julie were indeed denim. The orange fiber was dyed cotton from a shirt of some type. The epithelials from under Julie's nails were XY, but the donor was unknown.
Emily pushed herself away from the table and allowed the chair to roll gently into the wall. "We need to talk to her friends."
Grissom nodded and glanced at his watch. "It's almost four. We can't do anything for a few more hours. Go home, get some rest, and I'll meet you back here at ten."
She started to hesitate but nodded. "Sounds good." She stood and pushed her chair back to the table. She squeezed his shoulder and said, "Only if you go home, too."
He smiled and replied, "Good-bye, Emily." She gave him a pointed look and crossed her arms over her chest. He eyed her with a smirk and sighed. "I'll be gone in a few minutes. Tell Greg he can leave if he's caught up with everything."
She grinned and said, "See ya at ten." She headed down to the DNA lab and stuck her head inside the apparently empty room. "Hey, Greggy?"
"Huh?" came the muffled reply. She frowned and walked into room. "Down here," he called out.
She went around the island and looked down. He was half inside the cabinet. Chemical containers and tubes and boxes of slides were surrounding him. "What are you doing?" she frowned.
"Cleaning," he replied. He pushed himself out and looked up at her. She smiled and reached forward, brushing dust from the tips of his hair. "It's really nasty in here."
"How many spiders?"
"Three. One already dead and two I killed, after I made sure Grissom wasn't around." He sneezed lightly. "Excuse me. What're you doing here?"
"Bless you. Oh, Griss is sending me home until ten. Wanna come?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows. "He said you could leave if you were caught up with everything."
Greg nodded and said, "Give me ten minutes and I'll have everything put away." She bobbed her head and leaned forward to press her lips against his. Greg dropped the box in his hands and wrapped his fingers around the nape of her neck. She smiled and leaned further into him. His other hand reached up under her lab coat to her waist and pulled for her.
She struggled against him and whispered, "Hey, let's go home." She grinned and reached up, taking his hand from her neck. She kissed his knuckles and said, "Nine minutes."
She headed to the locker room, leaving a slightly chagrined Greg behind. She slipped out of her lab coat and grabbed her jacket. It was reaching eighty-five degrees again in the day, but at night a cool breeze still flew. She was reaching for her purse when the door opened.
Sara came in and smiled. "Hey, Emily."
"Hey," Emily smiled softly.
"Aren't you on Grissom's case?" Sara asked. "The one with the little girl and the babysitter?"
A frown replaced the smiled. "Yeah."
"Any ideas who the perp is?"
"Someone the babysitter knew." Emily shut her locker and sat on the bench. "I can just feel it, you know? It has to be someone she knew."
Sara smiled and sat facing the younger woman. "Grissom's right, you know what you're doing."
"What?"
Sara tapped her nails on the bench. "When you first got here, you refused to even guess as to who could have done it. Now you trust yourself. You know what you're doing."
"Grissom said that?" Emily ventured softly.
"Sure did." Sara stood and rustled through her already open locker, turning her back to Emily. "Yesterday, when he told me you were going lead. He trusts you."
Emily took a deep breath and went with her guts. "I wish everyone here did." Sara's head tilted slightly. Emily headed for the door. "Have a good day, Sara."
Emily helped Greg finish cleaning. He ran to the locker room, grabbed his keys, and came back out to find Emily staring at the message board. He slung his arm around her shoulders, in a mirror action of earlier that night, and held her close as they walked out.
The entire ride to the apartment, Emily spilled everything about her case. She saved the best for last. As they walked into their home, she relayed what Sara had said. Greg shared her enthusiasm for a few minutes as they stood in the kitchen until, finally, her walked forward and grabbed her hips. He lifted her up onto the counter and said, "Are we going to talk about Grissom all morning?"
"I'm excited!" she protested.
"So am I," he muttered.
She grinned slyly and rested her elbows on his shoulders. She folded her arms back toward her, her hands hanging between the two of them, and rested her chin on her hands. "Talking about Grissom doesn't turn you on?" He rolled his eyes. His hands skimmed up and down her back, raising her shirt every slightly. "I mean, come on, Greg, he's very handsome. He's got that whole distinguished man thing going on-"
"Hey, quit it," he objected. She laughed and leaned forward to kiss him. He pulled back and shook his head. A somewhat serious question erupted. "If you like that whole distinguished thing, then what the hell are you doing here?"
She rolled her eyes. "Sara likes distinguished. I like unique." She kissed him then.
"You just called me weird," Greg muttered against her.
