Disclaimer: I checked my bank account…still dirt poor.

A/n: This is a cross between two shows I love, one I watch as much as possible and the other haven't seen in a while. CSI and another show…you'll have to guess before tell you. The only character that's mine is Abel.

Spoilers: Up to Grave Danger-perhaps beyond if the fiction goes through the summer.

Obscure Daylight

Chapter 1: Meeting Abel

Faith is not contrary to the usual ideas, something that turns out to be right or wrong, like a gambler's bet: it's an act, an intention, a project, something that makes you, in leaping into the future, go so far, far, far ahead that you shoot clean out of time and right into Eternity, which is not the end of time or a whole lot of time or unending time, but timelessness, the old Eternal Now. -Joanna Russ

The small dark apartment was claustrophobic with the shadows and distant lights of the strip dancing on and through the gray grungy blinds. Although the walls were peeling and the fluorescent light fixture screamed maintenance the apartment on whole was extraordinarily clean and tightly. Everything was in its proper place, which was funny considering how much his life had become worse since…

'His life has been terrible since…since what? …Since the lab accident? No that was not right because everything afterward didn't seem as bad as it was now.'

No, everything had been fine for a while and ever since his final proficiency things should be looking up. He had slowly become one of the guys instead of the potential CSI that used to be a bizarre, hopeless lab tech.

Greg stared absent-mindedly toward the drawn windows not caring if he didn't see anything but the dim lights through partially closed blinds. His face looked long and drawn in like he was slowly dying from a disease called hard life.

If the past Greg were here looking at himself at this particular moment he would have been alarmed first by the change in living conditions and the near silence of the small, tiny apartment.

Recently during the whirlwind of change that involved less sleep and higher stress at work due to recent events he had managed to get kicked out of his old apartment that was quite comfortable and nice taking into account of where is was located. The suddenness of being homeless caused him to have to consider a less than comfortable place to live and thus why he lived here.

He had miraculously managed to save all his possessions that had been thrown out onto the curb when he was coming home from work but because of the small space of the apartment he could not fit any of his comfort items here. Which was sad because he really missed his light blue sofa. It was the softest piece of furniture he had ever discovered on his weird item hunts and before he was thrown out of his old apartment he found himself reveling and sometimes crying in the comfort of the chair on a bad day with terrible case.

Time passed horrendously slow as his turned his gaze to the clock only to discover that not 30 minutes have passed since he arrived home.

Greg turning back to stare at the blinds again thought inwardly to what happened tonight. He was making mistakes at the lab and at first everyone chalked it up to him being emotional because of "Nick's case."

"Nick's case" was how the episode was being named inside the lab and no one wanted to be the first to discuss how the event changed the dynamic of the lab. Of course no one wanted to seem like they were walking on eggshells so the matter was never discussed farther than naming it "Nick's case."

Which again was sad since during the whole episode Greg did not seem to be all there. True it looked like he was helping out and he was but really he was on automatic pilot. It wasn't until after the ordeal that Greg realized just what could have been lost. Nick was like an older brother that knew exactly everything and said everything right no matter the situation. This truly unnerved him to the point where he began to make small mistakes.

At first it was only one then another then another and because everyone was dealing with the emotional baggage "Nick's case" brought them no one thought much of it…except for Grissom.

"I know how much 'this' is effecting everyone but you must realize as a crime lab we do not have the luxury to make mistakes and say we were not thinking at the time or that we were emotionally distressed. Since Swing Shift needs our help till a temporary can be found for the time being I need you to be a lot more with it."

Greg had stared at the floor while Grissom continued on and then told him to leave and come back tomorrow fully rested. Apparently he was way too out of it for his supervisor's liking.

Which brought Greg's thoughts back to full circle. He was doing that a lot, thinking in circles.

Slightly unnerved by the current thoughts in his head he shifted his position and realized his holster was causing him discomfort. Suddenly realizing he forgot to put his gun in his locker he quickly thought it was silly thinking he should have left it in his locker. What was he afraid of that he would shoot himself? …Oh, no.

His thoughts quickly went to very disturbing ideas that the very sane and critical part of him was shouting to him to silence but as he began to look at the sheen the gun's barrel made in the soft light that voice of reason became dimmer and dimmer.

He put the gun gently on the floor as he looked at it as if it was a piece of intriguing evidence. The standard issue gun looked like a sick demented toy at first and then…

Before his thoughts could continue he heard a very loud and very strange voice outside the apartment singing.

