Uh yeah, I'm lax on the r2r, I know. Will have them next chapter, promises! I really love reading the feedback!

Chapter Six: Such a Small Town

Greg was the first one up again the next morning. He was, in fact, rather surprised he had slept till seven. Sara, he could tell, was still fast asleep. Shaking his head, he crawled out of bed, shivering as he made his way into the bathroom.

Greg had showered and dressed, and was scribbling a note for Sara when he noticed she was awake. Sitting up in her bed she had pulled the blankets around her shoulders, watching him.

"Where you going?" she asked in between a yawn.

"Did I wake you?" Greg wondered, crumbling up the paper in his hand before tossing it in the trash can at the end of the counter.

She shook her head, climbing out from under the covers and pulling her sweater on that she left at the end of the bed.

"I'm just going to check out the town," Greg said easily, "May as well, since we're stuck here for a while."

Sara nodded, "I'm coming with you," she stated quickly, pulling on a double layer of socks before pulling on her boots.

"What if I say no?" Greg asked, leaning against the counter top.

"Then I would have to say too bad, because I'm coming anyways."

Greg laughed a little, giving her a bit of a nod. "Hurry up then, I'm going to see if this town actually has any drinkable coffee."

Sara nodded as she laced her boots up, "Coffee sounds wonderful," she admitted, grabbing her coat and hat off the rack near the door.

It was the real first look they had at the town. It took roughly 15 minutes to walk the length of it, and another 10 to walk the width. In the center was a small lake, frozen from the sub-frozen temperatures. A group of kids were skating on the surface, Greg believed they were from the houses below.

It didn't take them long to find a coffee house, a small business ran by a young lady, who also managed a small library. Sara picked up a decaf coffee, while Greg ventured to try a white swiss mocha. It wasn't what he normally had, but it would have to do for the next several weeks. He could only hope that his coffee stash would be safe back at the lab while he was gone.

The pair had wandered around for more than an hour, talking in general about nothing, when someone came running up to them. The young man nodded in greeting, breathing heavily. His chin length hair was brown, died blond at the tips, shading his small face.

"Hey," he said, shaking hands with the both of them, "it's good to see you two."

Greg nodded, "Do we know you?" he queried, watching him.

The young man laughed, "I'm sorry, I forgot my manners. I'm Candi Wilson, I'm in your class."

"Candi?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow as she shook his hand back.

"Long story," Candi said with a smile. "So, is it true? I've heard that you two are already certified."

After Greg and Sara nodded the youth continued, "What are you doing here then? I mean, no offense meant, but this is for trainees…or are you here for something else? Is there a crime scene anywhere?" he asked quickly.

Not yet, Greg thought glumly, but there may be one soon. Instead Greg just smiled, "No, we're here for a refreshing experience." He wasn't a very good liar, but it seemed to convince the man.

"Cool, do you guys mind if I hang with you? I so totally get it if you don't want me around, me being a lowly trainee and all."

Greg was about to tell him no when Sara spoke up for him. "It's okay, we're not doing anything really. You know, Greg here was a trainee not too long ago."

Greg nudged her in the ribs, glaring at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Honestly? So, how's the life working with the crime lab? How long have you been there?"

"Years actually," Greg commented dryly as the trio started walking again.

"Greg was a lab technician before he became a field agent," Sara said promptly.

Candi laughed, turning to him. "Why the switch then? I may not know everything, but I do know that a lab technician gets better pay. Did they fire you, or they just couldn't pay your salary?"

"It's not about the money," Greg told him, growing agitated. Sara certainly would be hearing from him later about this.

Candi was already shaking his head, "I guess not, but still there has to be a reason" he stopped, rubbing his hands together as if trying to fight away the chill.

"Anyways, I'll head out now. I'll be seeing you two tomorrow," he waved his goodbye, leaving almost as quickly as he had come.

Greg let out a sigh as they were left alone once again. "Thanks for that," he said sarcastically.

"What?" Sara wondered, keeping pace with him.

"Next time you tell some complete stranger my life history, ask first."

She laughed, "You should be proud of your accomplishments," she told him gently. "It's people like you that make work like this really mean something. Many people think that what we do, it's all for the money, that we're just some greedy know it alls. You give us a different outlook on that."

Greg shrugged, "I don't really like talking about it, especially in front of people I don't really like."

"Candi?" Sara asked, "he's just a kid. Besides, there's someone else that's just like him."

"I was never that irritating."

"True," Sara pointed out, "You're worse, still are."

"I'll forget you said that," Greg replied, earning a laugh from Sara.

"So," Sara watched her breath trail out into the air, "what do you think so far?"

"Honestly? I'd rather be working in the lab."

Sara grinned, turning to him, hands in her pocket. "You mean to tell me you're not enjoying any of this?"

"Oh yeah," Greg perked up, watching as snow began to fall, adding to the layer already on the ground. "I enjoy being stuck in the middle of nowhere, freezing at the same time."

Sara laughed, "You mean to tell me you've never been up to the mountains before?"

"Oh, I've been up to the mountains before, but that was before I was used to triple degree heat."

"You better pull out extra blankets tonight."

The two turned as Jim made his way up towards them.

"Hey," Sara called to him in greeting.

Jim smiled back, "You look lovely today Sidle," he said softly. "Anyways, radio has reports of an ice front moving in tonight. Where supposed to get into single digits for the night, highs will be around 20 tomorrow."

"You have a radio?" Greg wondered, watching him.

Jim nodded, "So do you, above the fireplace. Wont get too much up here, but it's something."

"Twenty degrees," Sara muttered, shivering softly.

"So what do you do for fun here?" Greg wondered. It was only their second day here, and they had pretty much done everything.

"There's some trails you can hike, some of the hills up further are good for snowmobiles, you can rent from the store, just ask at the front counter. Other than that, skating on the lake, or buying a pack of cards from the store. Library shows various movies off and on, small screen, but it is entertainment."

Greg nodded, "We'll have to check it all out."

"You two a couple?" Jim asked suddenly.

Greg was taken aback, but it was Sara that answered, "That's not really your concern," she told him.

"Sorry," Jim said softly, "Just rumors going around."

"What rumors?" Greg asked, watching him.

"Nothing," Jim said with a laugh. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing big. I was just curious, sticking my nose in places it doesn't belong."

Greg just nodded as he watched the detective walk away. He and Sara exchanged glances before continuing on in silence.

"So?" Sara asked softly.

Greg turned to her, then looked away again. "So?" he repeated.

"Are we?"

Greg only shrugged. They had been going out lately, dinners and such, but it wasn't really anything big. Lately it seemed all that they did was fight. "I don't know," he stated softly. "I mean, I would like to try, if you're okay with that and all," he added quickly.

Sara smiled at him, grabbing his gloved hand gently. "I think it would be, what would Grissom call it? A good experience?"

Greg laughed, giving her a small hug. "It wouldn't hurt, I suppose."

Sara laughed back, stopping for a moment to reach up and give him a small kiss on the cheek. She did so, unaware that they were being watched. As the pair continued to walk again, the lone figure turned in the opposite direction, turning to watch them for only a moment longer before disappearing.

TBC