She punched his chest lightly. "Loser."
He grinned and embraced her tightly. Her arms and legs found their way around his body. He felt her breathing warmly against his neck. He could feel her hair falling over his shoulder through his shirt. Her eyes closed and her eyelashes tickled his skin. Her nails skated through his hair. Little things like that he would miss the most, he feared.
By Jess
Disclaimer: See Chapter 23. Oh, and Danny, Sam, Mike, and Josh are all mine too.
Rating: PG-13
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Little Things
Emily pushed open the door to Layout Room Two and slumped onto a stool. Grissom raised his eyes from the light table and asked, "How was the autopsy?"
"Julie died from a bullet wound to the right ventricle," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "Hannah was held under water until she drowned." She rested her hands on her forehead and her elbows on the table. "How's this coming along?"
"It's not," he sighed. "Greg's backed up in DNA so we won't get those hairs back for a few more hours. Trace is almost caught up."
"Why? Day shift's stuff was all done."
"Warrick and Catherine brought their case in a few minutes before us. Nick and Sara were here long before them."
Emily's eyes swept over the enlarged photos on the table. "I can't believe we didn't find one muddy footstep in the house. It's been raining, their house is surrounded by dirt... Do you think the dirt the mom was wiping up was from the perp?"
"I doubt it," Grissom muttered, staring at the photo in his hand. "The perp must have heard them upstairs. He wouldn't have gone to the kitchen."
Emily nodded. "I'm going down to Trace." Grissom nodded and she left. She stopped at the break room and poured herself some coffee. It was one o'clock in the morning and, with all the stress she had about being lead, she needed a caffeine kick. Just as she was about to leave, Greg came in.
"Hey, baby."
"Hey," she smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly. "Why aren't you working? I want my results."
"I didn't make the damn machine," he muttered. He poured himself some coffee and said, "Hey, the receptionist told me there're a few messages for you."
"For me?" she frowned. "Who'd be calling me?"
He shrugged. "Let's go find out."
"I need to get back to Grissom," she objected as he pulled on her hand.
"Bull shit," he smiled. "Until you get the DNA results, your case isn't going anywhere. Trace hasn't even started processing your fibers yet." Emily groaned and he slung his arm around her shoulders. "Maybe you shouldn't waste time at a crime scene next time," he teased.
"Hey!" she protested as they stepped into the hall. "Griss made me be lead tonight. I was double checking every little thing."
"That's right. How'd that go?" Greg brought the mug to his lips.
"It was weird," she confessed. "I didn't like bossing the boss around."
"I'd kill to be you," he chuckled. They walked through the halls of the crime lab, heading in a vague direction toward the front of the police department. He spoke solemnly. "Did the babysitter do it?"
"No," Emily sighed. "At least, I don't think so." She sighed. "I'm thinking someone who knew her came in and killed her. I just don't know-"
"Hey, there she is!"
The rowdy yell caused both Emily and Greg to turn their heads. Four young men, probably just under his age, were walking down the hallway, toward the couple. Beside him, Emily yelped and Greg felt her slip out from under his arm. She ran up the group and flung herself into the arms of one of the guys. He wrapped his arms around her and spun her around. The three other guys stood behind them, smiling, but also eyeing Greg suspiciously.
Greg stood awkwardly in the hallway, looking at Emily's pleased face. Her eyes were shut and a large smile painted her face. "Danny, you're five days early!"
The man set her feet on the floor and pulled back, holding her at arm's length. "I missed my baby sister."
"Bull shit," she laughed, slipping out of his grasp. "You wanted to do some gambling."
"Hey, it's legal for a reason," he laughed.
Emily wrapped one of the other guys in her arms. He looked younger than the other one, but he was at least three inches taller. "Hey, Sammy," she squealed.
He hugged her back and smiled. "Hey, Em."
She tousled his hair and smiled at him. "Got your fake ID?"
He laughed. "What are you talking about?"
She went up to the other two guys and gave them hugs. "The whole posse's here." She started back for Danny but then turned toward Greg. She broadly grinned and grabbed Greg's arm. She pulled him forward and said, "Guys, this is Greg. Greg, this is my older brother, Danny; my younger brother, Sam; and their friends, Mike and Josh."
Greg stepped forward and shook hands with each of the guys, trying hard to ignore the glare Danny held and the extra hard handshake Sam bestowed. "Nice to meet ya," he said.
Danny folded his arms across his chest. "You're Emily's boyfriend?"
