San Francisco-December 1999
Greg pulled another shirt out his closet and tossed it in the bag for Goodwill. He was trying to make the move to Vegas easier and well less expensive by tossing out things he really didn't need anymore. The Stanford jersey had been a gift from Dana and honestly he was shocked that it was still in his closet after over a year of her being gone.
After the baby had been born, Greg slept in a cheap hotel while Dana got her stuff out of the apartment and went to be with some friends in LA. He had heard through some old friends Dana had given the baby up for adoption and that he had been adopted by her cousins. Why couldn't she have just done that in the first place instead of all the bullshit? It didn't matter anymore. He was onto bigger and better things now. Vegas.
The only lab bigger and more impressive would have the FBI lab in Quantico. However, his mother was already having a cow about him moving a five hour car drive away from her. Plus there was the crap weather on the East Coast. At least Vegas was warm and well it sounded fun. At least she made it sound fun.
Greg shoved the thought away hard and fast. He didn't even like to use her name in his thoughts. Dana had hurt him, Jenna had broken his heart and his trust. I loved her. It didn't matter that he would be in the same city as her. There were thousands of people in Vegas. Hundreds of thousands of people. It was a big city, there was room for both of them. Besides, I'm on the night shift. The odds of us running into each other every again are...well slim. Maybe I'll meet someone new. A dancer. Yeah. It's Vegas. Maybe a blackjack dealer.
Greg tossed a couple more shirts into the trash bag and a few pairs of pants into the trash bag before reaching into the top of the closet for some boxes to see what could be tossed. He set aside his copies of Clue and Risk and threw away a very battered game of Monopoly. You guys played that one weekend and every time you couldn't pay you lost a piece of clothing. Going bankrupt was worth it. He didn't have pictures of Jenna anymore or a lot of memotos of their time together. His mother had taken most of his Stanford stuff and it was sitting in a box in the family basement. Greg had a feeling there were a few pictures of her in that box.
After he had gotten the engagement announcement, anything he had hidden away from Dana had gone right into the trash. Pictures, notes, the mixed CD, a shirt she had left at his place, and the few letters she had written since going home were now in a landfill. She had broken his heart, why did he need the reminders?
He pulled out another box that had mostly books in it and started sorting those when he came across the chess set. It somehow had escaped his purge of her from his life. Greg had only played with it once and it had been with her the first time she had stayed at his place.
Jenna was sitting on the floor wearing a tee shirt and her underwear while they waiting for the bread to rise. Greg pulled out the chess board and started setting up the pieces.
"So tell the truth. Did you really like this gift?" asked Jenna
"Honestly I haven't played in a real long time. I like the thought behind it," said Greg and Jenna grinned a little.
"Grandma always said it was what counted. So the little horse piece moves in an L shape right?" asked Jenna.
"The Knight and yes it is like a L shape," said Greg. He spent an hour teaching her how the game was played and crushed her at every turn. Jenna didn't seem to mind though, if anything she seemed to make the game more fun with off handed comments about how he was clearly a nerd jock with how much he was kicking her show choir ass. She got up to check the rise of the bread and Greg was impressed that she got such a good rise on it.
"So honestly was there something else in that gift bag?" asked Greg and Jenna was focused on kneading the dough. The chess player in him saw her hesitation and how quickly she played it off. She was in check.
"Nope. You got everything you didn't ask for. Now we put the baby back to bed and let her sleep," said Jenna and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before putting the dough back in the bowl and covering it with a dish towel. She had gotten out of check and he had to admire her a bit. They had time. He would find out sooner or later.
Greg looked at the chess box and was about to toss it in the trash when he thought better of it. Maybe he could find someone else who could actually play the game. Someone on his level for once. The chess box was packed and went with Greg on to his new life in Vegas.
….
Vegas 2005
By the time Greg logged his evidence, got the results and filed the paperwork it was well past midnight. Lissa had confessed to the murder of Linda Stesiak. She had met Mikey through another kid in her study group. Everyone liked a good study drug and Lissa had run up a bit of a tab. She couldn't go to parents for money and she had been too ashamed to ask Jenna. She had thought of robbing the bakery before the opening so Jenna wouldn't be out too much money or time.
