Authors Note: The best...you guys are just the best. I mean, wow. Sure, I've gotten some positive feedback in my day, but never like this. You guys are truly awesome. Thank you so much. By the way, I changed the title of the Introduction to 'Your Promise', so I could use Night Alone for this chapter.

Chapter Five: Night Alone

Leila stood in the middle of the lab, holding back tears. Instantaneously, without even a word to anyone else, she rushed to Grissom's office. "GRISSOM!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs, causing Hodges, who was the only one other than Grissom not to hear all of the commotion, to come out of the trace lab, an angry look in his eye.
Hodges poked his head from the room, flashing Leila an angry glare. "Sidle, you do realize that people are trying to work. Maybe instead of yelling Grissom's name for the world to hear, you could go ask Sanders to answer your question for you? Do us all a favor?" he looked at Leila, a triumphant look in his eye.
She whirled around, from her mission to Grissom's office, and looked Hodges dead in the eye. "Shut up Hodges. I'd ask Greg if it wasn't him who just got KIDNAPPED, okay?" she screamed, catching everyone, as well as Grissom's, attention this time. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you that thought, because now you have a reason to go back into your little lab and celebrate!" she was on the verge of tears, and turned around, only to be looking Grissom dead in the eye.

Grissom, who already thought of Leila as he would his own daughter, looked down at her, trying not to reach over and embrace her. He could sense what the trouble was, but he had to ask; just to be on the safe side. "Leila? Are you all right?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.
She nodded, but a tear fell down her cheek. "I'm fine, but it's Greg. He...I'm not sure, but I think he may have been kidnapped..." she swallowed down the plethora of tears that were coming to her eyes, but looked up at Grissom, who was growing in concern, and they came back. Turning around, she saw that Sara was running up behind her, and she accepted her sister with open arms.
Sara embraced Leila and tried to stop her from crying. "Leila...he's going to be fine. Greg's strong..." she explained, as Nick ran up to the scene, only seeing Sara hugging Leila, and wondering what could have happened.
Nick walked slowly up to the scene, when he saw that Leila was crying. "What's going on?" he asked, going up to Grissom, rather than Leila or Sara, considering it looked as though they needed to be together.
Grissom shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not exactly sure yet, Nick, but Leila says that she thinks that Greg may have been kidnapped," he turned his attention to Leila. "Leila, we need the best description that you can give as to what you heard. Was someone else there with you when you realized that something was wrong?"

This wasn't just another night alone, my mind has cornered me against the wall.
Bleeding, scratching, fingernails are gone. The scars on my wall tell this all.

Sara nodded and looked at Grissom. "I was there. We were in the bathroom, though. We heard a crash coming from the lab," she explained, embracing Leila closely. "That's all I heard, though, because I hit the floor as soon as I heard the crash. Leila...what else did you hear?"
Leila raised her head from Sara's shoulder, wiped tears from her eyes and looked to Grissom. "I heard something like a struggle...and then I rushed to the lab, and no one was there," she hid her real thoughts. "But there's a pool of blood on the floor, and a bunch of containers were knocked over."
Catherine walked from the lab up to Grissom. "I'll work with you on this. I may be swamped, but we're really short handed, and I can take on a third case, for Greg..." she explained.
Grissom shook his head. "You need to work that double murder, Cath. We need someone else; someone to work with me, who isn't pulling a double caseload yet. Is that anyone in here?" he looked around the hallway to see a whole group of shaking heads, with the exception of Leila and Sara.
Leila's head perked up, and she approached Grissom. "Um, Griss...if I may...I think I might be able to help. I mean, it would only be for this case, since everyone is too busy...but I took an on the job course during college, and I think I can help..." she explained.

