Author: Lithium Shamrock (LS)

Spoilers: None.

Paring: None that I can think of.

Authors note: Just a fic showing the complexities of a character, and how everyone has a past (this time, its Greg's turn) – Greg's character really interests me post PWF and ITB – he seems to play the 'tortured soul' so well – also shows how the team works when the going gets tough.

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It had been a rough week for everyone. DB's were piling up in the morgue, and every ER clinic in Vegas seemed to be struggling with the patient intake. To top it off – Warrick and Catherine had just returned from a case where an eleven-year-old boy had been kidnapped. He was in the mall with his mother, and he pulled of to go into a toyshop. The police reckoned that it was planned, the mother was single – and the husband was dead – so there was no chance of it being a parental kidnapping. There was no motive, no clues, and no evidence. Well, there might be. They'd recovered a small amount of blood from the store – but that could be there for any number of reasons.

Greg was busy in the lab. For once – he wished there were more people there to help – his caseload exceeded what he could cope with.

So many samples.

Blood from a shooting. DNA from a rape. An unknown substance from an RTA. Each one demanding his attention, each one barely receiving it.

Every half an hour, another CSI would enter, and proclaim that their case was more important than what he was dealing with. Every time he had to politely ask them to leave. That would take up five minutes of his time. Five minutes he could be spending on another case.

Grissom was the worst.

He kept insisting that Greg should organising himself better – and Greg knew he meant well – but this amount of work couldn't be organised – just moved. And even if he attempted to organise it – that would only take up more time.

"Got another case for you Greg," Warrick said, as he looked up to see both him and Catherine standing there. Warrick held out the file, and Greg looked at in disgust.

"Can't you see I'm working here? Put it on the in pile," he said, with tones of annoyance.

"No Greg." Catherine said, taking the folder from Warrick, and thrusting it into Greg's lap, "this is a kidnapping, of a child, it takes priority," she said, irritated.

"Ok, ok, just put it over there" Greg said dejectedly.

"Come on man!" Warrick said, voice verging on yelling, "He's just an eleven year old kid!"

Greg looked unblinking at both Catherine and Warrick, got up, and swept all the paperwork of his desk, grabbed the folder, and started analysing the blood.

Catherine and Warrick exchanged looks. Catherine raised her eyebrows, and breathed deeply, "ok," she said, elongating the word.

Then her focus returned to Greg, he looked shaken. She placed her hand on his shoulder – "are you ok Greg?"

Greg violently pulled his shoulder away from her touch, "I'm fine," he started, "let me work."

Catherine and Warrick, again, exchanged looks, before leaving.

"What's up with him?" Warrick questioned, looking at Greg through the glass. Catherine put her hands on her hips and sighed. "The same thing that's up with the rest of us, too many cases." She said, before walking of. Warrick remained for a moment, watching Greg's restless struggle.

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"Where's Greg?" Grissom questioned. He'd got everyone together, mid-shift, to monitor progression, and assign priorities.

"I haven't seen him since he got me the results on the kidnapping case." Catherine said, and Warrick nodded in agreement.

"I saw him," Sara said, her brow furrowed in thought, "yeah, he was on his way out – I just assumed he was getting some air," she said with concern.

"Anyone seen him since?" Grissom said, there were tones of frustration in his voice. Everyone shrugged.

"Doesn't he realise this is not the time to go off?" Grissom said, it was evident he was loosing his cool.

He'd decided to assign himself solo to a lot of the cases. He'd worked far more than his fair share – yet there were still more cases.

"Look," Catherine started, she knew the last thing anyone needed was Grissom going postal, and her mind paused.

Did Grissom ever go postal?

"He looked pretty messed up after we gave him the kidnapping case, you gotta give him a break Grissom – we're all over worked – but we have to remember – each case we work – he works to." She defended.

"I know," Grissom said, closing his eyes, and rubbing his temples, "that's why we need him."

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The shift continued. When anyone had a spare moment – they called Greg's house – they paged him – they checked his house. By the time the shift had ended, he was still nowhere to be found.

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"Should we call Missing persons?" Sara said, she was really worried about Greg.

"Sara – you know we can't report someone missing until 24hrs has gone by," Nick responded.

"Yeah, but this is so not like Greg." Warrick added.

"He does take his work seriously" Catherine concurred.

Grissom was starting to get a headache. The week was full of unsolved cases, and to top it all, he was missing a lab tech. One of his own.

"Right" Grissom barked, commanding attention. "We've done all we can for tonight, we've tried to contact him, and we've looked for him. We just need to face that for tonight at least – he might not want to be found. Sara did see him walk out of here of his own accord." Grissom reasoned.

"Yeah, but as Cat said, he looked in a bad way." Sara muttered.

"We all have good and bad days Sara, Greg is no different, I'm sure he'll be here bright and early for tomorrow shift saying he had a bad case of the munchies or something," Nick tried to lighten the mood. But failed miserably.

"Ok," Warrick said, "you're right Gris. But if he's not here tommor-"

"I will be the first to contact the authorities" Grissom assured.

Everyone sighed, or at least exhaled loudly. "You've all worked hard this week – go home, get some rest."

Sara started writing something inside a case file she had opened. "Go home Sara," he instructed forcefully.

"In a minute."

She opened a case file and started adding notes onto it.

He sighed. Greg being missing was really affecting her.

"Go home and sleep", he said, taking her pen. She looked at him, she was visibly tired, but irritated at him taking something from her.

She padded slowly out the room, and grissom followed. "Sara?" he questioned, half way down the hall, she turned. "Turn you're scanner off – even if it's just for one night."

He knows me to well.

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Do I continue? - please review.