She had tricked Jenna with the phone call to get her out and then waited twenty minutes to be sure Jenna was really gone before heading inside. It looked like Linda had beaten Lissa inside by a mere minute or two and Linda was clearly trying to decide what she wanted to do when Lissa saw the unpacked rolling pin on the counter and started swinging. Linda's ring, the cash she had in her purse and the credit card got Mikey off her back. She had broken her bracelet though. She knew if Jenna or anyone else saw it her goose would be cooked. She had taken it with her and cleaned it off. She had given it to Milia to fix and keep, but not to frame her. She just didn't want it anymore, but she couldn't bring herself to throw it away. It had been a gift from her grandfather before he died.
They towed Lissa's car in and found blood she had missed trying to clean up. The clothes and shoes had been tossed in a dumpster on campus and sadly those were long gone now. Mikey was on strike three for dealing and accepting stolen goods so it was when not if they threw away the key for him. The DA still wasn't sure what to charge Lissa with. She hadn't planned to kill Linda, but she had come into Jenna's home with possible homicidal intentions. Plus holding Jenna and her mother hostage at gunpoint was also a very bad look for the girl. There was a long list she could be charged with and Greg felt a little sorry for her. She had so much ahead of her.
Greg was overclocked on his overtime and Grissom sent him home around four am. Or maybe Grissom was sending him home because he didn't want to deal with telling Greg how dangerous it was to put himself in the middle of a hostage situation. Although there had been a look Grissom had given him when he handed over his report. Something else I can never tell my mother. Grissom told him Nick or Sara could finish wrapping up the case and that he had tomorrow night off. That was fine by Greg, he needed a shower and some sleep anyway. I also need a lot of time to talk to Jenna.
Greg waited until the afternoon the next day before going in to see Jenna. He did stop at the gift shop and pick her up a small gift. He had debated flowers, but felt they might be a bit too forward after not being friends for years. Or hell maybe he should get her flowers. Sorry I bailed on our relationship and friendship. Greg hoped that after this he would know where he stood with her.
Jenna was sitting up in bed, a half eaten lunch tray pushed off to the side and she was drawing in a notebook. Greg lightly knocked on the door and Jenna looked up and seemed torn between being happy and anxious to see him. Honestly he felt the same way.
"Well you have good timing. I finally talked my mom into going home and taking a nap. She's talking about moving back in with me, because I can not be trusted on my own. The doctors said they will not send me home with anything to deal with that stress so tell me you have something in there to take the edge off," said Jenna.
"Sadly I could not liberate anything really good from the evidence locker. I did get you something though," said Greg. He took out the bag of Skittles and can of cherry coke and sat them on the bedside table. A lot of emotions crossed Jenna's face when she saw the gift and Greg was wondering if he should have just gotten her some stupid flowers. She looks like she's going to cry, but like a happy cry.
"You remembered," said Jenna softly.
"I never forgot," said Greg sitting down in a chair next to her. Despite my best efforts. Jenna leaned over carefully and opened the drawer on the bedside table and inside was a can of root beet and a thing of peanut butter cups. A wave of nostalgia hit Greg. It was such a tiny gesture, but it spoke volumes to him. No girl, not even Sara, remembered I like peanut butter cups the best.
"I didn't either," said Jenna, opening her can of soda. "I had Julia go down and get them for this morning in case you did show up. Figured if you didn't I at least had a bribe for the nurse to give me the good drugs again," said Jenna.
"Why wouldn't I come see you?" asked Greg and Jenna gave him that 'How are you so stupid?' look.
"Well I don't how most marriages work, but normally the wife is super not cool with the husband going to see the ex girlfriend even if she got shot and almost went to jail forever," said Jenna. Ok let's clear that nonsense up right now, thought Greg.
"I'm not married. Never even been close to it," said Greg and Jenna looked at him stunned.
"You and Dana aren't together at all?" asked Jenna.
"Nope. Haven't seen her since 1998," said Greg.
"Geez. What a fucking bitch. Breaking up with you is one thing. Ditching the kid is cold blooded," said Jenna. Ok let's clear that up too. Greg explained to a very shocked Jenna that Dana had lied about the baby being his and that it had been adopted by Dana's family shortly after he and Dana had parted ways.
