Issues by SLynn

Disclaimer: I own only the thoughts in my head and the characters you don't recognize.

Notes of Thanks and Holiday Cheer: BlondeNeko, BeyondMyStar, Miss-Andromache, fading-lights, ThreeDollarBill, white rose01, Mrs. Szmanda, and A Bloom – as always I read and heed every review. I'm really starting to become a bit of a review addict. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with me your thoughts and feelings about this story. I'm humbled and grateful. : )

As I have finally figured out the exact path this story is to take, the chapter writing will hopefully go faster. I'm glad everyone likes my version of Sophia. A large chunk of this story came out of her and Greg's interaction in 'No Humans Involved' especially considering he'd mentioned that he didn't know how he'd react in her position. I decided to give him the chance.

And for the record, I do not personally think ten years is all that big of a difference. My husband and I are five years apart; it really just depends on the people involved. I'm having the best time writing Amy's part since she's my own creation. A lot of my friends are piece milled into her, but she seems to have her own life now.

Additionally – happy holidays to all!

Chapter 14: Making Connections

Amy was once more on the floor of the lab giggling.

She'd come into work and found Thompsen in a good mood for once. He never was, but apparently he really enjoyed the new cabinet spaces. In all the time she'd worked there, relieving him on shift, it was the first time he'd said anything nice to her. Okay, so it was just a mumbled 'about time' as he pointed them out, but it still felt good.

But that wasn't what caused her current good mood.

Upon opening her own carefully labeled cabinet, affixed inside the door was a message from Greg.

I Really Don't Deserve This But I Take What I Can Get Because I'm No Fool

or

A Haiku on Truce

by

G Sanders

most days I can keep

my mouth shut, but not always;

I must have good friends

He'd written it out using the label maker.

"So?"

Amy looked up; glad it wasn't Grissom this time.

"I'm never taking this down you know," she said with a smile. Greg smiled back at her.

"Good, because it's true."

"No," she said, getting back to her feet and shutting the door on his poetry. "You were tired and stressed. I'd be snappy too in your position."

"I am sorry for that."

"Thank you," she said, getting her work station ready. "But I have to ask, why haiku?"

"I can't rhyme. I tried mind you, most of the day. It was all really bad. Interestingly enough, not a lot rhymes with Amy or self-centered idiot."

She laughed and then looked at him as if realizing.

"What are you doing here? Because if it's just to see my reaction, wow, go get a life."

"No," Greg said laughing along with her, "but that did sting. I'm waiting on Cath. She asked me to stop in."

"You off tomorrow?"

"Sure thing," he said looking around. "You know if Nick's in tonight?"

"No, I think he's off," she answered without looking up. Greg was looking at her a little too intently when he'd asked that. Like he was snooping. "Where's Sara?"

"Staff meeting," he answered flatly, turning around once, spotting Jacqui and waving to her. "How's the lab been treating you?"

"Depends, what have you heard?" she smiled, still focusing on the task at hand. Mixing chemicals to get the needed reaction.

"I heard something good today."

She looked up at him and his goofy grin.

"Let me guess. I've finally moved on to Nick?"

"You got it in one."

"It's not true Sanders. You shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"Trust me, I know it. But it was just too good. I had to ask."

"Because you don't think we'd tell you?" she asked with an arched smile. He knew what she was getting at.

"That was different. That was…"

"Your private life," she supplied.

"No. Okay, yes. But it's not like Nick's ever been your supervisor."

"And it's not like he's ever asked me out either."

"Okay, I'll shut up now."

"Good," she said a bit briskly and Greg wondered if he'd stepped into trouble again.

"There you are," Catherine called from the door. "We're in the AV room."

Greg said goodbye to Amy, wishing he'd had more of a chance to talk with her but glad to be moving on. He wasn't sure what Catherine wanted. Maybe she just to yell at him for getting himself involved in her case. The only thing to do now was to get it over with, good or bad.

Opening the door, Greg was surprised everyone was there. The whole team, Nick too, even though it was his night off.

"It's not my birthday," Greg said a bit confused.

"We know," Catherine answered, shutting the door behind them.

"Greg," Grissom started, "while technically you can't be involved in this, what you do on your own time isn't anyone's business."

"Okay."

"Have a seat," he said before beginning to talk.

Grissom went over the entire Sanchez case. He ran through the four additional murders that they now believed were connected. Catherine and Warrick interjected as needed, filling them in on some details that were new to Sara, Nick and Greg. Similarities between the five cases, along with the differences.

The first and third victims were found in adjacent lots. The other three were each killed in their homes. The five female victims had been strangled, only Evan Jacobsen, Angie Jacobsen the fourth victims son had been drown. Two of them, Dr. Sanchez and Nurse Juarez had had their own underwear stuffed in their mouths. They had very little forensic data to go off of.

