Privacy by SLynn

Disclaimer: It's all mine, because yeah, this is what I'd do with my free time if I actually owned these characters.

Notes: To get a better understanding of Greg's side of this you might want to have ready 'Happy Enough' first. Specifically, if a refresher is needed, Chapter 9: Outlooks.

Chapter 14: This is Where it Ends

"What do you think we're looking for?" Greg asked Sara as she joined him in the doorway.

"Full confession maybe?" she joked as she stooped down, leaning on Greg to put the protective slippers over her shoes.

"If only," Greg answered as he did the same.

Allyson Warner obviously enjoyed a privileged lifestyle. She was three years old and her room was bigger then Greg's first apartment. Bigger but his wasn't nearly as pink.

"This place doesn't look touched," Sara said as the each instinctively scanned separate sides of the room.

"I know. I was never this neat as a child."

"Well, you probably didn't have a nanny or a maid picking up after you either."

"That's the truth."

Sara laughed a little before stopping over a large cork board filled with art work. Greg had found something else to draw his attention.

"Look at all these books," Greg marveled, "She can't even read yet, I'm guessing, but man there's like everything here from Austen to Wells. What toddler gets HG Wells read to them?"

Greg turned around when she hadn't responded. Sara was still looking at the girls drawings.

"Find something?" he asked coming up behind her.

"Sorry, no," Sara said shaking herself out of it, "it's just she was probably pretty happy. Look at this stuff. It's all rainbows and smiles. Her with her mom and dad. Almost makes you want to have one although I can't imagine what she's going through now."

Greg tried to say something comforting before returning as fast as he could to his side of the room but hadn't really managed it. Sara didn't quite know what to think of him right then. She thought she might have hit a nerve but couldn't figure out why. After a few minutes of steady silence between them she tried again.

"Do you ever think about it?" she asked.

"About what?" he asked in return, knowing very well what she meant. Greg was just avoiding it for as long as possible.

"You know," she said, scanning over the girls dresser and bed now, "having kids? Having a family?"

"Not really," he lied, knowing how fake it sounded to his own ears and having a good idea what it sounded like to hers.

He didn't turn around but knew she was staring at him now. That she'd turned to face him. Greg just continued to look forward, he put all his energy into looking like he'd found the Holy Grail on that book shelf. Anything to keep from turning to her at that moment.

Sara didn't say anymore, she didn't have too. Greg shut his eyes momentarily, knowing they were headed for a massive fight in the very near future. She'd caught him in a lie and wouldn't rest until she had the truth.

Reopening his eyes something did finally catch his attention. One book, high up on the shelf was slightly out of place. It stuck out just a little farther then the rest and had nothing written on its spine.

Hoping the nearby chair would hold his weight Greg brought it over and stood on it to reach the book.

"What is it?" Sara asked as he pulled it down and jumped off the chair.

Greg flipped through the first few pages and knew instinctively. Turning to the end and reading a few lines to himself first, he smiled.

"Our full confession."

Grissom had been glad to have the diary but it wasn't enough. In it Danielle Carson told how she'd put the poison into the salad dressing but also made numerous vague references to the man who had put her up to it. The theory was that she had been guilt stricken, ready to confess with possible evidence to support her, but the mystery man had gotten to her first.

The ride back to the lab had been filled with stony silence. The tension between them was palpable. Greg was finding himself glad that Sara had left her car there last night so that they didn't have to endure this at the end of shift as well.

She knew he had lied. Of course she did, he was so bad at it. Sara just hadn't known why yet. She could only assume that he had thought about having a family, just not with her. That, of course, was not the truth. The truth was more complicated then that.

Greg spent the rest of the shift avoiding her, which was easy to do since Sara was also avoiding him. He'd caught up with Amy, glad to hear that things with her family were going better. Nick sounded even more optimistic. He and Amy's dad really got on well and Greg was happy for him. The night passed quickly, the only real surprise being that no one had mentioned the latest article to him. At least not yet.

Sara found him before leaving, more out of obligation then anything else. It was easy to see that she was mad. Still mad but she kept it out of her voice. She didn't want to cause a scene at the office and Greg agreed. They said goodbyes and quietly went their separate ways.

Before he could get far Grissom asked him into his office.

Greg went reluctantly. He was losing the home field advantage now. His plan had been to beat Sara home and fake being asleep to postpone the fight. It wasn't a good plan, but it was all he had and he was growing desperate.

"Did you see the article yesterday morning?" Grissom asked shutting the door.

"Yeah," Greg sighed.

"I think we have a problem here, but I might just have the solution."

Greg looked at Grissom for a moment, startled to see him smiling. Not just smiling, smiling one of his rare 'I'm up to something' smiles. Greg had always thought of it as his 'mad-scientist' smile.

"I'm listening," Greg replied before Grissom filled him in.

Twenty minutes later and despite having completely forfeited any attempt to ward off the upcoming argument at home, Greg was in a pretty good mood. Grissom's plan was genius, but then again the man was a genius. What did Greg expect? Of course it would have to wait until Tuesday night, but Greg could do that. Easily.

