Soap Opera
The characters are not mine, and I make no money from them.
This is something a little different, a little 'what-if', maybe alternative universe in a sense. It's set early second season, before Greg gets up the nerve to ask Sara out, right before she meets Hank. Anyhow, here goes...
"You're like a dog chasing a car, man. You want her, but you wouldn't know what to do with her if you got her." Nick sat on the DNA lab counter watching Greg Sanders watch Sara Sidle. The boy was absolutely smitten with her, like Pepi La Pew on the trail of his kitty ladylove. His awkward adoration was geekily sweet, but unlikely to inspire the same in Miss Sidle, who weirdly enough seemed to have fallen madly in love with Gil Grissom. Grissom in turn was completely unmoved by Sara's affections, not terribly surprising since she was young enough to be his daughter. No, Grissom's heart belonged to Catherine Willows, who either didn't know or wasn't interested, her eyes having long been focused on one Warrick Brown. Warrick played the field himself, never finding any one woman to be enough. It really was like a soap opera, one he was thankful to be observing rather than participating in.
Greg's eyebrows lifted. "Trust me, if I won the heart of our fair Miss Sidle I most certainly WOULD know what to do. You see, the kid has a plan."
"And this plan is?..." Nick grinned. This was getting interesting.
"Never you mind. Just know that if we get together, no, make that WHEN we get together, I will treat her like a princess."
"Like a princess."
"Yes, Nick, like a princess." He smiled and pushed some buttons on one of his machines. "I will spoil her rotten - cook for her, give her backrubs, make sure that every day she knows just how wonderful she is, just how much I love her."
"Just how much you love her. Um, dude, don't you think maybe you've gotten just a little carried away with this ?"
Greg said nothing, just turned back to push more buttons on the machine. At the same time, Nick's pager beeped. "Catch ya later, man..."
Nick Stokes was a good man, but he couldn't keep a secret worth a crap. In truth he was a compulsive gossip - never malicious, but a gossip nevertheless. That was why, several hours later, he and Catherine Willows could be found discussing his earlier conversation with Greg. "He's in love with her, Catherine. I was thinking he just wanted to get into her pants, but he's in love with the woman." He shook his head. "It's kind of sad. There SHE is throwing herself at Grissom, making a damned fool of herself, and poor Greg's in love with her."
Catherine smiled slightly. "Sara's driving Gil crazy. He doesn't want to hurt her feelings, but she's not his type. Griss has a kind heart, but it just isn't there."
"Yeah. That's pretty obvious."
Catherine frowned. "I will say, though, when it comes to Greg I don't think she's completely disinterested."
Nick frowned. "You're kidding."
"No, I mean watch when she's in there with him. The body language is definitely NOT 'get away from me.' He flirts with her, and sometimes she flirts back. With the right care, this flower could open up and bloom."
Nick was laughing. "With Greg? You just say that because he's like your kid now. He's - man, he's way younger than her. He's, what, twenty-two?"
"Greg's older than you think he is. He just turned twenty-six, and she's your age. You date women younger than he is, and don't even try to tell me that it's different, because it isn't."
"I'll grant you he's closer to her age than Grissom is."
"And a lot more able to give her what she needs. Sara is hypersensitive -"
"I would've said touchy."
" - same thing; she's vulnerable, but at the same time moody and emotional. Greg's laid back enough to take it all in stride. Grissom can't even handle a NORMAL amount of emotion; he'd run screaming into the sunset if he had to deal with the Sidle rollercoaster."
"Okay, point taken. Sara and Greg are a better match than Sara and Grissom - but what can we do about it?"
Catherine grinned. "Just you watch and see, Nicky, my boy. Mama has a plan."