Grissom looked down at the purely eager look on Leila's face, and nodded. "I think that would work. That was what you originally planned to be when you first came here anyway, so that's fine by me. Are you sure you're ready for this Leila?" he asked, looking down at the freshly dried face.
She nodded and bit her lower lip. "I know I am. We need to find Greg. I won't let emotions cloud my judgement, don't worry. Plus...I don't know, but I might already have a lead--" she opened her mouth without thinking, all of a sudden, remembering that her only lead was supposed to remain she and Greg's secret. "Wait a second, Griss...I don't think Sara is pulling a double caseload yet. Can she work with me on this? Since you're pulling double, too?" she pleaded, looking to Sara, knowing that she'd understand.
Grissom shook his head and looked at Sara. "Leila, your sister needs to relax. She's pregnant. She needs a lighter caseload," he explained, looking back to Leila.
Sara knew that Leila would only ask for her help if it was absolutely necessary, so she shook her head in defense to Grissom's statement. "I can help Leila. I'm sure Nick can take on the rest of the case we're on by himself. It's just a robbery, anyway."

I'm feeling like the worst is yet to come, because the night has just begun.
Please let me breathe, you're choking me and my feelings.
This is my fault, downward I fall, my mind's slipping, my mind's slipping away.

Leila gave off a purely thankful glance in Sara's direction. "See? I wouldn't have asked her if I didn't think that she could handle it. I know my sister..." she pretended that she was okay.
Grissom gave of an unsure glance, but nodded his head at Sara. "Hodges, you can take on DNA until this case is solved. Then Leila, and hopefully Greg, get their jobs back. Okay?" he asked.
Hodges nodded and walked up beside Leila. "So you know, I wouldn't celebrate because Greg is missing. I don't hate the kid, I just wish I had his job..." he explained. He must have known that Leila had it rough at that moment, because his sensitive side seemed to show. "And I'll try my best to help in any way that I can..."
She nodded skeptically, but was thankful for any help that came her way. "Thank you, Hodges...it means a lot to know that," she flashed as much of a smile as she could, and followed Sara to the lab to process.

~~

Greg awoke, in a very unfamiliar place, with a harrowing pain in the back of his head, and blood pouring out of his left arm. "What the hell? Where am I?" he asked himself, looking around. "Ugh...what on Earth did I have to drink last night?" he placed his right hand on behind of his head, feeling a golf-ball-sized lump. "OW, damn it!" He looked around at his surroundings, and quickly became confused. The last thing he remembered, he was sitting in the lab, confused as to why Leila had slapped him. "Okay, whoever did this? You know, I'm not scared?" he lied through his teeth. He was terrified. Terrified and confused...not a fun combination. As soon as he spoke those words, the door opened and he was faced with an unfamiliar face.

I never thought this night would come again. My mind is proving me wrong in the end.
Your confidence in me is wearing thin. No matter what, my mind will win.

"Greg..." the female face smiled across the room at him. "I've waited twenty-eight years to see you, and look at how you've grown!" she smiled proudly at him and approached him, touching his cheek. "I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?" she asked, growing concerned.
Greg raised an eyebrow and pushed her hand from his face. "Who the hell are you?" he looked up to the adoring eyes, his own filled with confusion and hatred. "And yeah, by the way, you hurt me badly enough to knock me out, so...you did hurt me too badly."
She, whoever she was, looked hurt by Greg's angry reaction to her. "Greg, dear...I had to hurt you. I knew that you'd never come see me on your own will, after what I did to Marie Moore. I had to do it, though, because she broke her promise to me..."
Greg began to get the point, and gasped a little. "M--are you my...mother?" he asked, backing away from her, trying not to believe his own statement, just in case he'd gone crazy.
Candy nodded and smiled a gentle smile at him. "I always knew that you would be an intelligent man. You work at the crime lab? That's just proof of the matter," she reached down to hug Greg, who backed away.
Greg shook his head. "No. You killed Marie, and you almost killed me. You realize that all of my friends at the lab are probably worried sick about me? And Leila..." he paused. "Leila."

