Precious Things by SLynn

Spoilers: Up to 'Nesting Dolls'

Rating: R for violence and disturbing content.

Disclaimer: Not mine – well, some are mine, just not the ones you recognize.

Notes: I'll be thanking in depth in the next chapter (I promise) but first, thanks again to Tripp3235 for being a great beta!

Chapter 23: Trust

"We're the hell did you go?"

Nick and Greg, close to five hours after their initial foray into the trash of their suspect, looked up from the lay out table. They'd really just gotten started and hadn't even cleaned up yet. They were both filthy and surprised by the expression on Sara's face. Well, Nick was surprised.

"To work," Greg answered, knowing the question was directed at him.

Nick looked from Sara's angry features to Greg's set jaw and walked towards the exit.

"I'm going to go clean up," Nick said on the way out, leaving the two of them too it.

Once he left Sara shut the door and came further into the room. She sat down next to him and didn't even know where to start.

"I woke up and you were gone," she said finally after several minutes.

"Sorry, I should have left a note…"

"You should have woken me up," she cut in.

Greg rubbed the back of his head and looked down.

"You went back to sleep, I couldn't," he said finally. "You needed the rest. I got to thinking about the case and here I am."

"I could have helped."

"Sara," Greg said looking at her now, "it's not your case."

"Are you still mad about the other day?" she asked, not believing it was coming down to this still. She'd really only been upset that he'd left without so much as a word, but now, now it was different.

"You know, I am. A little," Greg admitted, "Sara you should have never asked to bump me from that interview."

"I was doing the right thing."

"For who?"

Sara stopped and stared at him, mouth firmly shut.

"Listen," Greg started again, "I get that you want to help…"

"Then you should know why I did it."

"I am just as capable as you are of interviewing a suspect," Greg said getting to his feet and growing angry. He really didn't want to fight. He never wanted to fight with her, but she wasn't making it easy.

"Not this time," she said evenly.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you're still too new to…"

"No," he cut her off shaking his head, "You wanted in on this case so you pulled seniority on the only person you could. Me."

"It's not like that."

"Yes it is," Greg continued.

"Greg," Sara said, sounding every bit as angry as he did, "I wasn't pulling seniority on you."

"Then what do you call it?" he asked, "I mean, do you even know what it's like for me? Sara, I'm going to be forever outranked around here. I went from being in charge to being a lackey. I get that from everyone else but I didn't expect it from you."

"Damn it Greg, will you listen to me?"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Hey," came loudly from the doorway.

Both Sara and Greg turned and looked over and saw a very angry Ecklie in the doorway. They hadn't even heard the door open they'd been so intent on each other.

"Do I have to remind the two of you that this is a place of work?"

Sara just shut her mouth and looked down. Greg managed a 'no sir' as he looked away as well. They both knew what he thought. There was no use trying to tell him that they were actually having a work discussion, he'd never believe it.

"Okay then," he said giving them both one last look before shutting the door.

What followed was a very heavy pause.

"I need to clean up," Greg said moving towards the door.

"This wasn't my call," Sara said in a more even tone, "If you have a problem with what happened you need to talk to Nick. I made a suggestion and he went with it. He's the lead here, he picked me over you."

"It wasn't a suggestion it was a demand. And I've already talked with Nick," Greg said flatly, still facing the door and not bothering to turn around just yet.

"And?"

"And he still agrees with you."

Sara didn't say anything, just continued to look down with her arms folded in front of her.

"Then why…"

"Because Sara," he said turning around before she could finish the question, "I didn't think you'd… you know what this case means to me."

"You're not the only one who wants this case solved."

Greg turned around again, met her eye.

"I know that," he said softly.

Sara felt drained. She knew if the situation was reversed she'd feel exactly the same way as he did now but wouldn't let it go. She didn't have to ask herself why it was so hard to let him win this one.

"I'm going to go take a shower now," he said, this time moving for the door without another word leaving so quickly she couldn't have offered up an apology even if she'd been willing too.

Greg made it to the locker room just as Nick was finishing up. Nick gave him a questioning look, silently asking if it was over. Greg just let out a sigh and sat down in front of his own locker without saying a word.

"Greg, man…"

"I already know that you think she's right," he said cutting him off and pulling open his locker door with a little more force then was strictly necessary, "I'm not fighting with you too. Let's just drop it, okay?"

