Chapter Three: Endings

She had showered, more than once, had gone through an entire bottle of shampoo, had used an entire bar of soap…but none of it was helping. After all, a three week decomp wasn't an easy smell to lose. Sara made a face, eyes squinting as she read the small print. Technically she was supposed to be work, but a coworker had tipped her off about a special kind of soap. She had been reluctant at first, thirty dollars for a small bottle, but if it would work…

Then again she could use lemons…Sara shook her head quickly, trying to clear the thought from her head. She wouldn't go there, refusing to let the memory of her former boss creep into her mind. She had worked so hard to forget everything, she couldn't give in now.

"Is it working?"

Sara shook her head, placing the bottle down. "Haven't tried it yet," she gave a brief smile to Kyla, one of her coworkers. The woman was only a few years older than she was, a mother of two. She wouldn't exactly call her a friend, but she had helped out in a few tight spots, more of an acquaintance, though she had known Kyla too long for that.

"Lemons work real nice too," Kyla pointed out, moving her raven hair behind her shoulder. It dropped down to just above her waist, and made Sara wonder how exactly the woman controlled her hair while working a scene. "It's a shame you're allergic."

Sara nodded quietly, her eyes skimming over the words without really reading. She had used that excuse the first time they had mentioned lemons. Hopefully this thirty dollars was worth something.

"There's someone here looking for you too," Kyla continued, her purse on the table as she sorted through it. Her tone of voice had changed, dropping in tone as she leaned closer to her. "Says he's your ex, something about you not paying child support."

Sara frowned, looking up quickly. "Child support?" she questioned, catching Kyla's gaze. "I don't have any children."

Kyla gave her a sweet smile, waving a hand as she did so. "I say the same thing sometimes. I can get rid of him if you want; I haven't told him you're in."

Sara shook her head, resisting the urge to continue the argument. Kyla was never good at catching emotions, a firm reason she worked trace. There was little point in trying to convince the woman other wise, but it unnerved Sara that someone would come looking for her. She didn't know anyone in the city besides those who worked her.

Kyla gave her a brief nod as she left the room, but somehow it didn't settle her nerves. She approached the corner carefully, taking her time to check the small lobby carefully, frowning as she did so.

The young man had his back towards her, arms stuffed in his pockets as he moved along slowly, reading the certificates that grazed the walls. It was unmistakable, but still it was hard to believe.

"Greg?"

He turned at the sound of her voice, letting out a smile as he met her gaze. "Hey," he returned her greeting quietly, taking her in as she stepped closer. He was thrown off guard as she moved quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him into an embrace.

He returned the gesture, holding her close as she laughed, realizing for the first time how much he missed her. For the past few weeks it had been a dull ache, one he had been certain would pass in time, but now, holding her in his arms he found it near impossible to let her go. "You smell like death," Greg whispered in her ear moments before she pulled away.

"I know," she smiled up at him, still holding him by the arms. "A real man wouldn't mind though, right?"

He pulled her back into a hug, his arms folding around her back. "I never said I minded," Greg pointed out.

"I can't believe you're here, I mean, how? Why?"

"Why?" Greg repeated the question, not sure if he had heard her right. He was the one to break the hold this time, meeting her gaze. "I missed you Sara…I really, really missed you."

"The lab wouldn't just give you time off like that unless you…you didn't quit did you?" she stammered, her tone changing quickly. "Please tell me you didn't quit?"

"I didn't quit," Greg reassured her, his arms folding across his chest as he balanced his weight on his heels. "Let's just say the lab found it in best interest if I took some time off."

"You were suspended?" Sara asked hopefully, letting out a sigh as Greg nodded. Suspended, not fired, but suspended. "What did you do?"

"Why do you assume I did something?" Greg questioned innocently, shrugging his shoulders. Her expression in return told him quickly that she was having a hard time believing him. "I had a few words with Catherine and Ecklie butted in. He had no business being in that conversation in the first place."

"You yelled at Ecklie?" Sara stated disbelievingly.

"Not at him exactly," he explained quickly, "more like I was yelling at Catherine through closed doors with him standing in front of me."

"Which would be yelling at him," Sara classified, letting out a sigh.

"Through him actually," Greg shrugged his shoulders again, giving her a grin. "He's quite hollow, believe it or not."

"I can," Sara agreed. "So you flew three thousand miles, just to see me?"

"Crazy, huh?"

"I'm glad," she told him quietly, "I needed a friend."