She crossed her arms and shook her head at Greg. "The girl who slapped you. You're concerned about the girl who slapped you? Why?" she asked with a glare.
He thought about it, and realized that kissing Leila in that moment may not have been the best plan. "Because I picked the wrong time to kiss her. She was consoling me over--over you and Marie. And I made it look as though I was using her for more consolation," he nodded, in self-confirmation.

~~

Leila looked around. "I think I have a partial print, and it's bloody, and fresh..." she reached into her kit and pulled out a print-lifter. "I'll bring it to over to the prints lab and find out whose it is...and then I'll bring it to Hodges, to find out whose the blood is..." she looked to her sister. "Will you be okay?"
Sara nodded, but put her hand on Leila's arm. "First, though, I need to know the key piece of evidence that you couldn't tell Grissom about. What's going on, Leila?" she asked.
Leila sighed and nodded. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, so I'm not going to give you the whole story. But, please don't even tell Nick, okay?" she asked, and continued to speak only once Sara nodded. "Okay...well, Greg was adopted...and not only once, three times. And we just found out that his first adoptive mother was killed, and that his real mom killed her."
Sara gasped and frowned. "And that was when he kissed you? And when you slapped him?" she asked with an even bigger frown. "Wow, that kid's got it rough."
Leila felt unbelievably guilty, and looked at Sara. "I'm going to take this to the prints lab now..." she turned and walked away. She hated even feeling partially guilty about Greg's disappearance, but she'd feel guilty until Greg was there to tell her that she wasn't. After a brief conversation with the prints expert, Sandra (Author's Note: I don't know the prints tech's name, so just go with me here), she decided to stay and pray for a match to come up.

Very fortunately for Leila's nerves, a match came up, but unfortunately, it was a match to Candy Andrews. "Okay..." she kept calm, not wanting Sandra to get suspicious. "Thanks. I gotta bring this to Hodges."
Sandra waved goodbye and watched Leila leave. Thanks to Sara, it was all over the lab Leila felt the way that she did for Greg, and Sandra knew how much it was killing Leila that Greg wasn't there. But, rather than say anything, she just watched her leave.
Leila entered the trace lab, hoping that Hodges was as nice to her as he was earlier. "Hodges...I have some blood for you. Can you run this, please? And page me when you find out whose it is?" she pleaded with him.
Hodges got the same sympathetic look on his face as he had earlier, and nodded. "Sure, Leila. And I meant what I said earlier, so rest assured that this is on the top of my pile right now..." he told her, shocking her out of existence.

She nodded and smiled a little, before turning to leave the trace lab. "Thanks, Hodges. I appreciate that. May I ask, though, what brought on the change of attitude?"
He shrugged and looked at her. "Not many people in this lab can handle my attitude. The only three that seem to halfway understand it are you, Catherine and Grissom. Plus, I've been where you are before..." he explained. "I've had someone that I care a lot about go missing, and I know how scary it can be."
Leila smiled a little bit more, and patted Hodges on the back. "I appreciate your help, Hodges. Thanks a lot..." she nodded a thank you to him and headed back to the DNA lab.

~~

Please let me breathe, you're choking me and my feelings.
This is my fault, downward I fall, my mind's slipping, my mind's slipping away.

~~

Greg lay on the cold, uncomfortable, wood plank that his mother-kidnapper considered a bed. This was not a bed. A bed was supposed to be comfortable. He missed everything at the lab. He missed Grissom being a father figure, he missed Catherine's mother-like features, he missed Sara and Nick, and he missed Leila. Mostly he missed Leila, though. He had gone crazy for her. He needed to tell her that he was sorry for not thinking before he kissed her. He should have waited, and he knew it. But, he knew that he was being looked for, so he had nothing to worry about. He sighed, rolled over and very slowly fell asleep.

~~

Author's Note: There's a sensitive side to Hodges? Yes, I had to make one. I mean, the guy can't be completely bad, right?