"I...I am so sorry she did that to you. That is some next level mind fuckery. I...I'm sorry you had to go though that," said Jenna at a loss for words. Greg pulled the letter Nick had taken out of the house with the return to sender on it. Jenna lost color in her face when she saw it in front of her.
"How did you get that?" asked Jenna.
"Nick might have snuck it out during the search. I'm not the only one she played head games with. I never sent your letters back. I thought you just stopped writing to me and I imagine Andy pulled the same stunt on this end. If I didn't know any better you think they would have planned it," said Greg trying to joke.
"Who knows maybe they had some shitty, greedy mind meld thing going on," spat Jenna and she looked defeated.
"I'm sorry Andy took your money. It wasn't right that he did that. The check would have been the one thing I sent back," said Jenna.
"I didn't know how to help you. I couldn't be with you and I figured that would be enough to help you out with something," said Greg. He handed her back the check she had given him at the PD.
"You don't owe me for his fuck up. I do owe you an apology for throwing it in your face. I should have known you better than that," said Greg.
"I don't think either one of us was making good choices back then. I thought he loved me...he worked very hard to make me think he loved me," said Jenna.
Greg listened as Jenna told him about everything that happened after their last phone call all those years ago. Between Dana sending her letters back and Andy throwing his letters out, Jenna really did believe he had broken up with her again and had ended their friendship. Andy had used her mother's illness to get back into her good graces by doing the things Greg wished he could have done for her during that time. I should have been there for you.
"We agreed to a long engagement...I had to focus on mom and business. I think he did that to get even more into my good graces. I trusted him and well we were going to get married anyway. I wanted him to run the business with me. He had access to everything. I'm shocked he didn't try to sell it out from under me. I was so stupid and selfish," said Jenna.
"You and I have done some very stupid things over the years, but you are not a selfish person. You wanted someone to love you. That's not a selfish thing," said Greg. I should have loved you.
Jenna quickly wiped her eyes with her free hand. Somewhere along the way without realizing it Greg had taken her other hand and so far Jenna hadn't pulled it away.
"Ofilia was working at the shop when the bank called and told her we had some checks bounce. She pulled the books and started doing the math. She called me right away. I was in Chicago visiting Frankie and Maggie with mom. They just had Anya and I was so stupidly happy. I just found out the week before I was pregnant. I was holding her and I was just thinking how cool it was going to be that Frankie and I could have kids so close in age. Two hours later I was on a flight home praying that maybe the bank had made a mistake. When I found it wasn't. I lost my mind. I think I could have killed him, Greg I was that pissed off," said Jenna.
"What happened when you confronted him?" asked Greg. He had a feeling he knew what happened and it made him sick to his stomach. He had only seen one picture of Andy, the guy was 6 '5 and easily had over a hundred pounds on Jenna who barely topped 5'4.
"He wasn't expecting me home and he was sleeping it off in our bed. We got in a fight...he said it was his money too and he could do what he wanted with it. That he was trying to make more money so we would have a better nest egg. That it was my fault we didn't have enough to cover the loss. I wasn't working hard enough. I threw something at him and told him it was going to be a cold day in hell before my money became his money. I went to leave and...well he didn't hit me in the face. He had enough sense to not hit me in the face," said Jenna with an almost bitter smile.
"I didn't see a police report," said Greg and Jenna shook her head.
"I didn't file one. I just wanted him gone as quickly as possible. I told him if he left and didn't start any more shit I wouldn't go to the cops. I haven't seen him since. I heard he and his mom moved back to Mexico. I didn't tell anyone what really happened other than Ofilia. She was also the only one who knew I took up stripping on the side. Well...I did finally tell my mom I was a stripper for a bit while I was trying to fix his fuck up. I assume you heard that when I was being questioned," said Jenna. Greg nodded and Jenna gave him a small grin. It was clear to Greg she wanted to shut the door about what happened between her and Andy. He was more than happy to follow her lead.
"Where did you work? When I first moved to Vegas a bunch of guys would go to the French Palace...payday Fridays," said Greg and Jenna rolled her eyes.
