Arrangements
Disclaimer: As always and forever, anything associated with CSI is not mine.
A/N: There's a bit at the end where I rearrange/ignore what is to transpire in later episodes, but it is relatively minor. The two excerpts below are what inspired this tale.
Summary: Greg and Nick had an arrangement all right. In fact, Greg had made quite a few arrangements…Spoilers for 3x9, Blood Lust and 3x13, Random Acts of Violence. Sandles.
All errors courtesy of Winston and Clementine, my enormously-pawed kittens and would-be betas. Thanks to Jenny70529 for listening to me bitch all summer about the weather and never once stating the obvious fact that she's got it worse than me.
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Greg: Look, I, uh, don't have time for your humor. Ecklie's got a multiple; Warrick tells me his home invasion is my top priority and I'm still backed up on Catherine's no suspect rape. One servant, many masters. Know what I'm saying?
Grissom: Greg, this is your DNA lab. You are the master. We serve you.
Greg: Well, your stuff just moved to the top of the pile.
- 3x9, Blood Lust
Greg (to Nick): Look, I thought that we had a relationship. What are you doing taking Archie out into the field instead of me?
- 3x13, Random Acts of Violence
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Greg watched the night shift CSIs hurry by his door, a focused look on each of their faces. If they were going out en masse, it only meant one thing – a big crime scene. And big crime scenes usually generated lots of DNA - DNA that they would soon be rushing back to the lab asking Greg to process. Greg returned to his work, smiling to himself. Every since his talk with Grissom, Greg had begun to dictate the terms of his DNA analysis. He'd made beneficial arrangements with nearly every member of the team, and it was working out quite well…especially his arrangement with Sara…
Sara Sidle strode into the DNA lab, barking out orders before she even checked to see if Greg was actually present. "Greg, I need the results on this DNA immediately. Our victim's losing her nerve to testify against this creep at an exponential rate, and if I don't have evidence to back her up soon, she's going to cave."
Greg's head popped up from where he'd been digging through the refrigerator, looking for his secret stash of Blue Hawaiian coffee. "Gee, Sara, I'd love to help you, but Nick was in here twenty minutes ago and dumped off DNA from ten different suspects. I'll be lucky if I get through that tonight."
"Greg, Nick's case isn't time-sensitive like mine." Sara stuck her hands on her hips and glared at Greg to emphasize her point.
Greg stood up and shrugged. "Sorry, Sara. My hands are tied. First come, first serve. You know that."
"Oh!" Sara groaned in frustration and spun around on her heels, leaving the lab and heading in the direction of Grissom's office. Greg smirked, knowing that Sara wouldn't get the back-up she was likely going for. Sure enough, in ten minutes she stormed back into the lab.
"Grissom says that the lab and the order in which you process the evidence is completely your domain. But he also said that you can use your judgment to decide if some case deserves priority – like mine."
"That is true," Greg said, trying to look thoughtful as he prepped Nick's samples. "But Nick and I have an arrangement."
"An arrangement?" Sara was mad now, and began pacing back and forth. "What kind of arrangement?"
"Nope. Uh-uh. Sorry. My lips are sealed. The terms are strictly confidential." Greg pursed his lips shut and looked at Sara, again shrugging his shoulders as if nothing could be done.
Sara stopped pacing and glared at Greg. Suddenly, her whole demeanor changed. Her rigid body softened, and a small smile crept across her face. She turned her grin on Greg and stalked towards him, using every foot between them to emphasize that she was all woman.
Greg gulped and took a step back. Sara kept coming, walking towards Greg until they were nose to nose. Greg averted his eyes from Sara's smoky stare, but she placed a firm hand against his chest and pushed, causing him to stumble backwards until he was pinned up against the wall. He could still feel Sara's eyes on him, and when he didn't look up, she used her other hand to grab his chin and make him meet her eyes.
"Greg," she purred, once his eyes were fastened on hers. The hand that had been grasping his chin loosened, and slid down his neck and across his chest, coming to rest over his heart. Sara could feel its rapid rhythm and her grin widened.
"I'm sure I could offer you terms that you'd find much more agreeable than Nick's. Care to hear me out?"
Greg nodded, unable to speak. Sara slid one hand up Greg's chest before curling her long fingers around the back of his neck, pushing the ends of them into the hair at the nape. Greg groaned under his breath. Sara laughed softly, and then pressed her body against the length of Greg's.
"Greg," she began, her voice smooth and low. "Do you remember when you asked me a few weeks ago what Hank has that you don't?"
"Yeah." Greg sulked. How could she possibly bring up that man when she was pressed against him like this?
"Well, I still can't answer that question for you, but I can tell you what you have that he doesn't."
Greg's hopes soared, and he attempted to regain control of the situation by replying saucily, "Let me guess – brains and beauty."
