Disclaimer: All characters belong to Anthony E Zuicker and co. However much I would love to own any of them, I don't.

Authors note: Wow, I'm being organised and actually have planning for the rest of this story which meant I know where I'm heading, which means it should take me less time to write the chapters! Yay for all of us :o)

Chapter 6

Sara walked up behind where Greg was standing, jamming on air guitar, and tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped a foot clear off the ground and spun around to face her, automatically smoothing down his hair where it was more ruffled than usual from the head- banging he had been doing in his imaginary jam session.

"It's not what it looks like…" he began, before taking a proper look at who was behind him, then banging his head with the heel of his hand, "Sara! You scared me; I thought you were Grissom busting me!"

She grinned at him unapologetically. "No, it's me busting you. What, our resident lab rat isn't overworked for once?"

He winked at her, "Well with you field people not giving me anything to analyse, I've got a few moments. But don't tell Gris that or he'll find me something nasty."

She resisted the urge to smack him over the back of the head and instead settled for a slightly evil grin and a "Well, I don't know…it's my duty to report it if someone's not doing their job."

"Well, what can I do you for?" Greg asked, swiftly changing the subject. Just in case she decided to follow up on the jest-threat. Not that he thought she would, but provoking Sara was never a good idea; you never knew how she might just react! It was part of what he liked about her.

Sara grinned at him and his attempt to distract her, which did indeed have the useful purpose of brining her back onto track of what she had come here to talk to him about in the first place. Which she rather badly needed, since her 'taking evidence to Greg' excuse for coming here wouldn't last too long if the others decided she was trying to get out of her part of the rather unpleasant part of the investigation; going through the victim's many trashcans. Which seemed to contain a fair amount of rotting food.

She shook her head and came back on topic. "Okay, there's rumors starting about the two of us, right?" she began.

Greg nodded. Surely Sara wasn't being bothered by them? There were always going to be rumors when co-workers were seen arriving at work together. Hell, they usually died down within a couple days. But of course, Sara wasn't as notorious for having flings with anyone as he was. Even though that reputation wasn't entirely earned. He only hit on girls now mostly to keep up appearances. He didn't actually have any interest in them. In fact, the only girl he had really felt anything for recently was Sara herself.

"Don't worry. I'll deny and everyone will figure they can't be true," he reassured her, a grin coming across his face, "Because you know baby, I never deny anything that is."

She shook her head at him. "Well, thanks, baby, but that's not what I meant. I think we shouldn't discourage them, let them think what they will. And we can play it up, before bringing it down at a time that makes fools of the rumour-mongers. Just to teach them a lesson about not messing with us. What do you think?"

A glean of mischief answering the one in her own eyes popped into Greg's, "Oh yeah, why not!" he continued, winking at her, "Do my rep some good, getting with Sara Sidle, ice-queen extraordinaire!"

Sara knocked him over the back of the head, "Idiot," she said disparagingly. But she was smiling too. A few days ago, she would have got highly pissed off at him for a comment like that, no matter how much she knew he was kidding. Her opinion of him was changing however. He was the person he showed the world, but she could see that there was a softer, more self-conscious side to him underneath that. He just didn't show it off at work. It was a side of him that she thought she could become fond of if she got to know him better. And to carry this off, they would have to spend time together, so she might get to know more about him in the process. Not that she normally disliked him or anything, but he got on her nerves. Knowing that he had a sweeter side helped a lot with that, and made her feel more tolerant towards him.

"Now, is that any way to talk to the guy you're supposably going out with?" Greg teased. She shook her head at him and walked out of the lab.

"Meet you in the canteen on break!" she called back over her shoulder.

Greg looked after her, a thoughtful grin on his face. Just when he'd thought he'd figured her out, she sprung another surprise! He hadn't thought she'd ever want to allow their 'going out' to travel around the labs. Instead, she was actually encouraging it.

Sara was smiling, even during rooting through the contents of the victim's disgusting trash. It would feel good to get one over those gossips who delighted in spreading rumours around the lab, whether they were true or not. She had been on the receiving end so many times, this seemed like a way to get one up on them. They would be well and truly annoyed when they discovered they'd been had. And it really would serve them right! Of course, everyone else's reactions wouldn't be so terribly unfunny either. The look on Cath's face when they had just walked in together. What was she going to think when she saw them together on a break?

Nick stared at the dreamy grin on Sara's face. Ever since her visit to Greg early this morning, that look had been there. Maybe there was truth in the stories that were once again circling the lab. Everyone had heard those involving Greg and Sara; at one point there was even a bet going on how long it would take them to go out somewhere. But Sara had made it perfectly clear that she wasn't going to be doing anything with Greg. So, everything had settled. But he had heard from Catherine, a fairly reliable source, that the two of them had arrived for today's shift together, in Greg's car, then made up some awkward story to explain it all. Maybe it was time to open the betting again. Although, that grin on Sara's face had something shifty in it as well. As if she was plotting something. Maybe it was just ways to hook Greg, but Nick doubted that. From the way the lab-rat talked about Sara, no work at all was needed on her part. Nick grinned. Well, if Sanders really had managed to persuade Sara to give him a go, then good on him. He was a decent enough guy, and he knew full well that Nick and Warrick would come down on him like a ton of bricks if he ever hurt her. They had made that perfectly clear when he'd first started expressing his interest in her. Although just in case, a backup talk might be in order if anything seemed to be happening.

The next couple of weeks proved to be puzzling ones for the graveyard shift CSI's. No-one quite knew what was going on, but every spare moment they had, Greg Sanders and Sara Sidle seemed to be together. On lunch breaks they could be found in the canteen or nearby cafes, they left the lab together, and oddest of all, neither of them seemed bothered about denying the rumours that were growing and spreading. All anyone could ever get out of them was a nonchalant shrug, and a sly grin in the direction of where the other should be. Everyone was convinced that something was definitely going on with those two. But no-one seemed to know quite what.

As a bunch of investigators and lab techs, this seemed to be destined to be the one puzzle that no-one could find any clues towards. It had everyone equally stumped. Except of course for the two involved, and they were keeping mum about it.

Authors Note: Well, another chapter finished and we get closer to the end of this story. This fic is fairly near the top of my 'to finish' list, but that just won't happen if I don't feel that anyone is reading it. It takes a reader a lot less time to click that little review button and write something than it does to plan and write a chapter. So please, if you enjoy this, tell me so. And if you don't, tell me what I need to improve. Reviews are often what encourage me to write, since I know that there are people that actually read what I'm producing. I'm sure you all know where the little button is :p Click on it and tell me what you think.