When you walk down the road,
Heavy burden,
Heavy load!
I will rise,
and I will walk with you!

I will walk with you,
'Til the sun don't even shine!
Walk with you!
Every time,
I tell you,
I'll walk with you!
Believe me, I'll walk with you!

At first he was taken back because whatever song a man outside was singing was so loud and yet so beautifully sung that it took Greg right out of his dangerous trance. Almost like the song was being sung by an angel… He quickly put the gun in a cabinet drawer in the kitchen before investigating where the song now being repeated was coming from.

Since his apartment was also murder central and right near the alley on ground level he had reservations on checking the source of the song out. He had spotted several groups of kids that he had serious doubts that they where going to do anything lawful tonight while he was driving home. Against his doubts he went outside to see the source of the voice that sounded nice and yet strange.

In the middle of the alley was a homeless man with a shopping kart full a strange and trashy stuff. He was facing away from Greg and before he could address the man that was singing the song yet again for the third time the homeless man stopped and flinched suddenly as if someone had chastised him.

"Tess?" the man asked to no one in particular. Crocking his head sideways Greg continued to listen to what he now figured to be a crazed man. The man went on about him being on search and rescue and that the song was not Tess's. Greg would have said something but the crazy man turned around while saying, "What assignment?"

Greg was taken back at first at the suddenness of the man that he now realize was a very young man perhaps no older than 20 with Latino attributes in his features and dark brown maybe black hair that was long with dirt and grim in it and messy like an ultimate bed head style. His face was covered in months of dirt and grime and his clothes looked ragged, torn and very thin.

What threw Greg off even more were his eyes. He doubted he would be able to explain it anyone if they asked but Greg could tell that though the young man looked ragged and worn down that he was as innocent and pure as a very young child.

The young man looked at him with a look that any young child makes when seeing someone or something new: absolute awe.

A brief award moment later the young men gingerly shuffled his feet toward Greg and with a calm childlike control expected of a five year old the young man placed his right index finger on the tip of his noise and said, "I don't know you. Are new you here?"

A bit taken back at his straight forwardness Greg could not help but smirk a ghost of a smile on his face and softly reply, "yea." A part of Greg was happy someone noticed he was new around here even if it was a bad neighborhood.

The young homeless man then leaned forward so that his face was as close as possible to Greg's while his finger was still on Greg's nose and smiled as he simply stated, "My name's Abel!"

Greg raised his eyebrow at Abel while he wondered how he got into this weird situation. It didn't take long for him to think because Abel started to sway a little bit to each side all the while trying to stay in the weird position.

"What's your name?"

"Greg."

"Can you be my friend?"

"You want me to be your friend?"

"Yea!" Abel backed off and started clapping and doing a little jig. "Greg first person not mean to Abel in a long time." Abel then turned around and stuck his tongue out towards some unknown invisible person.

Greg was floored. Not only had he managed to screw up the last couple of days but also he now has a homeless, crazy kid that wants to be his friend. He crossed his arms for a second and decided what to do. If any of his coworkers saw him right now they would swear he now had that 'Grissom look' down pat.

Greg was in the middle of deep thought when Abel came back to him and asked fearfully if he didn't want to be his friend. He was about to answer with 'I don't know' when the heavens decided it to would interrupt Greg and send a heavy down pour at that very moment.

Greg looked up towards the sky for a moment then towards Abel who was trying very hard to catch the raindrops that he saw. He took a very deep breath and sighed. A quick decision later Greg thought it wouldn't hurt…

"Do you have any place to go to get out of the rain?"

Abel dropped his hands, looked around and shook his head.

"How 'bout you stay in my place for a while?"

"So Greg is my friend?"

"Yes, Abel I'll be your friend." Greg smiled a bit brighter while he helped Abel get his "toys" into his apartment. He wondered slightly what exactly this meant but didn't dwell on it.

Once inside Abel gingerly started to look around the room and finally started to dance around the small apartment to an unheard song.

"Nice place! Happy place!"

Greg couldn't help but smile a little bit at the weird guy. Maybe he'll enjoy him being here.

All the while three individuals, two women and one male, in church going clothes looked very confused. The middle women looked not only confused but still angry Abel had been caught singing her song. Tess looked at the red headed women then at the blonde headed male and sighed. She said four words in complete frustration, "How he do that?"

A/N: Well want did think? Like or don't like? Any serious offences in grammar I over looked? See any out of character characters? Review please and remember give a little kindness receive a little kindness. 