Rating: PG

Summary: The team at Tuscadero High School, Nevada...

Spoilers: None, really.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Finally, Purplefox pulls herself together and writes a USEFUL chapter. Well, that's for you to decide... :-)

The next day, during lunch, Gil saw Sara eating by herself. He excused himself from his usual table, and put his tray down on hers. "Hello again." he said, sitting beside her, boldly. She looked up at him. "Hey." she greeted him, smiling. "Had a fight with Barbie?" she asked, nodding her head at Catherine and Lindsay. Grissom shrugged. "Interesting nickname." he pointed out, and Sara gave him another grin.

"It's what comes of having a brain." she sniped, playfully. Grissom frowned.

"Catherine is a very intelligent girl." he defended his friend, slightly ruffled.

"Oh, I am so sure." Sara said, winding this boy up. "What's your name again?"

"Gil. What's yours?"

"Sara."

Lindsay noticed that Catherine was not paying full attention to what she was saying, and followed her friends eyeline to Warrick and Nick. She made a playful comment about Catherine choosing a new boyfriend. Catherine shook her head. "I just want to get to know him a little better." she replied, complacently. She didn't look back at the boys, something Lindsay picked up on. "Go talk to them." she said, poking her friend with her fork. Glancing at the smear of humus on her shirt, Catherine wiped it off and left her tray at the table.

She appeared behind Warrick, looking straight at Nick. "Hi Nick." she greeted him, causing Warrick to turn around. "Catherine. You know Nick?"

"Used to live on the same street, didn't we?" she looked at her old friend, who nodded. "Yeah. Cardinal Road." he agreed.

"Can I sit?" she asked, pulling out a chair. Warrick nodded. 'Just like old times'.

Soon after that Tuesday, Lindsay, Catherine, Warrick, Nick and Gil were sitting together at lunch, and Sara quickly followed. One day after school, the six were sitting in the local park, enjoying the September sunshine.

Lindsay returned juggling three ice creams, with Catherine in hot pursuit, holding the other two. Everyone scrambled to get the right one, nearly dropping at least two in the process. On the tartan blanket Sara had picked up from her place, Warrick sat back-to-back with Catherine, Nick and Lindsay – dating at the time – were cuddled together, and Sara was lying beside Gil. The gang were rarely seen apart then, all of them keen on the sciences and sharing quite a few classes.

"Eww!" Catherine shrieked, abruptly jumping up from her spot. Warrick fell backwards, yelling. Sara laughed as her friend retreated to a safe distance from the blanket. "A BUG!" she cried, and Grissom lunged for the specimen. Warrick looked on, amused, and took a swig of Coke from a can. "A mayfly." reported Grissom, interested. Making sure that Catherine saw, he purposefully put it down a good distance from their spot. "Its safe to come back!" Nick called, teasing. On her way back, Catherine gave Nick a playful slap around the head.

Resting her chin on her hands, Sara commented, "So you're an entomologist, are you?" At this, Gil smiled beguilingly.

"Only in my head." he replied. "What about you? You're into physics." Sara shrugged, gazing out at the park.

"I'm a nobody." she told him, not self-pityingly, but more as an answer to his question.

"Not to us." Grissom replied, gently.

"Well, I need to head home – the kids'll be driving Mum nuts." Nick said, abruptly, getting up and dusting himself off. He gave Lindsay a kiss on the cheek and took off with his schoolbag, waving goodbye to the others. "Yeah. I'll be off, too. Got that essay to finish." Sara added, as she clambered off the rug. "Oh- Wait, can you give this to me tomorrow, Linds?" she asked, not wanting to ask Gil to run around after her.

"Sure. Bye!" Lindsay replied, and Sara left, leaving the three older kids together. The moment Sara was gone, Catherine looked accusingly at Gil, who shrugged in reply. Warrick cracked open a can of Cola. Gil's gaze turned to him. "How many of those have you got?" he asked, incredulous.

"A few."