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.
Notes: I keep promising thanks and I'm going to, I mean it, just not right now. Please know that I do appreciate the reviews! Thanks for reading.
Chapter 7: Learn To
Greg had gotten so caught up in wracking and stacking resumes he'd forgotten the staff meeting.
Sara had found him at nearly one in the morning still pouring through them, piles of resumes on the table in some order only Greg could understand. She looked in the window, saw him, shook her head and then opened the door.
"What are you doing?"
Greg turned his head and gave her an odd stare, as if it should be obvious.
"Greg," she continued to ignore his stare, "Time."
His brow furrowed momentarily before he turned completely around to see the clock behind him.
"Shit," he said standing and pulling the papers together.
"Don't bother," she said coming inside and helping him stack the resumes, "Nick covered for you."
Greg nodded feeling a little more at ease but still clearing the mess. It was well past time to start work.
"What is all this?" Sara asked looking one over.
"It's nothing," Greg said taking it and the others from her hands, "Research."
She gave him one odd look he didn't catch before backing up.
"They look like resumes," she continued, knowing full well she shouldn't.
"Well I'm researching resumes," he said absently before returning them to their original folder.
Sara wrinkled her nose, not liking the sound of that, but said nothing more. It wasn't her business. It didn't concern her.
"What are we doing tonight?" he asked.
"Since Warrick and Nick are working with Jacqui to print that painting," Sara started, "You and I are taking a double in Boulder City."
"All the way out there?"
"Still Clark County," she answered, "and they requested the crime lab."
Greg nodded and said nothing more.
"I've already got us a car," she continued.
"Then I'll meet you in the garage."
Sara nodded and said no more, but for a moment neither of them moved. They just stood there, awkwardly, without any real reason to be. Greg knew what it was. It was two days now of semi-normal conversation. Ones that weren't stilted or halting or just mean. It felt so normal and so abnormal but mostly it was just confusing.
And the last time they'd had a semi-normal conversation, two weeks and two nights ago, they'd ended up in bed.
They'd gone separately, of course, to the party Amy had thrown for Nick's birthday. It wasn't on his birthday, it was actually about half a week before, but it was on the only Friday that the majority of shift somehow got off. It was actually the first time in nearly six months that Greg, Sara, Nick and Amy had all gotten off and the last time they had they'd made a point to go out together. Of course, six months ago things had been a lot different.
After things had wound down, Greg made a discrete exit only to find Sara out by her car nearly fuming. He'd seen what was wrong immediately; she had a flat so he offered to help her fix it. Sara had politely refused but he'd persisted, even if Nick's place was in a good neighborhood it was too late for anyone to be out alone and knowing Sara she'd either try to do it herself and or walk home out of spite.
That's when she admitted she didn't have a spare.
So Greg did the only decent thing to do, he offered to drive her home. It was a big mistake. He should have walked back with her to Nick's house and either called her a taxi or asked one of them to do it. But he hadn't. He'd given her a ride there himself, actually his first time to her new apartment, and they'd sat awkwardly in the car then just as they stood awkwardly in the conference room now.
"I should go get my case," Greg finally said without moving.
"Yeah," Sara said quickly, shaking her head, "I'll meet you out front."
Sara paused briefly before turning and walking out, rather quickly.
Greg let out a breath and shook his head to clear it. He didn't need to be thinking like this. It was a mistake then, it would be a mistake now. Nothing had changed. Sara would never trust him enough to really let him into her life and Greg just couldn't take that.
Heading first to Amy's lab to drop off the resumes and give her a brief run down on his notes, he nearly ran to the locker room to grab his case so as not to keep Sara waiting long.
On his way out through the lobby Greg just heard Gretchen call his name. Stopping, if only because it would be rude not too, he turned and headed back to the receptionist desk.
"That woman who was here earlier asked me to give you this," Gretchen said handing him a note taped shut.
"What woman?" Greg asked turning it over in his hands.
"From the museum," she said curtly. The only reason she'd agreed was because she assumed it was related to the case. Well that and technically it was her job.
