AN Well you guys have certainly inspired me to keep writing so thank you SO MUCH! This seems to be the chapter where some actual progress is made, but just as a forewarning don't get too attached, cause I kinda like angst. BUT just because you guys have been so nice there's a bit of a treat at the end...I hope you like it!

Your support is greatly appreciated! Dream0)

It's amazing how one situation can make you think differently about something…or someone for that matter. For Greg it happened after a supposed nonchalant conversation with Nick in the locker room.

"Hey there Greggo how's Payton?" Nick's locker was open; he was changing after a shower.

Shrugging his jacket off Greg eyed Nick suspiciously, "Is there a reason why you're asking after my girlfriend?"

"Not really, you've pulled a lot of doubles in the past couple of weeks, all with Sara. I was just thinking…"

"Stop, stop right there. Payton has known about Sara since the beginning."

"Known what?"

Greg wanted to punch that grin off of Nick's face. "Known…well you know, about before."

"Yeah I know you had a crush on Sara and you say Payton knows, which means Sara knows."

"Knows what?" He'd never really thought about Sara knowing about his feelings. He always figured she just enjoyed the flirting and took it all in stride. Did she actually know that he thought he could have been in love with her at one time? She can't have known that, could she?

"Well now she knows about Payton and she knew you at least well…" Nick smiled at Greg in a way that unnerved him, "…you know."

Greg was getting slightly annoyed, "Do you actually have a point?"

Nick slammed his locker shut, "Just that sometimes you don't know what you want until you can't have it anymore." He patted Greg's arm and walked out of the room.

He stared at his open locker for a minute, 'Want what you can't have?' He muttered to himself, "What the hell does that mean?" He slowly shut his locker and made his way to Grissom's office for his assignment that night.

He ran into Sophia and Sara on the way and plastered a smile on his face, "Hello ladies."

"You're with me tonight Greg." Sophia put an arm around him.

"I'm uh…what? He looked over at Sara who avoided his gaze and walked down another corridor.

"With me, come on." Sophia dragged a confused Greg out into the parking lot.

That moment pretty much spelled out the rest of Greg's week at work. Sara avoided him like the plague so he was either sorting evidence or on site with Grissom or Sophia. Since, of course, that was frustrating him to no end, he vented about it to Payton whenever he wasn't at work. After six days of; 'Why would she just stop talking to me?' and 'I don't get it, one day we're friends and the next she hates me.' Payton couldn't take it anymore.

"Greg stop it. You're obsessing." She sighed finally.

"I can't help it, she's never ignored me for this long before. I mean there was this one time I held these results she needed for some dumb ransom and she wouldn't talk to me for a whole day…"

"You need to go Greg." Payton said coolly. She didn't want to be mean, but she felt like she shared everything with Greg and tried to make him her best friend, but he obviously held Sara in higher regard. She constantly felt like she was competing and that feeling wasn't going away, especially with Greg obsessing about it.

"…of course I managed to charm myself back into her good graces." It finally registered to him what Payton had said, "Wait what?"

"Your body is here but your mind is with Sara, maybe you should join it." She hugged a pillow to her chest and didn't look at him. She didn't mean to sound so cold and bitter, but she couldn't help the nagging feeling that there was more to his and Sara's friendship than he lead on.

"Payton I'm just worried…" He tried to explain still not totally believing they were talking about this again.

"You're worried she hates you, you can't stand that she's ignoring you. Greg you haven't once asked me how I'm doing or talked to me about anything but Sara in the last week!"

He sighed and rubbed his face, "I'm sorry Payton."

She waved a hand still not looking at him, "It won't work this time. Go deal with this Sara thing and then we'll talk. I can't handle competing with this…"

"Don't start with this again Payton. I've been over her for a long time. I told you that."

"Maybe you should tell HER that."

He wasn't exactly sure how he ended up standing outside her door with his keys in one hand and his jacket in the other. He was sure of one thing though, he had to talk to Sara.

Sara had had a long week, insanely long. She was sure she'd never been so bored in her life. She loved working solo, but this time it was different because Greg wasn't sending her text messages throughout shift to make her laugh. He was just gone. He'd gotten the hint too well this time and it scared her. It scared her because it made her miss him so much more.

The knock on the door startled her. She slowly got up to answer it.

Greg had been thinking about what to say the whole way there. He put a hand up on the door frame trying to come up with a good reason why he was there. When she just opened the door and stared at him at first his heart leapt, which scared him because that hadn't happened in awhile. Then it just made him mad, "Can I come in?" He finally asked.

"Uh, yeah." She stepped to the side and embarrassed herself by enjoying his familiar smell as he walked by her.

"Payton's pissed at me." He said as he walked around her living room.

"Oh? Why?" It seemed the only thing she could say, why was he here asking her that?

"Because Sara," He turned around to glare at her, "All week you've been completely avoiding me and I've been going insane trying to figure out why."

She was in the living room by the sofa just staring at him; she hadn't expected she was going to have to ever explain this to him. "We don't have to work together all the time Greg." She was trying to maintain her composure.

"Oh don't get all superior on me; you know that's not the issue at all. You're avoiding me, why don't you just admit it?"

He had never spoken to her like this before and it pissed her off because she liked it, "Would it make you feel better if I did that Greg? Fine I've been avoiding you."

"Why?" Like a light switch he wasn't angry anymore, just hurt and confused, "I've been racking my brain and I can't think of anything I could have done."

"It's not you it's just…" She trailed off, how was she going to handle this? Does she tell him it's cause she can't get him off her mind and that being around him knowing that Payton exists is torture for her? Or does she try to placate him enough without admitting anything?

"Just what?" He was getting closer to her which made his heart beat faster. 'Stop moving Sanders!'

She saw him getting nearer and cleared her throat, "I just, uh, needed a break and umm, wanted to work solo some more." She tried.

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "Nice try Sidle I think I know you a little bit better than that."

"You do?" She didn't move, she should have, because he was too close. He was infringing on her personal space and it was driving her crazy.

"Well I thought so," He was inches from her face and contemplating if this was the best move to test her. It was highly deceptive, he should just ask, but he didn't trust her to tell him the truth. So he did it, he did what he'd been wanting to do for so long he'd lost count.

He kissed her.

'Push him away!' The words were SCREAMING in her head but she didn't hear them, she just followed his lead and regretted not listening to the words later.

After a few blissful moments it dawned on Greg that he was kissing Sara and she was kissing him back! He, reluctantly, stepped away and stared at her, "Why now?" He asked with a sigh, "Why after all this time? Why now?"