Author's Notes: I still don't own them. :-) I did get a t-shirt for my birthday a few weeks back, so I own CSI merchandise.

After three re-writes, this chapter is finally complete...I can almost hear the hallelujah chorus now. Seriously, the Greg and Sara part of this story was so difficult for me to write while trying to keep the point of their fight, as well as their history, in mind. I hope I was able to do it justice in the long-run, the next one should be better. Lol. I hope it's easier to write, at least.

I'm in the process of moving, so I'm only crossing my fingers that I get a chapter out later this week/weekend. Next week should be a bit smoother, though, since I have to be out of my apartment by Monday. Yay, I'll cut my driving time to work down by half an hour! With the price of gas, that's the biggest advantage of moving, besides the fact that they were raising our rent prices 40 dollars.

Enough rambling, I'm just cheery that I'm home and relaxed this early (7 pm, which is nearly a record for me)...

Happy reading, please reply!

Jenny

Six:

Catherine groaned as she heard Lyle's soft whimpers flow over the baby monitor, "Go to sleep Lyle, we just went to bed."

"He can't hear you." Warrick mumbled as he opened one eye to look at his frazzled fiancé, "Even if he could, when he's ready to wake up, he's ready to wake up. Just another day without sleep, I suppose."

Catherine moaned as Lyle whimpered once again, "If you're fishing for me to tell you to go ahead and sleep, that I'll take care of him, you're delusional. I'm so tired."

"Just hope he goes back to sleep." Warrick mumbled into his pillow, his eyes heavy, "I need some rest."

Catherine shut her eyes tightly, "I can't get up again." She breathed a sigh of relief as the whimpering stopped and the monitor was silent again. "Oh, thank you Lyle."

The moment of silence was short lived as a loud wail filled the room.

"Go get him, please."

"I got him yesterday."

"No you didn't, it's your turn."

Both Catherine and Warrick grew silent as the creaking door sounded over the baby monitor. Moments later, Lindsey's soft voice could be heard trying to soothe her baby brother.

"Lyle, you have to be quiet," Lindsey whispered, "Mommy and Daddy are sleeping, you don't want to wake them up. They just got home from work, they're tired."

Lyle's wails turned into whimpers once more as he recognized the familiar face and voice. Catherine listened as the sounds of sheets rustling filled the air, resisting the urge to go check on her two children and make sure Lindsey had the situation under control.

Lindsey picked up the baby, cradling him in her arms, whispering soothingly to him, "Go back to sleep, it's not time to wake up yet."

There was a few moments of silence, then the sound of a door shutting. Moments later, Catherine and Warrick's door flung open and Lindsey walked over to the bed, "Mom? Wake up...Mom?"

"What is it, Lindsey?" Catherine asked sleepily, her eyelids drooping, "Is something wrong?"

Lindsey nodded, "He needs a new diaper..and I'm not talking about the wet kind."

"Go get me a diaper and the wipes." Catherine murmured, taking the now-cooing Lyle into her arms, "Good morning, Lyle."

Despite the mind-numbing fatigue plaguing her body, Catherine couldn't help but smile at the boy nestled snugly in her arms, wanting nothing more than to be held closely and feel protected. "You know, if you wouldn't have messed your diaper, your big sister probably would have taught you how to play video games...or at least demonstrated. Then when you're old enough to play, you could have beaten Daddy right off the bat."

"Stop turning our child against me." Warrick mumbled from his side of the bed, earning a curious gaze from the infant.

Catherine smiled, tapping Warrick gently with her foot, "Someone heard his Daddy."

"Morning Lyle." Warrick groaned, sitting up and leaning towards the baby, "You missed your Daddy, didn't you. You don't want that mean old Mommy, you want to come with me."

Warrick took the baby from Catherine's arms, smiling as Lyle grabbed his thumb and squeezed it tightly. From Lyle's room, Lindsey called out, "Mom! I can't find the baby wipes!"

"Coming!" Catherine called back, standing with a long yawn. She felt her knees crack a bit as she staggered into the hallway, a dense fog of exhaustion filling her mind. "I think they're in the living room."

Lindsey, exhibiting more energy than Catherine had felt in years, quickly walked into the living room, giving a triumphant, "Found them!" once the wipes were located. "Can I put Lyle in his bouncy chair and bring him in my room?"

"Why don't you go warm him up a bottle instead. I'll feed him, and you can put him in his carrier in your room so he can take a nap. But I don't want you carrying him all over the place, okay? He can lay in his carrier while you watch TV, that's all." Catherine compromised, stifling another yawn, "He's still too little to be played with."