"Thanks," Greg muttered walking across the lobby as he broke the seal and beginning to skim whatever it was Erika had to say.
Sara was right there at the curb, SUV running and looking slightly impatient.
"Sorry," he said getting in after putting his case in the back and hastily shoving the note into his pocket.
She said nothing to it, just pulled away as he buckled in.
The drive was long and this time Sara didn't bother with the radio, instead opting for the police scanner. Halfway there they got a call from Grissom telling them to get back to the lab. Another twenty minutes after that as they neared their exit for the lab, they got another call telling them to go back.
Greg, biting his lip with face turned to the window, just tried not to laugh. He knew Sara was seething and he couldn't help it. Greg could only imagine that there was some kind of struggle between the police departments, coroners even, that they just happened to be caught in the middle of. It was the kind of thing that Sara had no humor about, but Greg found wildly entertaining.
Sure enough, she'd begun to mutter quietly under her breath as they once more neared Boulder City.
Finally reaching their destination, the night more than half over, they got out and met the local sheriff at the door to the house.
"Didn't anyone call you?" he asked immediately and Sara positively glared. "We've got our own guys looking over this."
Sara turned back around without a word leaving Greg to fumble momentarily with what to say before giving up at the sound of the engine revving loudly behind him. Getting back to the SUV in a hurry, not even getting the door shut before she was pulling away, Greg couldn't stop the laugh from escaping him.
"This isn't funny," Sara said staring straight ahead down the road, going way too fast for the neighborhood.
"Neither is vehicular homicide."
Sara looked at him, saw his smile and shook here head as she simultaneously eased off the gas. For a long time they drove in silence. Greg deciding to give her the time she needed to cool off, Sara gladly taking it.
"I just can't believe we've wasted the night like this," she finally said as they neared the lab. The sun was almost coming up.
"Could be worse," Greg said with a shrug.
"How?"
"Well," Greg said stretching out, "floaters are bad. We could have got called to a floater."
Sara rolled her eyes and even though he knew better he continued.
"Or a week old corpse."
He saw the corners of her mouth twitch, knew she was close to smiling and couldn't stop himself.
"Week old floating corpse?" he questioned eyebrow raised, just looking at her out of the corner of his eyes.
And she laughed.
"You've never seen a week old floating corpse."
"You don't know that," Greg said teasingly without thinking.
"I think I do," Sara returned still smiling as she parked in the garage.
Greg and Sara sat nearly facing each other and both felt the mood change. And this wasn't just a semi-normal conversation. This was them talking like they use to. Acting like they use to. And it was so appealing.
He wasn't even aware of it until it was gone. Shattered by the bang of the nearby door slamming shut.
They'd both been moving towards each other without realizing it until then.
At the noise they'd quickly moved apart.
"I've…I'd better go clock out," Greg said hurriedly undoing his seatbelt and stepping out of the SUV. Gone.
Sara sat for another minute, not believing what had almost happened. Touching her fingers to her lips she sat trying to push it down. Enjoying the odd flutter it excited in her stomach and instinctively knowing it was wrong. Greg and she weren't going to work. They weren't going to happen again. He'd made that very clear.
As she shut off the engine she looked over and saw something in the seat he'd just occupied.
Sara picked up the paper and turned it over once.
On the outside in a distinctly feminine hand was his name.
She hesitated only for a second. She knew it wasn't hers. Knew it wasn't her business. Knew who she thought had written it and what it might say. But she didn't know until she opened and read it for herself.
Instant regret.
Of course it was from Erika. Who else could it have been from? A single sentence and seven numbers. All it said was 'call me about dinner' with her name and number. That was it. But that was all it took to really hurt.
Greg was carrying it. She knew what that meant. He wouldn't have kept it if it hadn't of meant something, if he hadn't wanted to call her and see her again. Even after he told her just last night that he wasn't interested.
Sara got out of the SUV, moving without thinking.
She got her case, locked the vehicle and headed back inside note still clutched in her hand.
Sara stopped at the door and crumpled the note in her free hand, dropping it at her feet.
This was it. This was real. It was over now, it had to be.
He was moving on, she'd have to learn to.