Appreciation by SLynn

Summary: An art heist, an arsonist and a lot of angst. Takes place approximately four months after the end of 'Precious Things' This is the fifth in a series. Greg/Sara and Nick/OC

Spoilers: Up to 'Nesting Dolls'

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing and will return them all when I'm done, virtually untouched.

Chapter 6: Encounters

Greg came into work early that night, as he usually did nowadays, only to find that the lab was nearly alive with people.

"What's going on?" Greg asked, ducking into the break room and surprised to find Jacqui sitting down flipping through a magazine.

"Didn't they tell you?"

"Jacqui," he said in a near sigh as he sat down with her, "you know they don't tell me anything."

"Come on," she said standing up and putting down the magazine.

Greg gave her a curious look before following her out the door and down to the smallest conference room, which he was surprised to find locked. Jacqui opened it easily enough with the key and they both went inside.

"Wow," was all Greg could say.

"It's something isn't it?" Jacqui returned with a nod.

Greg stepped closer and really took in the sight.

"Don't touch it," Jacqui intoned.

"I know that," Greg said sounding offended, "I'm not an idiot. You don't touch priceless art."

Jacqui shrugged and joined him in front of the Monet.

"Why's it here?" he asked.

"Because your co-workers think it's evidence."

Greg and Jacqui both turned at the new voice coming from the doorway.

Jacqui looked a bit nervous, she technically wasn't supposed to be showing this off but Dr. Stewart didn't seem angry. In fact she looked almost glad to see them there.

"Nick and Warrick saw on the video tape that the thief had touched this particular painting, tried to get it off the wall but couldn't," Jacqui supplied.

Greg nodded, but it didn't make sense. The painting they had taken was relatively small; this one was just too big for a single person to carry out of a gallery and onto the street unnoticed.

"This is what triggered the alarms," Greg guessed.

Erika smiled and nodded.

"We have all of our most famous pieces rigged. If you get too close a sensor detects it. First time is a warning sound, next is full blown alarms."

"So they touched this and what, are you going to print it?" Greg asked in shock turning to Jacqui. Dusting the painting would ruin it.

"Not in the traditional way," Jacqui said more for Dr. Stewart's benefit then Greg's, "I'm waiting on a low light scanner that I'll be able to use that will allow me to capture the prints without causing any damage."

"Dr. Grissom has told me you're the best here," she said in return to Jacqui.

Jacqui nodded and smiled and then said that she'd better see what the hold up was but not before handing the keys off to Greg to lock up when they were done.

Greg, unable to stop Jacqui, soon found himself right where he didn't want to be: alone with Erika.

"Dr. Grissom told me you wouldn't be working on the case," she said stepping closer. "I was really sorry to hear that. I'd hoped we'd get the chance to talk more."

"Well considering everything it wouldn't be right for me to be on the case."

"You mean considering us."

"There is no us," Greg said, shaking his head.

"Then why are you so concerned?" she asked with a smile.

"Erika…" Greg started and then didn't know what else to say.

"I'm teasing you Greg," she said with a laugh, "I understand why. I know how these things work. Besides, if you'd kept on I couldn't ask you to have dinner with me."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Of course it's not," she said coming a little bit closer.

Greg took an involuntary step backwards just as the door came open.

"Warrick," Greg a bit too brightly, "were you looking for me?"

"No," he said before he'd caught on, "but Hodges was. Had some news about that arson case for you."

"Thanks," Greg said moving around the table and towards the door, purposely avoiding Erika. "You don't mind showing Dr. Stewart out do you? Here are the keys for the door."

After giving them both fairly weak goodbyes Greg practically bolted out the door and towards the break room. Fifteen minutes later Warrick joined him, shutting the door as he came in and sat down opposite him.

"What was that?" he asked, shaking his head with a smile.

"That was my worst freaking nightmare come to life," Greg said as he buried his head into his hands.

"Normally I wouldn't ask because your business is your business, but Greg I have to know. How do you know her?"

Greg looked up at him and decided the truth wouldn't hurt. Everyone was going to be making their own assumptions, probably already were, especially considering Greg had asked to be removed from one of the biggest cases to come along in a while. Warrick wasn't someone who would spread gossip and, as his friend, he could trust him with the information. Well, most of the information. He'd tell him what he'd told Nick. Only Sara had needed to know the whole story.

"Erika and I use to date. I met her when I was at college, she was an undergrad who taught my English classes."

"How long did you guys go out?"

"Three years," Greg answered with a shrug, "Give or take. We were kind of on and off."