Sara chuckled before pressing her body harder against Greg's. "The ability to have my DNA results within an hour, something that I am willing to pay you quite handsomely for." Her mouth was up against his left ear now, and she nipped at his earlobe to emphasize her point.
Greg groaned. His body couldn't stand much more of this torture, especially if Sara continued to press herself against him.
"Do we have a deal?" she asked, her breath hot and moist against his neck as she placed the tiniest of kisses just above his collarbone.
Greg nodded enthusiastically, not exactly sure what he was agreeing to but desperate to get Sara off him before he lost complete control. Sara stepped back then, allowing half an inch of space between them. Greg slid to the side and darted away from her before she could pin him down again. He hurried over to his work station and began preparing to run a new sample. Sara sauntered over, standing behind him and peering over his left shoulder. Her warm breath in his ear tickled and aroused him at the same time. Her left hand came forward and dropped a small envelope on the table.
"The sample's in there," she murmured into his ear.
"I'll page you when it's ready," Greg grumbled, unhappy at this turn of events. Sara had manipulated him using the oldest trick in the book, and he was helpless against it.
Sara surprised him by not backing away, but by instead pushing herself against his back and snaking both her arms around his waist. She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. "You're the best, Greggo."
Greg peeled her arms off of him. "Can I get to work please?" Having Sara press herself against him was just the beginning of a long-time fantasy of his, but he resented the circumstances under which it had happened, and was becoming quite sore over the whole issue.
Sara walked to the door, turning around just before leaving and saying, "You'll get the rest when I have my answer."
"Great. Just great," Greg mumbled.
Greg had the results in forty-five minutes, but he wasn't happy with the outcome. The evidence exonerated Sara's suspect, and she was not going to be pleased. Greg was not anxious to have her take her wrath out on him, so he pushed the paperwork aside and decided to delay the inevitable for fifteen more minutes. It wasn't like she was actually going to live up to her end of the deal anyway, whatever that was.
Five minutes later, his curiosity and hormones won out. He couldn't stand not knowing what Sara had in store for him, even if it was a slap upside the head. He paged her, and then attempted to look busy while he waited on her arrival. He didn't have to wait long.
"Greg!" Sara burst into the lab, her eyes bright with anticipation. "Tell me we have good news."
Greg didn't look up, unable to bear her disappointment or reveal his own. He pushed the paper across the table to her, focusing his attention on Nick's samples.
Greg listened to the sounds of Sara's anger, managing to duck when he saw the crumpled up wad of paper coming his way. He then heard Sara thump out of his lab. Brilliant. Sara was now pissed off (something that he had no control over – he was just the messenger), and he was hot and bothered (something else that he also had no control over, thanks to Sara). That was the last time he was doing her a favor.
Greg had just finished wiping down his counter at the end of shift and was putting away the last few pieces of equipment when Sara came back in. She casually leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms, much in the same way that Greg had often seen her lean against Grissom's.
"Sorry," she said simply.
Greg shrugged her apology off, unable to stay mad at her. "It's okay. I know how frustrating it is to not get what you want."
The hidden meaning in his words hung heavy in the air between them, until Sara ducked her head and smiled. When she looked back up, she said, "I'm still willing to hold up my end of the deal, Greg."
Greg waved her off as if he'd forgotten all about it. "You don't own me anything," he said, turning away from her so she wouldn't see the anguish on his face. "You were right. I should have put your test before Nick's."
Sara crossed the lab and tugged on the sleeve of Greg's lab coat. "Let's get out of here," she said. "At least let me buy you breakfast."
"All right." Greg turned around, and once again found himself pressed up against the wall by Sara.
"Sara – what…"
She silenced him with a hot, wet kiss. Greg closed his eyes and moaned as his body melted against hers. When she pulled away a moment later, Greg opened his eyes to find Sara staring intently at him. "You didn't really think I wouldn't live up to my end of the deal, did you?" she whispered against his lips. Greg said nothing, but lunged forward to capture Sara's mouth again.
Too soon the kiss ended, and Greg and Sara rested their foreheads against one another as they fought to catch their breath. Greg's hands had somehow ended up on Sara's hips, and he absently rubbed at them with the pads of his thumbs. "You're killing me, Sara," he whispered. Sara gave him a quick peck on the lips and then slid out of his embrace.
"See you tomorrow?" she asked. Greg couldn't formulate an answer. Was that it? Had she really just done that, gotten him all wound up, only to leave him so abruptly? Some arrangement.
"Sara –" He managed to croak out at her retreating figure. She didn't turn around.