"Oh you were one of the payday losers? That's what the seasoned girls called them. You folks were cheap. Tourists and married folks had the real money. I worked at Shimmer. I originally was just slinging drinks and waiting tables, but it got really old really fast busting my ass in four inch heels to only get a ten dollar tip on a eighty dollar tab and having every asshole try to grab my ass. A couple of girls took me in and showed me how to dance. It took a few months to get the moves down, but it was a major step up in pay grade. If assholes wanted to grab it was going to cost extra," said Jenna.
"I will have you know I tipped very well on all my drink tabs and I never grabbed anyone's ass without permission," said Greg and Jenna laughed a little. It got oddly quiet between them and Greg squeezed her hand.
"How did you know I was in the hospital two years ago? Why did you come and see me?" asked Greg.
"So that guy did remember me?" asked Jenna and Greg shrugged.
"You made an impression on him. He said those were the best red velvet cupcakes he had ever had," said Greg. Jenna nodded and looked at the blanket.
"I saw on the news that the crime lab had an explosion. They said a DNA tech named Greg Sanders had been injured. Not a lot of Greg Sanders working DNA in crime labs...I just had to know if it was you," said Jenna. She looked at him and she looked so hurt it pulled at him. "It broke my heart to see you hurt and I was so mad at you. You were here and you never told me you were here. You knew I was here and yet you pretended I wasn't here for years. It was like I never mattered to you," said Jenna, her voice shaking.
"You mattered. I...Dana was kind enough to let me know you were getting married and I lost it Jen. It broke my heart. I couldn't sleep, I didn't wanna eat...if it wasn't for work I think I might had completely lost it, it filled a void in my life. When I took the job out here part of it was to fill a void in my life. I also wanted to prove to myself that I was over you," said Greg.
Greg swallowed hard and gripped Jenna's hand tightly in his. There were still a lot of things he needed to say and he didn't know if he could say it right. If it wasn't so sad he would laugh. The endless chatterbox and he was struggling with his words.
"You were the first person I ever really loved. I have tried very hard to forget you and yet no one has ever held a candle to what I felt for you. I wasn't a very good friend to you when you needed me the most. I told you I would be there and I wasn't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that it took this long and well all this to bring me back in your life. I shouldn't have left it in the first place. You took all the chances for me or at least tried and I quit when it got too hard. I really wanna take a chance this time and see what happens when I don't quit," said Greg and Jenna looked up at him wide eyed.
"There is a part of me that really wants that. My mom asked me if I could have a second chance with you if I would take it and I said yes. I've had dreams on and off for years that you came back and it was like nothing bad had ever happened between us. There is another part of me that is terrified. I'm scared that I'll let you in again and you'll just take parts of me and disappear again. I've spent a very long time putting myself back together and I don't know if I have it in me to do it again if you break me," said Jenna.
Greg squeezed her hand and wondered if maybe this was their fate. For one of them to be willing to take the risks, to put their heart on the line only to have it crushed over and over again. Jenna had put her heart out there for him so many times and it never clicked until it was almost too late and Marv had to shove his face in it to finally drive home. And then I let you go. Greg pulled out the unopened card and Jenna's face flushed red.
"Nick might have also taken this one too. I didn't open it or try to read it...I don't blame you for taking it back. I was being an asshole that night. You were trying to tell me how you felt and I wasn't listening. You were always trying to tell me and I wasn't listening," said Greg.
"Maybe I just wasn't saying it loud enough," said Jenna, taking the card from him and studying it like it was a foreign object.
"I know that I'm asking a lot and that you don't owe me anything, but I would really like to prove I'm the person you wrote that for. I don't expect you to tell me today or tomorrow or next week what you want to do. I just want you to know that whatever you decide to do...I'm proud of you. I always knew you were going to kick ass," said Greg. He pulled out a business card and gave her both his work number and personal number.
"I'm better at picking up my work phone than my personal phone whenever you wanna talk," said Greg.
"Okay," said Jenna looking at the business card before putting it and the letters in the drawer. Greg squeezed her hand and got up to leave. The ball was in her court and no matter what she decided he was going to have to live with it.
"Hey Greg," called Jenna when he got to the door. He looked at her and she seemed really nervous all of sudden.
"Did you...well you know I kept all my letters like a pack rat. Did you keep anything?" asked Jenna. For some reason this question felt like it held so much weight. That it would be the factor that made up her mind somehow.
