Sara was searching from room to room but failed to locate the spiky-haired lab rat. She had searched the building top to bottom, inside and out with no sign of him. She was about to page the elusive young scientist when she saw him walking down the hall.
"Hey, Greg! Can I speak to you for a sec?"
Greg Sanders would never turn down an opportunity to be in the presence of Sara Sidle. He tried to hide his excitement and in a dull tone answered, "Sure." He looked at her expectantly.
Sara glanced around the hall and looked at him. "In private, Greg."
"I knew you'd come around eventually. Not many women can resist the Sanders' charm," he joked.
Sara flashed him a full smile and said, "You do tend to grow on people." Greg gave her a shy smile and she continued, "Can we please find a private place to talk?"
"Sure thing. Follow me."
They walked side by side through the halls until they reached the DNA lab. Being a gentleman, and wanting to sneak a look at her rear, Greg held the door and waved Sara in before him. He closed the door behind him and asked, "So, Sara, my sweet. What do you need to talk about?"
"I need a favor, Greg," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Exhilarated by the touch, Greg looked at the hand on his shoulder and then back into those brown eyes he loved so much. "Sara, I'll do anything for you."
"You don't even know what it is yet."
"I have a pretty good imagination," he said, winking at her and waggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
Sara chuckled and asked, "Can you keep a secret, Greg?"
"Of course. I would keep all your secrets, my dear."
"Grissom and I need your help."
His mood changed. The excitement left his voice. "Grissom?"
"Yes. Grissom and I. You have to swear on everything you hold sacred that you will not tell anyone about this," she said in a serious tone.
"I promise I won't tell anyone whatever it is you don't want me to tell them. I swear on my lab and my music and my hair and my future as a CSI." He placed his right hand over his heart and put his left hand in the air with three fingers up. "Scout's honor."
"You were never a boy scout."
"It doesn't mean I don't have honor."
"All right, then…"
Sara filled him in on what the favor was. He was asking a lot of whys, so she decided to give him a quick rundown of what she and Grissom had been doing these past couple of days. He stood there listening with a disbelieving look on his face, not totally buying what Sara was selling. She finished up her story with the autopsy findings. Greg looked at her for a few minutes trying to decide if she was pulling his leg. He then glanced around the room looking for hidden cameras. Looking at Sara once again he asked, "Aliens? For real?"
"It seems so. But that's why we need you to help Agent Scully do those tests."
"What do I get out of this?"
Sara knew that question was coming. "You get to help. It's a wonderful scientific discovery."
"I need something more."
"Grissom said he wouldn't fire you if you helped."
"He'd never fire me…he loves me. I'm like the son he never had."
"You're like the son he never wanted."
"I'll do this but only if you go out with me after work."
"Greg…"
"Not as a date. Just to hang out."
"Okay, deal." They sealed it with a handshake.
Sara started to leave but stopped and turned to face Greg again. "If you speak a word of this to anyone…I promise that they'll never find your body."
"Got it."
Sara left the room and headed for Grissom's office.