Lindsey rolled her eyes, "I know, I know. You've told me like a thousand times. Can I feed him?"

"If you come in my bedroom to do it, you can." Catherine agreed, welcoming the help, even if it was from her rambunctious daughter, "Thanks for helping out this morning."

Lindsey flashed Catherine a smile that read purely, 'I want something in return', then darted into the kitchen to make a bottle. Warrick, as if sensing the conversation in the living room, called out from the bedroom, "How much is this going to cost us?"

"I'm not sure yet," Catherine replied as she walked back into her bedroom, "But for helping without being asked? I'm sure it's not going to be pretty."

Sara ran down the stairs of her apartment complex two at a time, trying to catch up with Greg's disappearing form. She had no words to explain her actions, no excuse, valid or not, that would help erase the kiss she had just shared with Nick.

Her heart was shattering into thousands of sharp, painful splinters as she called after him, her voice breaking the silence of the night. She had thought he was gone, and now, because of her, he might actually be.

She finally caught up to him in a small park near her apartment, grabbing him by the arm and stopping him. She was panting for breath and earnestly sobbing although she couldn't care less who saw her uncaring of who saw her in this condition.

Above them, thunder began to loudly rumble, lighting streaking the sky with an unforgiving glow. Sara unconsciously shuddered, still vividly remembering the accident she had been involved in during a particularly ferocious storm a few years back. Forcing out the wave of dread that always seemed to encompass her with an approaching storm, she tried to quickly sort through her thoughts and feelings for the right thing to say to him.

"I don't want to do this right now." Greg said firmly, "I can't do this right now."

"For once, will you not be a coward and actually listen to what I have to say!" Sara yelled, suddenly angry by his apparent avoidance of the situation, "Do you ever face things head on, or is it just easier to run away with your tail between your legs?"

Greg spun around to face her, his eyes glowing with anger, his voice equally raised, "Don't you dare be angry at me! Not after what you've done, you don't have a right to be angry with me!"

"What I've done to you?" Sara yelled, one hand flying into the air in an angry gesture, "Are you insane? I haven't done anything to you! You left without a word, you forbid us to look for you. We had no idea if you were ever going to come back or not! Am I just supposed to sit in the dark, hoping you'd knock on my door one day? I'm sorry Greg, but life had to move on."

Greg shook his head, barely noticing as raindrops started to fall onto his head, mingling with the tears that were slowly starting to escape, "I thought you loved me, I thought you still had a place in your heart for me...and since I've been going, you've moved on with Nick? Nick? Of all people? You told me you wanted me to come home, you led me to believe we had a chance. Was that all a lie?"

"I am not with Nick." Sara retorted, wrapping her arms around herself defensively, "I needed a friend, he was there. He's always been there for me, he's helped me stay sane these last few months. I thought you had left again, how was I supposed to know you'd be back? You took off, again, without a word to any of us. What the hell was I supposed to think!"

Greg laughed sarcastically, "Why are you lying to me? You practically had your tongue down his throat. I saw you, you can't deny that you are with him! Don't make me the bad guy here, Sara, I haven't done anything wrong!"

"I'm not with Nick! He's just a friend!" Sara retorted angrily, "Things may have gotten a bit out of hand, but we're still just friends."

Greg smirked, feeling himself growing out of control, but unable to stop himself, "So now you just make out with anyone you come across, is that it? Or is it only for those close friends you are too scared to cross the line with? The entire time we were dating, I can count on two hands how many times you kissed me like that!"

"It was a quick brush of the lips!" Sara yelled angrily, "I didn't have my tongue down his throat, I didn't even respond to him! Do you honestly think, if I wanted Nick, I'd be here in the rain with you? What is your problem? Why are you pushing me away? What the hell are you so afraid of?"

For a moment, only silence filled the air around them. A burst of lighting filled the sky, followed quickly by a boom of thunder. Raindrops began to fall faster and harder, stinging their faces as they stood in the storm's path. As the sky lit up around them, Greg sank to his knees, covering his face with his hands as her questions slowly sank in.