"I kept the chess board," said Greg and Jenna shook her head.
"Jock nerd," muttered Jenna. She pulled the table with her drawing pad back to her and went back to drawing.
….
Three days went by. Then five, Then it was a week. Greg felt like he was in a sort of limbo waiting for Jenna to call him.
"You know you could call her," said Nick while they were working a B&E out in Seven Hills.
"I didn't talk to her for almost eight years. She has a lot to think about," said Greg taking a print lift from the door. I love it when folks are sloppy.
"All the more reason to call her. She looks like the type to think herself crazy," said Nick. Greg swallowed and turned his attention to taking some more photos of the door. Maybe she was waiting for him to call her. Why should she have to do all the heavy lifting again? Maybe after he got off shift he could bring her some breakfast. Maybe some flowers. Show her that he did care and wasn't going to slag off this time. I always say I'm going to be there, but I never am.
Greg was logging evidence and trying to figure out how he could try to play it casual like showing up at her job with pancakes and flowers when his phone rang.
"Sanders," said Greg not even bothering to look at the caller id.
"Wow...Sanders. Real professional and to the point," said Jenna on the other end.
"Hey...um…." stammered Greg and he could almost see Jenna wincing on the other end.
"If this is a bad time I can call you later," said Jenna.
"I just...I wasn't expecting you to call at…." Greg looked at his watch. "2 am."
"I can't sleep and I figured since you were on night shift….I can call you later during normal human hours ," said Jenna. Do not end this call you idiot. She finally worked up the nerve to call you. Who cares that it's 2 in the morning.
"Actually it's kind of nice to have someone call me while I'm awake. My mom still insists on calling me at 5 pm and I'm still waking up and can barely hold a conversation," said Greg.
"How dare she try and talk to you before you have finished your first pot of coffee. Some people," said Jenna.
"Just no respect for my caffeine habit and brain function," said Greg. Jenna let out a small laugh and it got oddly quiet on her end.
"So um...I'm supposed to meet with the DA...well this morning. I guess they wanna offer Lissa a deal and I guess they need my input or something. Is that normal?" asked Jenna.
While it wasn't the phone call he had been hoping for What did you really think she was going to pour her heart and soul out over a phone call after all this time? It was telling that she was at least reaching out to him. At least she's talking to you. Just take the win.
"Yeah. They want to make sure that you're in the loop about what's going on and why you aren't going to a jury. Honestly a lot of cases just end up in plea deals. It's the pain in the ass ones that go to court," said Greg without thinking and he winced a bit, but Jenna laughed again.
"When you put it like that...I would have been such a pain in your ass," said Jenna.
"I wouldn't have expected anything less from you," said Greg. It got oddly quiet between them. Damn it you used to be able to talk for hours and now talking for more than five minutes feels like a struggle.
"So how are you holding up...despite being awake during the middle of the night...don't you like get up at 5 am?" asked Greg.
"Well I'm actually going in late tomorrow so I might actually sleep till like 7 or 8. Shocking, I know. I...well I'm ok I guess. Although bikinis are now a no go for me, my mom is still threatening to move back in, I'm meeting with the daughter of a Texas oil tycoon to plan out her bachelorette party cake, bridal shower cake, wedding cake and groom's cake this week and we're about two weeks from the official grand opening. If anything at least I'm keeping busy," said Jenna.
"Wow...most people would take a week off after what you've gone through. I mean you should be mourning the loss of your bikinis," said Greg. She was clearly trying to keep things on the lighter side and was testing the waters. At least she called.
"All things considered I guess the loss of the bikinis is a small price to pay," said Jenna. It got quiet between them again and Jenna coughed.
"I guess I should try and go to sleep. I just wanted to see if I was freaking out about nothing with this meeting with the DA. Thanks for talking me off my ledge," said Jenna.
"Anytime," said Greg.
"Could I….well...would it be alright to call you tomorrow...like after 5, but before 2 in the morning?" asked Jenna.
"I wouldn't mind," said Greg and he could almost hear Jenna rolling her eyes.
"Ok. Night Greg," said Jenna.
"Good night," said Greg. He heard her hang up and Greg let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding. It wasn't much, but she had made the opening move and it was more than he had hoped for.
Thoughts are always welcome