Greg frowned and nodded. "Yeah."
Emily immediately sensed the tension. She stepped between the group and Greg and faced her brothers. Her hand found Greg's behind her. She smiled at the boys. "Um, I don't get off work for another six hours or so."
"Yeah, Ma said you worked nights," Sam offered. "We just wanted to stop by and tell you we're here. We've left messages."
"I've been out."
"Now we're damn tired," Josh yawned.
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Now here's why we're really here: how do you get to your apartment?"
"My apartment?" Emily repeated slowly.
"Yeah, where else would we crash?" Danny frowned.
"You're staying at... Emily's apartment?" Greg asked incredulously, stepping forward into Emily.
Danny frowned at Greg's actions. "Yeah." He looked down at Emily. "You don't expect us to pay for a hotel do you? The ones around here are freakin' expensive. Besides, I forgot where your apartment was from when I helped move you in."
Emily felt Greg's fingers digging into her back. She squirmed and said firmly, "I actually I do expect you to stay at a hotel."
"What the hell?" Sam exclaimed.
She glared up at her younger brother and immediately established the unwritten rule that, despite he was in college and a good six inches taller than she, there was no sane reason for him to oversee the fact that she had been in charge since they were toddlers and she still was. "You guys showed up almost a week early. And it's not just Danny, it's you and Josh and Mike. Yes, you're staying at a hotel. They're not all expensive," she eased. "You don't have to stay at the Rio or anything."
Greg bit his lip to hide his smirk and rubbed his thumb over the spot his fingertips had just jabbed her.
Danny noticed Greg's demeanor and said, "Fine. But don't forget we drove two days to bring you home."
She teased and said, "You act like I've forgotten how to find it."
"Emily!"
All six turned at the voice behind them. Grissom stood in the hallway. He eyed the men surrounding her suspiciously and said, "Al wants to speak to us. Greg, DNA?"
Greg nodded and looked past Emily to her brothers and friends. "Nice to meet you guys. I'm sure I'll see you before you leave."
Danny gripped Greg's hand one last time. "Our pleasure."
Greg pulled back behind Emily again and said, "See ya later." He bent down and quickly kissed her cheek. She smiled and he hurried down the hall. "I was working, honest!" he exclaimed as he passed Grissom.
Emily turned to the boys and said, "Call my cell phone when you find out where you're staying."
"When do you get off work?" Sam asked.
She started backing down the hall. "Eight or so."
Mike laughed. "Screw that. We're going to sleep so we can party all week." They other guys started cheering.
She smiled and blew her brothers each a kiss. "Talk to you later." She turned on her heel and took the remaining steps up to Grissom. She smiled at him and touched his elbow, turning him away from her small crowd.
"Who's that?"
"That's my brothers and their friends," Emily said. "They came to take me home."
"You're here for the rest of the week."
"I know," she yawned. "They wanted to get some partying in."
They entered the morgue. Doc Robbins looked up and said, "I conducted a more thorough search on Julie's body." The two investigators approached the stainless steel table. The coroner pulled the bottom of the sheet up, revealing the teenager's ankles and feet. He pointed to her ankles. "Slight contusions." He pulled the blanket further up to rest on her thighs. "More bruises just above her knees."
Grissom leaned over and peered closer. "Someone was holding onto her."
"She tried to get away," Emily muttered. Her eyes slipped up the sheet to Julie's face. The scene once again played through her mind, differently this time. Julie was still trying to get Hannah to take a bath. Someone came in. Was it someone Hannah knew or was it a stranger? If Emily's hunches were correct and Julie did indeed follow the rules laid out by Mr. Harshell, then it would have been a stranger. Julie and the intruder started to fight. Hannah got frightened and started to scream. The trespasser was focused on the child for a second and Julie tried to get away. Did Julie trip on a toy? She fell and scrambled to get up. The intruder grabbed at her legs, then her ankles. He shot her and then turned to Hannah. Or maybe he drowned Hannah first.
Emily shook her head. "Were those bruises caused by a man?"
"More than likely," Doc Robbins stated.
"We need more than likely," Grissom sighed. "We need absolutely."
Two hours later, the results came back from Trace and DNA. The blue fibers found of Julie were indeed denim. The orange fiber was dyed cotton from a shirt of some type. The epithelials from under Julie's nails were XY, but the donor was unknown.
Emily pushed herself away from the table and allowed the chair to roll gently into the wall. "We need to talk to her friends."
Grissom nodded and glanced at his watch. "It's almost four. We can't do anything for a few more hours. Go home, get some rest, and I'll meet you back here at ten."