"Sara, I've been looking for you."

The pair turned as the newcomer came into the lobby, the man near a head shorter than both of them, his blonde hair laying flat against his head. He came to a stop, frowning as he took Greg in. "Can I help you?"

"Max," she nodded towards him, "this is a good friend of mine, Greg. Greg, this is my partner Max," she did the introduction quick, feeling slightly silly at having to do so. Greg normally didn't need an introduction; he did that all on his own.

Greg nodded, reaching over to shake his hand. "This the same Max I've heard about?" he wondered, straightening up.

"As long as you're the same Greg I've heard about," he stated quickly, turning to Sara. "I ran the samples the coroner sent up, they're a match to a James Willinen, he has a record, so I've sent Morris down to pick him up. Our vic was associated with him at one point, but that was several years ago, no telling how his DNA ended up under her fingernails. I'm going back to the scene to check the back area, I want you to wait for Willinen to arrive so you can interview him, his file is back with the reports."

Greg watched breathlessly as he continued talking, handing Sara several papers. So far the man had managed to say everything in one breath, and before either could say another word, he was off again, leaving the two alone once more.

Greg's eyes followed the path to the door, quiet for a moment until the door closed fully. "He needs to cut down on the coffee," he commented quietly, surprised to hear Sara laugh.

"He doesn't drink coffee," Sara stated, shaking her head as she grinned. "I told you, he never stops."

"I'm not even that annoying," Greg pointed out, even more surprised to hear Sara cough this time.

"Yet," she smiled, lacing her arm around his. "I'll sign you in, show you the ropes," she teased lightly, pulling him along behind her.

"This is your place?" Greg wondered quietly, coming to a stop once he reached the top of the stairs. He marveled slightly when she opened the door, stepping inside after all. "How much does a place like this cost?"

"You don't want to know," Sara groaned quietly, dropping her stuff on the counter. It was quite larger than her last place; a full kitchen, with a living room split with a study. Greg gave a single nod, wandering down the hall as she went through her mail.

"Your bathroom's the same size as my room," Greg called back to her, provoking a grin.

"Master bath," she nodded, even though he could no longer see her. Dropping the mail in a pile she wandered down after him, not surprised in the least that he had made it clear to her bedroom.

"Master bedroom too?" Greg questioned, taking in the room as she came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Bigger than I wanted, but work's paying for half. It's part of the perk I get for working there…"

"Man," Greg let out a low whistle, "We're the applications? I can certainly handle this."

She laughed quietly, standing on her toes as she kissed him softly on the cheek. He turned surprised, meeting her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I missed you," she told him, giving him a gentle smile at the same time.

"It's been so different without you…" Greg started, stopping only to catch his voice. "Everyone's been so snappy since you left, they all miss you, but no one will admit it. It's been lonely, quiet in a sense. No one wants to even put up with me…"

"That's hard to believe," Sara mentioned, doing her best to not let his words affect her. She hadn't stopped to think about the others, hadn't wanted to. It was hard enough not to think about Greg, and knowing how much he must have been hurting. She was only beginning to realize how much he meant to her.

She kissed him again, more slowly this time, still holding him close. Greg had turned more towards her, this time capturing her lips in his own as lifted his arms, his fingers tracing her face.

"Stay with me," she whispered, breaking the kiss. Their lips met once again as Greg pulled her closer, one hand running down the back of her shirt. He could feel her own hands against his chest, working under his jacket.

"We can't disappear," he breathed heavily, leaning his forehead against her own. He said it sadly, knowing in his mind that it was not logical, but at the same time the thought was so inviting. This was a side of Sara he had not seen, and if he had been a little stronger he would have stopped her there, knowing that their actions may be regretted in the morning.

"I can't go back," she argued briefly, moving her hands up to rub his neck. "And I don't want to see you go," she ended with another kiss, pulling him gently towards the bed.

He followed with little hesitation, settling down beside her. "Yes you can," he ran his fingers along her jaw bone, as she pushed his jacket off. "You can…for me…come back for me."

Sara nodded, unwilling to argue with him. She kissed him briefly on the upper lip before pulling away, her hands folded in her lap. Greg looked up questioningly, frowning. "What's wrong?"

She lifted her eyes, meeting his own as she smiled warmly. "Nothing," she remarked, "Everything's fine." Moving to wrap her arms around his neck she knew for certain that everything was indeed fine. It was more than that however…things were perfect…for now at least.

The End