Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or any of its characters.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews to remoob1213 and ObessedTWFan. Wave to the 140 other people who read (or clicked on) the last chapter. ;)

Okay, I don't really like this chapter but it's a long one compared to the previous chapters.

Chapter 5: Returned

Greg and Sara were just storing their things in their lockers when Catherine entered the room and smiled, "Welcome back," she hugged Greg joyfully and a surprised Sara as well.

"I'm glad that you're here again. Are you both alright?"

Greg felt an almost maternal look of worry on him. For the first time it really came to his mind how much concern and fear Catherine and the others must have felt in that night when he and Sara were injured.

He smiled. "Yeah, we're fine."

"Grissom, Warrick and Nick are already here. We're waiting for you. Come when you're ready," Catherine smiled again and left them to themselves.

Sara closed her locker after she had finished putting her things in there. "So you're ready?"

Greg nodded confidently. "Yeah."

Sara rubbed his back briefly and then they made their way to the pre-shift meeting where their team was waiting for them. Warrick and Nick greeted them cheerfully and loudly while Grissom spoke only few earnest words.

After they had all settled down, he started, "So, Greg, when will you be able to work in the field again?"

Greg remembered that just after they had been out of the hospital Sara had made Grissom agree to her working in the field immediately again once they were back.

He leaned back. "Well, the plaster got off two days ago but I'm to take it slow for another week, so I'd say next week – if you let me." He was confident that Grissom would agree. His boss better did, even if he was not seeing the look Sara was shooting in his direction in this moment. She would make sure that Greg could work outside again as soon as he felt up to.

Grissom nodded understanding. "Okay, then next week. But tell me if you notice that it's too early."

Greg nodded but knowing for sure that he would avoid being squeamish in any case.

Grissom turned to Catherine. "I think you'll find something for Greg to do."

Catherine smiled. "Yes, I'm swamped with paperwork."

Greg screwed his eyes. "Thanks for the warm welcome."

"You can also look into cold cases and help with lab work of course," Grissom mentioned encouraging and turned to Sara. "There's a homicide for you." He handed her a piece of paper and Sara looked at it shortly. "I work solo?"

Grissom nodded, as if it was natural. "I have full confidence in you. Or don't you-,"

"No, no," Sara interrupted him. "I can do that. No problem." She was a little surprised that he let her work alone on her first day back. She had expected – not really joyfully – that either he or one of the others would keep an eye on her the first time, assuming she could not stand the pressure alone.

Some minutes later Catherine piled up files in front of a not too thankful looking Greg.

"That should be enough for tonight," she said cheerfully.

Greg sighed, looking at the files that seemed to be enough work for the next weeks. "I'm sure about that." He tried to remind himself that he was glad to be back.

Catherine winked but then she got serious. "If you need anything …"

Greg shook his head. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry anymore."

Catherine grimaced briefly. "Was it so obvious?"

"Yeah."

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Greg, I was so afraid for you… and for Sara, too, of course, and I'm so happy that you're back."

Greg was tempted to say that she felt so because he was now there to do her paperwork but instead he smiled at her weakly, "I know, and I'm sure Sara does as well."

Shortly after Catherine had left, Sara came into the room where Greg was sitting. She stopped next to him and looked down at the file that was lying in front of him.

"I'll leave now. We'll see us in some hours, okay?"

Greg looked up from the paper he had been reading. "Yeah."

"You alright?" Sara asked.

Greg smirked. "Don't you see that I'm enjoying myself here?"

Sara laughed and turned to go but hesitated then.

Greg looked down at the paper in front of him.

He realized that it would be the first time after they had been out of the hospital that they would not be together for more than a short while. They had almost always been with each other since then. When they had visited his family anyway and afterwards Greg had paid only short visits to his own apartment, and had stayed at Sara's place.

He knew that they could not hang at each other the whole time, if they wanted to do their job. Sara was anyway a person who needed some time alone from now and then, but they both knew that Greg was very reluctant to let her go, especially to a crime scene, after all what had happened on their last one, and to other people who had done that work.

He looked up at her and forced himself to smile. "See you then."

Sara smiled back. "Yeah, see you." She left and Greg watched her go until he could not see her anymore.

Sara was content to work alone, as she thought it to be the best this way. She could have hardly borne it to work with one of her colleagues throwing her worried glances all the time. Now she was on her own and she looked forward to delve into her work again.

She stopped her car near to the scene and saw Detective Vartan standing nearby.

She got off and he led her into a garage where a car was standing and a dead man was lying in a large puddle of blood several feet away from it. Sara approached the victim and looked at the man.

"He was stabbed," she stated. Vartan nodded and walked back to the entrance of the garage.

Sara was about to start taking photos when she noticed blood splatter on the side of the car. She walked over to it, crouched down and looked under the car.

"Hey," she called, "who cleared the scene?" she asked sharply.

Vartan hurried up to her. "We cleared it. Why?"