Nick nodded and waited a second, not sure why. He didn't want Greg thinking that he'd picked Sara to go into that interview because he didn't think Greg could handle it. They'd already had that discussion earlier in the evening but it hadn't seemed to sink in.

It was just, and he thought Greg might understand this by now, sometimes with Sara it was easier to give in then to continue fighting. Because if he hadn't let her in on that interview they both would have never heard the end of it. And because, in some ways, she had been right. Anne Blanchard might be the only suspect but she was also their only living victim.

Greg finished grabbing his things and shut the door again, looking up now at Nick expectantly.

"What?" he asked sharply.

"It wasn't personal," Nick said sitting down.

"You keep saying that…"

"Listen," Nick said cutting in, "you know how Sara is. She empathizes with the victims in cases like this. She wanted to make sure we didn't cross a line…."

"But we…"

"I know we weren't going to, okay?"

"I just don't get it. Anne whatever-she's-going-by-these-days, I know she was victimized but she's also a suspect. Normally, I get Sara's behavior. I know why she sympathizes. But right now, I don't understand. This woman is involved. She's in on this somehow, on murdering these girls. How do you sympathize with that?"

"Did you ask her about it?" Nick asked, sitting down now and understanding it better. A lot of Greg's frustration, whether he knew it or not, wasn't about this case. It was about not understanding Sara's motives. Unfortunately only one person could explain that to him.

"Have you ever asked Sara a question she didn't want to answer?" Greg returned.

Nick nodded and once more understood.

"Sometimes," Greg said, stopping momentarily. Surprised to find his voice hitched in his throat.

Greg looked down at his lap, pausing long enough to regain his self again.

"I'm not sure she trusts me," he finished quietly, still looking down.

"Greg," Nick started, putting a hand on his shoulder for support, "I'm sure…"

Just then the door opened and both men looked over as Warrick appeared. Before Nick could turn back to Greg, he felt his hand shrugged off and turned just in time to see Greg moving quickly towards the shower room.

"What's going on?" Warrick asked. Whatever had been happening hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Nothing good," Nick answered honestly, standing up now and trying to shake the ominous feeling that had begun to creep over him.

"He okay?" Warrick asked with a nod of his head in the direction Greg had taken off towards.

"Yeah," Nick answered standing up now, "just some stuff."

"Well as long as you're specific."

Nick let out a short laugh.

"Sorry," he said now, "I just don't think I should be telling you myself. It's probably nothing; blow over in a few days."

"Greg and Sara fighting?"

"That obvious?"

"I am an investigator," Warrick said with a smile on his lips.

"Well yeah, they are fighting or something like that," Nick admitted, "just do me a favor and don't bring it up to him. Or her. Sara's kind of moving in on the case we're working."

"I heard," Warrick said as he opened his own locker.

"Good news travels fast."

"It'll blow over," Warrick said reassuringly, "besides, you know Sara. She takes these things personal…"

"Well we all do with certain cases," Nick interjected.

Warrick nodded, but it was more then that with Sara.

"I'm just saying…"

Again a door opening interrupted them. Greg was back and neither Warrick nor Nick wanted him knowing what they'd been talking about. Greg did not take well to that.

Nick said nothing more, just moved for the exit himself giving Warrick one last significant look.

Greg came and sat back down at his locker, hair still wet but already dressed in his pants and t-shirt.

"Hey Warrick," he said without really looking up.

"Hi man," Warrick returned, "Looks like we all had the same idea about getting in early tonight."

Greg nodded but didn't look up.

"I think Grissom's got a double homicide for us in Henderson."

"Yeah?" Greg asked but he still didn't sound like himself.

"Me and you," he said, trying to lighten the other man's mood, "Kind of like old times."

"Sounds good," Greg returned, really meaning it. He'd planned on spending much of the night processing the evidence they'd collected from the trash but right now he didn't want to work with either Nick or Sara.

"Meet me at the garage," Warrick said shutting his locker after grabbing his things, "I'll tell Griss we're on it."

"Thanks," Greg said as he left, finishing up now himself.

Normally he'd of stopped and at least dried his hair but he didn't want to hang out any longer then he had too. Greg had a feeling if he did Sara might show back up and he wasn't ready for that yet. He was still too mad. Warrick had given him the perfect out, at least temporarily.

He knew he'd have to deal with it all later, but for now it could wait.