She started to hesitate but nodded. "Sounds good." She stood and pushed her chair back to the table. She squeezed his shoulder and said, "Only if you go home, too."
He smiled and replied, "Good-bye, Emily." She gave him a pointed look and crossed her arms over her chest. He eyed her with a smirk and sighed. "I'll be gone in a few minutes. Tell Greg he can leave if he's caught up with everything."
She grinned and said, "See ya at ten." She headed down to the DNA lab and stuck her head inside the apparently empty room. "Hey, Greggy?"
"Huh?" came the muffled reply. She frowned and walked into room. "Down here," he called out.
She went around the island and looked down. He was half inside the cabinet. Chemical containers and tubes and boxes of slides were surrounding him. "What are you doing?" she frowned.
"Cleaning," he replied. He pushed himself out and looked up at her. She smiled and reached forward, brushing dust from the tips of his hair. "It's really nasty in here."
"How many spiders?"
"Three. One already dead and two I killed, after I made sure Grissom wasn't around." He sneezed lightly. "Excuse me. What're you doing here?"
"Bless you. Oh, Griss is sending me home until ten. Wanna come?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows. "He said you could leave if you were caught up with everything."
Greg nodded and said, "Give me ten minutes and I'll have everything put away." She bobbed her head and leaned forward to press her lips against his. Greg dropped the box in his hands and wrapped his fingers around the nape of her neck. She smiled and leaned further into him. His other hand reached up under her lab coat to her waist and pulled for her.
She struggled against him and whispered, "Hey, let's go home." She grinned and reached up, taking his hand from her neck. She kissed his knuckles and said, "Nine minutes."
She headed to the locker room, leaving a slightly chagrined Greg behind. She slipped out of her lab coat and grabbed her jacket. It was reaching eighty-five degrees again in the day, but at night a cool breeze still flew. She was reaching for her purse when the door opened.
Sara came in and smiled. "Hey, Emily."
"Hey," Emily smiled softly.
"Aren't you on Grissom's case?" Sara asked. "The one with the little girl and the babysitter?"
A frown replaced the smiled. "Yeah."
"Any ideas who the perp is?"
"Someone the babysitter knew." Emily shut her locker and sat on the bench. "I can just feel it, you know? It has to be someone she knew."
Sara smiled and sat facing the younger woman. "Grissom's right, you know what you're doing."
"What?"
Sara tapped her nails on the bench. "When you first got here, you refused to even guess as to who could have done it. Now you trust yourself. You know what you're doing."
"Grissom said that?" Emily ventured softly.
"Sure did." Sara stood and rustled through her already open locker, turning her back to Emily. "Yesterday, when he told me you were going lead. He trusts you."
Emily took a deep breath and went with her guts. "I wish everyone here did." Sara's head tilted slightly. Emily headed for the door. "Have a good day, Sara."
Emily helped Greg finish cleaning. He ran to the locker room, grabbed his keys, and came back out to find Emily staring at the message board. He slung his arm around her shoulders, in a mirror action of earlier that night, and held her close as they walked out.
The entire ride to the apartment, Emily spilled everything about her case. She saved the best for last. As they walked into their home, she relayed what Sara had said. Greg shared her enthusiasm for a few minutes as they stood in the kitchen until, finally, her walked forward and grabbed her hips. He lifted her up onto the counter and said, "Are we going to talk about Grissom all morning?"
"I'm excited!" she protested.
"So am I," he muttered.
She grinned slyly and rested her elbows on his shoulders. She folded her arms back toward her, her hands hanging between the two of them, and rested her chin on her hands. "Talking about Grissom doesn't turn you on?" He rolled his eyes. His hands skimmed up and down her back, raising her shirt every slightly. "I mean, come on, Greg, he's very handsome. He's got that whole distinguished man thing going on-"
"Hey, quit it," he objected. She laughed and leaned forward to kiss him. He pulled back and shook his head. A somewhat serious question erupted. "If you like that whole distinguished thing, then what the hell are you doing here?"
She rolled her eyes. "Sara likes distinguished. I like unique." She kissed him then.
"You just called me weird," Greg muttered against her.
She punched his chest lightly. "Loser."
He grinned and embraced her tightly. Her arms and legs found their way around his body. He felt her breathing warmly against his neck. He could feel her hair falling over his shoulder through his shirt. Her eyes closed and her eyelashes tickled his skin. Her nails skated through his hair. Little things like that he would miss the most, he feared.