Heading home his mood faded. Sara's car was there, as he'd expected, and he wasn't sure if he was really ready for this.

Coming into the house he found her pretty much where he'd expected too, sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee.

Greg just silently sat down across from her and waited.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" she asked quietly and he knew that it was a bad sign.

There were so many ways to answer that, but the only truthful ones ended in 'no'.

"It's not like we've ever talked about it before," he said instead as an avoidance tactic.

"Still," she persisted, "it's not the kind of thing you just never mention. I know your views on religion, politics, music, books, hell Greg I even know your blood type. It just seems strange that this has never come up."

"I don't know, I can't explain it."

Greg was looking down at his hands, nervously tapping them in sync with his feet.

"I thought we were going somewhere together," she said sounding very strained. Not angry, just sad.

"And if I don't," Greg started but stopped himself, clarified himself. "If we can't have a family together we're not?"

Sara looked at him. To her it looked like part of him had shut down and she wasn't sure what that could mean.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

Greg nodded in silence. He'd at least been ready for that.

Sara got up and put her cup in the sink having never even drunk a drop. She was practically pacing now, frustrated without reason. Angry at his unwillingness to even discuss the possibility. Angry at his lack of explanation.

"You won't even consider it, will you?" she asked, angry now.

Greg was relieved to hear it but said nothing. This would be easier if she was angry at him.

"We're not even going to talk about it?" she continued to question.

"I didn't know it was so important to you."

Sara looked at him in disbelief.

"It is to most people Greg," she argued.

His complete detachment in voice and spirit from the discussion only served to egg her on.

"I don't even know what else to say," Sara finally gave in. It was clear to her that he wasn't going to talk.

"I'm sorry Sara," he said, still sitting at the table, still looking at his hands, "it's just something I can't do."

If she hadn't been so angry, if he hadn't pushed her so far with his behavior, she might have noticed his word choice. But Sara was past reason now.

"Can't or won't," she said harshly before heading out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.

Greg pressed his forehead to the edge of the table and shut his eyes tightly. His hands, now resting in his lap, felt the few tears he'd let fall and the half whispered answer to Sara's question.

"Can't."

Greg didn't stay long after that. He wrote Sara a quick note and hung it on the fridge before heading to Nick's place. He knew he should call first but hadn't been able too. Greg wasn't sure he'd be able to even look at him without having a complete break down. Nick read people the way most people read street signs. He was going to see right through him and ask a lot of questions, but Greg had no where else to go.

Fortunately when he got there Nick wasn't home. Thankful and using the spare key Nick had hidden on his stoop, Greg let himself in. Resisting the urge to just use the spare room, deciding that it wasn't a good idea to emerge from it hours later without Nick ever realizing he'd been there, Greg instead set himself up on the couch.

Emotionally drained he was asleep within minutes of sitting down. Nick, who had gone to breakfast with Amy and her family, found him there a few hours later. It was a surprise. Knowing there was only one reason Greg would be there Nick let him be. It was easy enough to assume he and Sara had fought. Nick just put an extra pillow out beside him and an extra blanket over him before going to sleep himself.

That afternoon, upon waking, Nick went back into his living room to find Greg already awake and watching television.

"Anything good?" he asked, sitting down beside him. There was no way he was just going to come out and ask what had happened.

"No," Greg answered, staring straight ahead but still flipping channels.

"Hungry?" Nick asked, getting up and going to the fridge himself.

Greg turned the TV off and followed. He wasn't hungry, he wasn't anything. Greg felt numb.

Nick gave up trying to find any thing edible and grabbed a bottle of water instead. Most everything else was expired, he rarely ate at home. He tossed one to Greg as well despite him never asking.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Greg didn't even open his. Nick was almost ready to ask what had happened when Greg spoke up.

"Do you think I could stay here a few days?"

Nick looked at him curiously. In ways it confirmed what he'd thought, that this wasn't a typical fight for them. That it must be serious.

"Of course you can," Nick answered wanting to ask more questions but not able to bring himself to it.

"I owe you one," Greg said standing up and putting the unopened water down on the counter, "Mind if I jump in the shower?"

"Stop asking stupid questions," Nick said with a smile which Greg didn't return. He just nodded and made his way towards the bathroom.

Nick watched him go before shaking his own head at it. At them. He couldn't figure it, they'd seemed okay. They were okay just last night. What the hell had happened?

A/N: Sadly this is the last chapter that will be posted for awhile. We're leaving for Vegas on Saturday, everything is getting shut off tomorrow,and wewill not likely have anything set up as far as the basics go until the end of this month. I hate leaving the story off on such a downer but hopefully I can make amends by having the whole thing complete when I do get back online. Despite the chapter title for this one, this is definitely not where it ends!

Thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews! ThreeDollarBill, Miss-Andromache, carolann, fwe, GottaGetGreg, white rose01, and Kelly.

Hope to be back soon! Wish me luck on the move. : )