This sweet torment of Greg's senses, body and emotions continued for weeks. Greg knew he needed to put an end to it, needed to make Sara stop before she drove him entirely crazy, but every time he worked up the nerve to tell her, she simply smothered him with a kiss and he could do nothing but beg for more. Greg told himself in these moments that it wasn't such a bad arrangement – if Sara wanted to thank him for expediting her DNA results, who was he to argue? It never went further than a kiss, but her kisses were more satisfying than anything he'd ever experienced before.
One evening they were again gasping for breath, and Greg was making the most of their last few moments together by idly running his hands up and down Sara's back. Once again he decided talk to her, to find out why she was doing this to him, even though he knew that she would leave the second he said her name. Sure enough, he whispered "Sara," and she made to push away from him. Greg anticipated this move and pinned her body to his with his embrace. Sara struggled against him, but Greg refused to let go.
"Greg, let me go."
"No."
"Greg, I mean it. Let me go."
"Not until you tell me what is going on here."
"What do you mean?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. Her squirming ceased and she regarded Greg with a quizzical look.
Greg loosened his hold but did not release her. "You know what I mean, Sara. What is this? What are we doing here?"
"It's part of our arrangement, remember?"
"Sara, this has gone way beyond any arrangement, and you know it."
"Greg, all I know is that you've copped deals with several CSIs in exchange for priority DNA processing. All I'm doing is ensuring that my deal with you is the best of the lot."
"Well, I'm not sure I'm that keen on our arrangement anymore," he said, aware but not caring about the petulance in his voice.
Sara's laugh was rich and throaty. "Mmm, that's not what your body's telling me," she said, pressing herself against him and raising her eyebrows as if to say, "See?"
Greg growled and released her, stepping away from Sara and crossing his arms across his chest.
"Yeah, well we all know how stupid men's bodies can be. Fortunately, my brilliant mind has managed to override my physical needs and is calling a cease-fire to this arrangement."
Sara cocked out one hip and crossed her own arms over her chest, an amused look on her face. "You love it and you know it. Don't get sulky with me, Greg."
"I do love it, Sara – that's the problem. I love this, and I love you, and I can't keep putting myself in this position where you're using me for your own needs. It's not fair to my mental stability. I've dreamed about this ever since I met you, which is why I can't believe I'm ending it, knowing that what little of yourself you've been willing to give me is all I'm ever going to receive, but I have to. I want you to kiss me because you like me, not because you want to get your results faster."
Sara began to laugh, which only caused Greg to frown harder.
"It's not funny, Sara," he continued. "Look – here's the new deal. I'll process your DNA first if you promise to keep your hands off me and your lips to yourself."
Sara wiped at her eyes as her laughter died away. "Oh, Greggo," she said, her voice still amused. "Do you really not get it?" She moved towards him, waiting until she got close before reaching out and wrapping her arms around him. With their roles now reversed, Greg began to struggle, and Sara waited patiently until he finally stopped, bowing his head in defeat and resting it against Sara's shoulder. Sara twisted her head down to kiss him softly on the cheek.
"Can't you see, Greg," she whispered into his ear. "This was all I ever wanted."
"Well, I hope you're happy," he mumbled into her shoulder.
"I'd be happier if we could take this someplace else."
Greg didn't respond, too exhausted to respond to anymore of her teasing.
"Here's the truth, Greg," she said, suddenly serious. "You were making deals left and right with Nick, Warrick and everyone else. There was a part of me – there still is – that will do whatever it takes to get my cases solved as quickly as possible. But I would have never pushed you into this arrangement if it wasn't something I already wanted. I just didn't know how to tell you. So," she sighed, "I figured I'd kiss you and let things take their natural course. But you seemed content with the occasional kiss, so I figured I'd just have to settle for that."
Greg raised his head, anger flashing in his eyes. "Content? You honestly believed that I was content with just your kisses? Sara, you obviously have no idea what those kisses did to me, how they made me feel. I've tried to tell you how I feel, tried to talk to you, but every time I open my mouth to speak you run out of here."
It was Sara's turn to rest her head on Greg's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Greg. I was just scared that you would try and end this, so I figured I could put it off for as long as possible if I just left before you said anything."
Greg surprised Sara and himself by kissing her. "Sara, I can't stay mad at you," he muttered, trailing a few kisses down her neck. "I just have one question for you – what about Hank?"
Sara moaned as Greg started to suck on her collarbone. "Hank? Hank and I have been over for a long time – way before this ever started."
Greg signaled his approval by wrapping his arms around Sara's waist and pulling her against him. "In that case, I'll definitely take you up on your offer to take this elsewhere."
Sara wasted no time grabbing Greg's hand and dragging him out of the lab.
Later, as they lay in Sara's bed, trying to catch their breath and slow their heart rates, Sara rolled on top of Greg, stared him in the eye, and said in all seriousness, "So…this doesn't mean that my evidence no longer gets priority, does it?"
Fin