Warrick nodded and Greg saw the flicker of recognition behind his eyes.

"Didn't we find a number for an Erika at Mitch Anderson's place?" he asked.

"Yeah," Greg returned with a nod.

"But it wasn't Stewart," Warrick said as he remembered more of it, "It was Rosenberg?"

"Rosenbaum," Greg corrected. "She'd gotten married, Stewart is her maiden name."

Warrick nodded and began to suspect things. Mitch Anderson had been digging up incriminating things on Greg at the time, specifically in regards to whom he'd been involved with.

"So now she's divorced, moved to Vegas and what?" Warrick asked instead, not wanting to force information out of Greg. Especially information he didn't really need.

"I don't know," Greg said shaking his head.

"So I take it you're not interested in starting this whole thing back up," Warrick returned.

"No, I'm not. That woman is pure evil."

Warrick laughed and Greg hadn't noticed at the time that the door had opened.

"That's no way to talk about Sidle," Hodges said from just behind him causing Greg to nearly jump.

"Well not surprisingly you're wrong," Greg said turning to him, "But you're use to that, right Dave?"

Hodges gave him a glare but said no more.

Warrick, with one more laugh stood to go.

"We'll talk later," he said to Greg as he made his way out the door.

Greg said nothing as Hodges sat down in the spot Warrick had recently occupied.

"If you want my opinion you're better off," he said as he stirred sugar into his mug, "If this little break-up had taken place after you'd gotten married she'd of gotten half of everything you own."

"Why would I want your opinion?" Greg asked with a look of confusion.

"I'm just saying," Hodges said with a shrug. "But it's not like you have much is it. Or that she'd want it. What is half an old t-shirt collection worth nowadays?"

"Don't be jealous that you can't pull off this look."

"Jealous?" he asked in return, "How high did they up your dosage?"

"Not high enough to put up with you," Greg said standing to go.

Greg made his way down the hall stopping in DNA only because he saw Amy.

"You know I think you're the cause of all the excess overtime on this shift," Greg said to her as he stepped inside.

"I know," she said rolling her eyes, "but not for much longer."

"Why's that?" Greg asked sitting down at the desk.

Amy wheeled her chair over and leaned in.

"Now," she said in a hushed voice, "this isn't official yet so you can't say anything."

"Amy the only person I tell gossip to is you," he said not getting why she was being so dodgy.

"Yeah well," she said tilting her head from side to side, "You never know. Besides, this is such good news."

"Did Ecklie quit?" Greg asked a bit louder then he should of, obviously excited.

"No," Amy said, "but someone did."

"Who?" Greg asked still not understanding her excitement.

"Thompsen," she giggled. "Actually, he didn't quit he's finally, finally retiring. Do you know what this means?"

Greg didn't get a chance to answer, Amy was already talking again, too excited to stop mid-story.

"This means that we can finally get someone decent on swing shift and I won't have to cover for him anymore."

Greg smiled with her, but his wasn't one of excitement. He was amused. Amused that Amy thought it would be that easy. He'd spent months looking for his own replacement, her, it wasn't like DNA tech's grew on trees.

"Isn't that great?" she asked, still whispering but so excited. He couldn't burst her bubble. Not yet at least.

"That is great," he said instead.

She smiled and moved away, getting back to work.

"Oh and I was hoping you'd help," Amy said looking down as she did so.

"Help what?" he asked standing now and moving back to the counter top.

"Help me weed through the applicants," she said looking up and raising her eyebrows expectantly, hopefully.

"Oh Amy," he said shaking his head.

"Please," she started, "Please. You have to. I've never done anything like this before and Ecklie dropped like eighty applications off on me."

"I've only done it once Amy," he said in return, not wanting to get involved in this.

"And look at how well that turned out," she said with a smile he couldn't help but match. "Please?"

"Alright," he said finally, "I'll help you narrow it down."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Yeah well you owe me," he said in return.

Amy just continued to smile at him and he shook his head.

"Here they are," she said handing him an enormous stack. "I've already flagged the ones I think are qualified."

Greg briefly flipped through it noticing more then half of them were 'flagged' with tiny pink post-it notes.

"I've graded those on a scale of one to one hundred," she continued as he continued to shuffle the pages.

"I don't think you need me," he said shaking his head.

"Please?" she asked again.

"I'll take a look at them now," he said nodding, "before shift starts."

"Thank you again Greg," she said as he moved towards the door.

Greg smiled at her and said nothing more, kind of glad to have the project. It would help him keep his mind off of things. Things like working with Sara again tonight and how he'd be able to keep avoiding Erika.

This would work for now.