"On a hunch," Catherine said casting a glance at Greg, "Warrick and I revisited the dump site where Jaime Taylor was found."

She put up a new picture on the overhead. It was of the wall Greg had spotted, the words faded some with time, but still visible.

"This was two feet from our victim, just above her on the wall. It was probably overlooked as graffiti, but considering Dr. Sanchez, I don't think that it's a coincidence."

It was one word. 'WHORE' It was written in the same large block letters that had been carved into Dr. Sanchez.

There wasn't much more to say. Grissom dismissed them all; there were other cases to work on too. Greg asked Nick for a ride home. He'd ridden in with Sara, who he'd just seen off, and didn't feel like sticking around the whole night. That and they needed to clear the air between them.

"You apologize to Amy yet?" Nick asked as they made their way down the hall. Typical, he never was concerned about his own feelings in these matters.

"In epic fashion."

"Good."

"I'd have written you a poem too, but that would have been weird."

Nick stopped and looked at him oddly.

"You wrote her a poem?"

Greg nodded in response.

"What?" he asked as Nick just continued to stare at him.

"Just when I think I've got you all figured out."

"Yeah, I'm an enigma."

Nick laughed.

"You hungry?" he asked before they'd passed the lab.

"I'm not starving," Greg answered, "but I could eat."

"Great," he continued on. "Let's see if Amy wants to take her break now. We'll all grab a bite at the diner down the street."

"Okay," Greg said smiling as he continued to follow Nick down the hall, "but I'm not chaperoning every night."

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind," Greg said dismissively. Nick didn't get it. Amy and Nick were going to dance around this forever at the rate they were going.

They stopped in, asked Amy who agreed, and were all out the door in under five minutes. Greg had wanted to bring Sara along, having a feeling he'd have no one else to talk to otherwise, but she'd already left on assignment.

Dinner was good. Greg, taking the opportunity to order a hamburger without Sara giving him one of her 'you animal killer' looks, enjoyed himself. He liked their company. As he'd expected, Nick and Amy did most of the talking, but even that wasn't bad.

After the meal they'd dropped Amy back off at the lab, watched as she'd gone in before driving off.

"So?" Greg asked.

"What?"

"Okay, play dumb. Don't tell me."

"Not you too. Sara's bad enough, but come on."

Greg laughed as he remembered the club. Sara had told him she thought Nick was sweet on Amy, but he'd mostly passed it off as an active imagination on her part. He'd laughed about it, but hadn't taken it seriously until now.

"What's wrong with her? Amy's great. Granted, she's got a lot more brains then your typical girlfriends, but you can overlook that."

"Funny. Real cute."

"Besides, I think she likes you."

"Get off it already."

"Don't believe me. I'm just telling you what my own keen observation skills have observed."

Nick laughed.

"I'll give you that part about the keen observation skills. Griss was impressed you'd spotted that wall. We were all impressed. How did you find it?"

"Luck. Lots and lots of dumb luck. And free time. God, I hate day shift," Greg said as he yawned loudly. "I've never been so tired this early in the night."

"Can't be too bad. I heard your still going out on cases."

"Yeah," Greg said, still trying to shake the tiredness off. "Sophia Curtis, she's been great. Takes me out with her when she can."

"Cool. Glad some ones watching out for you. Hate to have you get back to mids and not remember a thing about collecting."

"Well, don't count on it."

"It's like riding a bike. You're not going to forget it," Nick said reassuringly.

"I meant don't count on me coming back. I think the key is to be just incompetent enough for them to not want to keep me in the lab, but not so completely clueless that they end up firing me."

Nick laughed as he pulled the jeep up to Greg's apartment complex.

"I wouldn't try anything desperate yet."

"Why? You know something I don't?" Greg asked hopefully.

"Just that Grissom hasn't completely given up on reversing the board's decision."

Greg nodded gratefully.

"Well, I won't hold my breath but remind me to thank him for trying."

"Will do," Nick said as Greg got out.

"We okay?" Greg asked, still worried Nick might be holding a grudge about the other day. "I was being a pretty big jerk."

"Don't worry about it."

"Alright then, see you later." Greg said walking away and up the stairs to his place.

Nick waved once and left.

Greg, once inside, wasn't as tired as he had been. Instead, he sat down to think over the Sanchez case. He didn't have anything more to go off of, not even a case file, but he still rehashed it

Warrick had been right; all of these women were seemingly unrelated. They weren't the same ages, or ethnicities or even from the same social backgrounds. But there had to be something. Something was there connecting them, they just didn't know what yet. The killer had picked them all for specific reasons. If he could find the connection, so could they.