Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not CSI, not Sara and not Greg (although I wish I did).

A/N: Okay, TPTB decided not to use the scene from 'Gum Drops' that I'd been expecting, so this fic is no longer spoilery. Just so you know, I've been listening to a lot of Sara McLachlan to be able to write this, so you'll probably guess the mood of this chapter and what kind of mood I'm in…

BTW- the chapter's are all song titles, some of them twisted a little to fit the story.

Kegel- Can't promise that the chapters will be longer, some will be and some wont...who knows.

ObessedTWFan- Most forums have a spoiler section... but like I said 'Gum Drops' changed a lot anyway, due to WP's absence.

Chapter 2 - Say goodnight not goodbye.

It was three days now since he'd been to Grissom and requested a change in partner, three days since he'd seen her, three days of avoiding what he knew was to come. Now it was here, she was here- heading straight for him. It was almost the end of shift, he and Nick had wrapped their case and reports had been filed. He'd almost made it another day… but not quite.

'Hey Greg.' She said softly as she entered the break room, closing the door behind her.

'Uh… hey.' He replied without looking up as he nervously flicked through the latest forensic journal.

'Long time no see, huh? Seems like forever…'

'Not really…' He cut in, ' Just three days, not long at all.' He said nonchalantly, as though he hadn't been counting them at all.

'It is when someone was supposed to be your partner…' She sighed heavily, momentarily looking away and folding her arms defensively across her chest. 'Look I know what you did.'

'What I did?' He questioned, looking up for the first time and letting his eyes meet hers.

'You asked Grissom to partner you with someone else... Did I say or do something that upset you?' She asked, clearly upset by what he'd done.

'No…' He felt guilty and his voice shook. 'H-how did you know?'

She sighed. 'Well, Nick noticed you hadn't been yourself lately and when Grissom partnered you with him instead of me like usual, he asked if there was a reason behind it. Grissom told him what you said, Nick was concerned and told me everything… Nick's a good friend.'

'Damn! You weren't supposed to find out… at least not like this.' He sighed, throwing the magazine he'd been pretending to read down on the coffee table.

'Why would you do that? I thought we were friends.' She sat down next to him on the couch.

'We are…' He looked over at her and swallowed hard, seeing the hurt and confusion in her eyes.

She didn't say anything, just stared, waiting for an answer.

'You've done a lot for me Sara, but sometimes there comes a time when you just have to move on… there is only so much you can teach me.'

'Oh Greg, is that it?' She laughed and rolled her eyes. 'It's not like you've got a whole lot more to learn… you've been doing really, really well… You don't even need me to be your mentor anymore, it's just that I thought we worked well together.' She put a reassuring hand on his leg.

He quickly jumped from the couch and walked to the other side of the room. 'C'mon Sara… You don't want to be with me- w-work with me the rest of your life do you? We work with all these amazing CSI's who are your equal… or superior… W-who can challenge you, who bring out the best in you. I'll just hold you back.' He shook his head, trying to keep control. 'You'd be much better working with someone else… someone you don't have to explain everything to.'

'Really Greg, I love working with you! You continually challenge me, and amaze me by how fast you're learning… I'm so proud of you. Greg you're gonna be great…' She smiled her biggest smile at him, hoping he'd return the favour.

He just stared, her smile took his breath and he couldn't move- he knew this was going to hurt.

Her face fell when he didn't respond, it dawned on her that his lack of confidence in himself wasn't really the problem. 'Greg?' She got up and moved toward him.

'Don't!' He put up a hand indicating for her to stop.

'Wh-whats wrong?' She asked, confusion written all over her face.

He opened his mouth and spoke with all his heart. ' I love working with you too… Sara you're an amazing woman, an amazing teacher, I've learned so much from you… that really means a lot to me.' He choked back the tears that were beginning to fill is eyes. 'But now I just need to break loose… to- to cut the ties that bind and be me again. I cant hang on like this for ever… I- I need new challenges, I need to be pushed, I need something new- to move on…

Sara's eyes began to swell as tears filled them, her emotions starting to take control. Greg walked over, gently taking her hands in his.

'Sara you're so special, you'll never know how much you mean to me… You've offered me encouragement every step of the way, even when others doubted me, you believed in me. I owe you so much and you know I'd do anything for you... But- but right now I just need you to let me do this, to let me go…' He took a deep breath as he struggled to hold on. 'Trust me this is for the best… I-I'm sorry.' He let go of her hands and slowly walked away.

He walked out of the room without looking back, leaving Sara alone and in shock. The pain in his eyes had said it all… he was saying goodbye.

TBC

A/N: Hope you liked Sara's reaction to the news and you didn't find the whole thing too sappy. Later chapters should be a lot less, um... deep (if that's the right word- I dunno). Although I have the whole fic planned out, I'm not the fastest writer so it may be a few weeks until I update... sorry.