His problem? They had moved on without him. He had taken away his own happiness because he thought he had done irreparable damage to their lives, and here they were, a close little family without him. He had been able to push them out of his mind when he was in Texas, he had been able to convince himself that he had forgotten all about Catherine, Warrick, and their baby he nearly killed. About Nick and the way he tossed their friendship like yesterday's trash. About Sara, who he left in a hospital bed with no knowledge of what was going on in the people's lives around her. All of this time, he had been denying there was a problem, allowing it to grow stronger and larger in the back of his mind until now he couldn't even look in the mirror without being disgusted by what he saw. And while he was fighting all of the demons inside his own mind, they were supporting each other and moving on. Moving on without him. How the hell could she expect him to not have a problem? To act like nothing had changed? To watch happy little Nick take his place in Sara's life?

Sure, maybe he was pushing her away. He had blown off breakfast with the group, afraid of their reactions. He had been shaken up by the confrontation at the lab, Nick's reaction to him had only reinforced his belief that they all still hated him for leaving, for the reasons that prompted him to leave. Maybe that hatred was justified, but even if it was, Greg didn't have the strength it took to face it right now. Maybe, if they had been at least happy to see he was alive, it would have been different. But to see their faces, still showing that hint of distrust, anger, and disappointment left a sour taste in his mouth, a heavy weight in his stomach. He couldn't face these people, not after what he had done.

And what was he afraid of? That was the question of the day. What was he afraid of? Why should he care if they loved him or hated him? Missed him or relished in his departure? Felt sorry for him or still felt angry? Why should it matter? What did he have to prove to these people? Why was their opinion so important?

If he could only answer these questions, maybe they'd make some progress with this talk. For now, however, all he could manage to do was release the tears he had been storing inside for months. He knew he had left them all in terrible situations, and they managed to pull through with flying colors. Why couldn't he do the same? What was wrong with him?

Once the tears started, he couldn't seem to get them to stop. He was vaguely aware of the rain beating down on his back as he curled into a tight ball, wanting to disappear beneath the soil, to wake up in his bed in Texas to find this all a dream. This was not the time to be breaking down, yet he couldn't control the flood of emotions that had washed over him.

Sara knelt down beside him, her eyes wide with surprise and fear as she studied the man in front of her, the man she thought she knew so well. Greg was always the light-hearted, playful, teasing one of the group, and here he was, breaking down right in front of her. She was never good at these sort of situations when they arose, but she was even worse when it was the person she loved crying loudly and gasping for air, engulfed in pain and turmoil that she didn't even know he was carrying.

She reached out to touch his arm, trying to ignore the stab of guilt and sadness that pierced her heart as he pulled away. Not wanting to give up, wanting to show she cared for him, she reached out once more, grasping him tightly enough to show she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Shh, Greg, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I had no idea--I'm so sorry." Sara whispered softly, tears coming to her own eyes as she stared at his worn features and defeated stance. For so long she had felt like she was the only one suffering from his disappearance, now she could see he felt just as awful about it as she had. "Greg, talk to me."

"How can you want me to talk to you?" Greg asked through his tears, "I've done nothing but let you down. I couldn't save you from that car, I left you while you were in the hospital without even saying goodbye. I nearly killed Catherine's baby, I abandoned the closest friends I've ever had. How can you sit here and tell me that you're sorry? Do you have any idea how terrible that makes me feel? I don't deserve that, I don't deserve any of this. You shouldn't have even taken the time to talk to me in Houston, I'm only going to screw things up again."

He laughed dryly as he continued, "The worst part? Nothing will ever be the same again. I can pretend everything is great, I can try to make amends, but nothing's going to change the fact that everything's different now. Different because of me. Warrick was right, he was absolutely right. I destroy everything."

Tears started to fall down Greg's cheeks again, his breathing growing shallow as the events of the night he left came crashing back over him. Sara, sensing his growing panic, pulled him closer to her, relieved when he didn't pull away.

"It's okay," she told him, her voice barely audible over the roaring thunder, "It's okay, sh, just breathe. You're going to be fine," she whispered softly in his ear, rubbing his back while trying to support the majority of his weight. She was frightened, unsure of what caused him to start breaking down, and not wanting to further upset him.

After a few moments, his crying ceased and his breathing started to return to normal. Sara loosened her grip slightly, his trembling body unnerving after so many years of seeing him strong and relaxed.

"Greg?" She asked after a tense silence, "What did Warrick tell you?"

She held her breath in anticipation of his response, not knowing how the question would affect Greg's unstable mood. After a few moments of silence, Greg shook his head vehemently, "I don't want to talk about it."

"You can tell me anything, you know." Sara tried again, still stroking his back gently, "I'm a good listener."

Greg pulled away, sighing, "You wouldn't understand."

"Then make me understand." Sara insisted gently, rubbing his arms reassuringly, "I'm all yours."

TBC