Sara looked up. "You did a great job then," she commented dryly. "There's another body," she pointed below the car.

Vartan looked stunned for a moment and then looked under the car like Sara had done before.

He looked up at her. "Sara, sorry, really, I mean, especially you-," he started, but was interrupted by Sara.

"No, not especially me, but you know that somebody living could have been there…," she said, frowning. Without saying any more, she turned back to the car and started taking photos there.

When Sara returned to the lab in the morning she found Greg still doing paper work. He looked up and smiled when he saw her.

"You enjoying yourself?" she asked teasingly. She guessed that he could not wait to go into the field again – or maybe she just drew conclusions from her own feelings as she would not have been happy at all to do paperwork the whole night.

"Yep, it's simply great," he sighed. He looked at her and noticed that she looked rather content, very likely happier with their first night back than he was.

"You shouldn't overdo it on your first day back. Shift's over, so let's go home," he suggested.

Sara enjoyed the warm feeling that came over her when he referred to her place as 'home'. She smiled. "Okay, I'm finished with my case for today. I have to wait for lab results anyway."

Greg jumped up. "Great." He weaved with some files. "I just have to get rid of these, and then we can leave."

The next night it was Sara who laid several files in front of Greg.

"I've got a déjà vu, you know," he sighed, afraid that there were more of these nights to come and wishing he had concealed from Grissom that the physician had advised him to wait with the field work until the next week.

"It's no paperwork. You can help me with this case," Sara countered his expectations.

Greg opened the file that was lying on the top and found photos Sara had taken two days earlier on a scene in there.

"The owner of the car and the garage, Maurice Calhan, 39, was found stabbed under the car. Tom Freeman, 35, next to it, stabbed as well. We don't know yet what connection these two men had and that's what you can try to find out."

She lifted a box onto the table. "Here are all papers and files that we found there. Archie has the hard-disk of Calhan's computer, so he'll maybe find something on there, ask him."

Greg rested his head on his arm and looked at her. "What are you doing?"

Sara grimaced. "I'll go on a scene with Catherine, a shooting."

She lowered her head to his height, leaned in and came close to him. "See you in the morning," she said softly and lingered there for a moment, but Greg knew that she had no intention to come any closer.

"You're cruel," he remarked, sighing. Sara winked and left.

When she returned several hours later, Greg met her already in the hallway. "I found it," he told her excited.

"What?" Sara looked at him questioningly.

"The link between the victims. Freeman wanted to buy Calhan's car, as far as I can see the one in the garage. He wrote him an email," Greg waved with a piece of paper, "Archie printed it out. Calhan wrote back," Greg hold up another paper, "that he had to come until 3 PM; otherwise he'd sell it to somebody else."

Slowly they made their way towards the break room.

Sara looked thoughtful. "So, what went wrong? Why did they both end up dead?"

Greg shrugged. "They didn't kill each other, did they?"

Sara shook her head. "No, it's not possible."

Greg read through one of the papers in his hand again. "Calhan wrote that he wanted to be paid in cash. Did you find the money?"

"No, I didn't," she shook her head.

"So it could be robbery."

Sara stopped walking. "Doc Robbins estimated TOD on 8 PM. If Freeman came latest at 3 PM, why would he stay so long there?"

"He came later," Greg suggested, shrugging.

"But then Calhan would have sold to somebody else…"

"Motive for Freeman?"

"And who killed him?" Sara asked.

Greg shrugged again.

"I'll have to wait for some results from DNA. I'll fill you in with another case in the meantime," Sara decided.

"Okay."

They seated down next to each other and Sara started, opening a file, "So this guy was shot last night …"

Later, when Greg and Sara were still sitting and talking in the break room, actually taking a break this time, Catherine came hurried into the room.

"Sara, we have a suspect for the shooting. We have to check his place instantly. I've already gotten the warrant."

Sara jumped up but turned to Greg again. "Please get the results from Bobby about the bullets then, okay? I don't know when we'll be back."

Greg nodded. "I'll wait for you."

Sara smiled and left together with Catherine.

Greg finished his coffee calmly and then continued to read the file Sara had given him.

It seemed to get a very long night. Although they had come in with two cars, Greg preferred to wait for Sara and leave together with her then, as he among other things hoped they would have breakfast – or rather already lunch then as it seemed – together.

It was about eight in the morning when he went into the ballistics lab to get the results Sara had asked for. He entered the room and greeted Bobby, who did so as well, but did not look at Greg.

Greg frowned wondering what was wrong. "You finished on the bullets?"

"Yeah," the lab tech said and hesitated.

"The gun has been used before," he stated finally.

"I'll look up the old case file," Greg said and wanted to leave, but Bobby stopped him. "I have it already."

Greg looked at him questioningly. The lab tech handed him a file, Greg opened it and started to read.

He was stunned for a moment. Then he looked up. "It's that case," he said weakly, "our case," and the ballistics tech nodded.

TBC