A/N: For all the people (well, the three people) who asked, you will be finding out about Cathy's birthday in either chapter 10 or 11. I've written it already, I just have to get there. Another note, this chapter has a sort of deep Greg moment, so don't get weirded out that he's not really hyper like in all the other fanfics. Now to my reviewers:

ObessedTWFan: I still really don't know who gets to be with Sara, once I get more regular reviewers I think I'll take a vote. Maybe. Cath's birthday is a surprise, so keep reading!

JoonSanders: Thanks for defining worldlessness. I got Cathy's sadness from Lady Heather's Box, when she's crying about Eddie dying. I love that episode!

CSIrookiechick:How do I know Gil gets laid? Well, he's at Lady Heather's in the middle of the night, and they're about to kiss when we go to a scene with Catherine. Then, he's there having tea with her the next morning. If that doesn't scream SEX, then I don't know what does.

XxbluemoonxX: The episode is called Lady Heather's Box and it's in season three. It's very great, you should rent it! What's your email address?

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Nick was hiding something. Sara could see it in his brown eyes, the way his brows were furrowed and he wasn't saying anything. "You gonna tell me what's up, Nicky? Does it have anything to do with the real reason you moved to Vegas?"

Nick looked at her, torn between the wish to fulfill her desires and the urgent need to keep his secrets hidden from the outside world. More to stall for time than because he was curious, he asked, "How'd you know I didn't come here because my parents felt like it?"

Sara smirked. "You aren't as good a liar as you think you are. I can read you like a book."

A look of horror shadowed Nick's face, disappearing before Sara could notice it. "Does she know what I dream about her?" he thought, terrified.

"I'll tell you, but only if you tell me why you never let anyone come over to your house. That's something I'd like to know," Nick was genuinely interested in this, and he gave his full attention to her while she tried to answer.

"I…Well, my mom…Nick, can I tell you later? I can tell Greg, too, because I really don't want to have to say the whole story twice."

"Alright," Nick said, "but I'm not telling you why I moved here until I can tell Greg, too."

"Fine," Sara said, mentally kicking herself for getting roped into telling not just one, but two people about her mother killing her father.

"The three of us will go to the arcade after school," Nick said, also blanching at the thought of telling two people who he'd only known for a month about the last-minute babysitter and what she'd done.

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"Hey, Greg?" Sara asked nervously. "Me and Nick are going to the arcade after school, are you in?"

"Okay," Greg said in a skeptical voice. "You're not trying to trick me into anything, are you? Because if you were…"

Sara laughed in spite of herself. Maybe telling Greg and Nick would be good for her. "Of course not, Greggo, what kind of person do you take me for?"

Greg gave her a meaningful look. "Don't answer that," she said, seeing the mischievous look in his eye.

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After school, Nick, Sara, and Greg all walked to the nickel arcade a few blocks from school. Greg had his skateboard sticking out of the top of his backpack, and Sara had left her bike chained at the school.

"Sara, you want to play me at Dance Dance Revolution?" Greg had noticed that neither of his companions was talking much, and he had taken to challenging them to games, just to break the awkward silence.

"Sure, Greggo," Sara said in a defeated voice. She had already turned him down for racing motorcycles, Street fighter, Bust-a-move, and a lot of other things.

Greg danced victoriously for a moment, and then stopped at the look Nick was giving him.

When they got to the arcade, Greg won every game he played against Nick and Sara. Both of them seemed to be letting him win, and it was giving him the heebie-jeebies.

On the way home, Nick began the conversation first. "I lied about moving here for a change of scenery. When I was nine, my parents hired a last minute babysitter. I was supposed to be able to trust her, but she raped me. I couldn't tell my parents, but I got really depressed and they decided to move and start over."

Sara looked at him, amazed. A tear was threatening to spill from her eye, and she hadn't even told her story yet.

"I live with a foster family," she said, drawing Greg's attention away from Nick, who was trying not to cry. "My mother stabbed my father when I was twelve, and I haven't seen her since. She went to jail and I never visited her. She writes to me sometimes, but I've never written back. I didn't want to have anyone over because there's no way I could fake that my foster family was my real family. They're all Japanese, and I knew that I couldn't fit in without raising some questions."

Sara's voice was cracking a little, and a tear had slid down her cheek. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I just didn't know what you'd think of me, having a murderer for a mother."

Nick was the first to respond. "Sara, we wouldn't think any less of you if your parents had single-handedly taken down an entire race of people!" There was sincerity in his voice, and she looked at him in admiration.

Greg was overwhelmed by the two confessions he had just heard. "They've had it so much harder than me," he thought sadly, "and I never even noticed anything. I'm a terrible friend. Here I was, sharing stories about my family and how great they are, and Sara has no real relatives. I've been talking about how much I hated my babysitter when I was younger, and Nick had it so much worse. But he was sympathetic, and he never tried to get any pity out of anyone. My two best friends must be the strongest people ever, if they can live through an ordeal like this and still have the heart to go to school and make friends, to laugh and smile as if nothing's wrong. I could never do what they have done, and they completely fooled me into thinking they were just like me. I have the best friends a guy could ever meet."

Without warning, Greg grabbed both of his companions and pulled them into an awkward hug, mashing them together. "You guys are so great; I can't believe you kept this from me for so long!"

When he finally released them, the three of them walked home, each of them feeling much closer to the other two, and each of them knowing that what they had heard and said was only the beginning of getting to know each other.

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A/N: I decided to put some Nick and Sara angst in there, but I tried to keep it light. Sorry that I still haven't put in that much romance, but it's coming. I've been doing more with Gil and Cath, but I'll get to Nick, Greg, and Sara soon enough. Oh yes, and Warrick gets someone, too. Just hang tight, keep reading, and, as always, review!

Maddy