Disclaimer: Any characters even resembling any on the TV show CSI obviously belong to them, not me.
Greg smiled to himself as he and Sara waited for their bags to arrive at baggage claim. He was watching her, and could tell that she was tired, even though the only thing they did that day was travel. He had gotten some sleep on the plane, which had helped after their late night last night. Unfortunately, Sara apparently hadn't had any, and so he had had to put up with her complaining about how he could sleep anywhere.
It was no wonder Sara was tired. He had been the first to leave the living room last night, and he hadn't fallen into his bed until six in the morning. Luckily, their flight wasn't until three in the afternoon, so he got some sleep in before having to run to the airport. However, the snooze on the airplane made him feel more alert, which he was grateful for. After all, he had been debonair and charming last night; it wouldn't look good if he was clumsy and cranky today.
He had been rather pleased with his parting line to Sara last night. He was even more pleased about the kiss they had shared – yes, shared! He had felt some lip action from Miss Sidle, so it wasn't merely a one-sided kiss. He had had several first kisses – not a lot, but enough to know that this one was special.
He spotted Sara's bag and grabbed it off the mechanical merry-go-round. He handed it to her, hearing her mutter, "Oh thank God," under her breath. This was the moment Greg had been wondering about since they got on the plane – would Sara leave, or would she wait for him? Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, obviously trying to decide which she was going to do, before picking up her suitcase. His heart sunk. She wasn't going to wait for him.
However, instead of leaving right away, she leaned in closer to him and said, "I'm gonna go sit down in one of those chairs until your suitcase comes." Suddenly, he was smiling. He watched as she walked over to some benches. She was staying – she wanted to spend more time with him. He was so excited by that thought that he almost missed his own bag passing by him. Quickly, he grabbed it and headed towards her.
"Ready?" he asked, trying to play it cool. She stood, and they moved towards the exit.
As they passed through the doors to the main section of the Vegas airport, Greg summoned the courage to ask, "So, you got plans for tonight? Cause, if you don't, I was thinking we could grab some dinner."
Sara was quiet for a second, looking at him oddly. Just as she was opening her mouth, another voice cut in. "Welcome home, Sara." Both Sara and Greg turned to see who was talking. It was Hank, standing there with a bunch of roses. He smiled. "Miss me?"
"Hank!" Sara said sounding slightly surprised to see him. Greg's guess was confirmed a second later. "What are you doing here?"
Hank leaned down and gave Sara a hug and a light peck on the lips, which just made Greg's stomach turn inside out. "I'm just good like that. How was the conference?"
Greg froze. Conference? What conference?
Sara replied, "Oh, it was great. Greg learned a lot of things, didn't you, Greg?"
Greg stared at her, noticing the plea in her eyes. "Uh, yeah, tons." He mumbled.
"So, Greggo, tell me, how many guys were eyeing up my girl?" Teased Hank.
The words were a slap in the face to Greg. He smiled woodenly. "Oh, I wasn't really paying any attention to Sara." He lied. "I couldn't tell you."
"Well, that's too bad. Well, at least I don't have to worry about you. After all, I know Sara would never even think about doing anything with you. But what good does that do me if I can't even get an honest report from you of how many guys I have to go beat up?" Hank grinned as he smiled down at Sara.
"Hank!" scolded Sara.
Greg just stood there, Hank's words repeating in his head. I know Sara would never even think about doing anything with you... He closed his eyes, willing the words to stop ringing in his ears.
"Hey, Greg, you don't look too hot. Maybe you should, you know, go home." Said Hank.
Greg opened his eyes and looked at Sara. One look was all he needed to confirm his worst fears. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm really tired. I'll just catch a cab. See you guys later." He moved rapidly out of the airport, ignoring Sara's calls as he placed much needed space between the two of them.
The ride home was a blur. He honestly didn't remember exactly how he got into his apartment, but all of a sudden, he was pacing back and forth in his living room, wearing a hole in the carpet. Everything fell into place. The fog had lifted, and now everything was perfectly clear. Sara hadn't asked him to go because she wanted to get to know him better. She didn't ask him because her boyfriend had broken up with her and she didn't know who else to ask. She hadn't even asked him because Hank didn't like weddings. No, she had lied to her boyfriend, and asked him because she didn't want her family to meet Hank, for whatever reason. He had merely been a stand-in, a placeholder. He could have been anyone as far as Sara was concerned. He was merely a faceless body with no feelings or emotions that she might have to deal with, or give an explanation to.
He sank into the sofa, covering his face with his hands. The worst part was that he fell for it. He flew up there, met her family, fell in love with her, and made a complete fool of himself.
He winced, thinking about the kiss they had shared. Just hours earlier, that kiss has signaled that there might be hope of an actual relationship with Sara. It had been a source of elation and awe. Now, it simply was the pinnacle of his embarrassment.
Suddenly, that embarrassment turned to anger. Why hadn't she said something? Couldn't she have simply said, "Greg, I'm still with Hank"? How hard is that? Five words. Five words that could have been said anytime during the weekend. Hell, even after the kiss. It would have hurt, yes, but it would have been a whole hell of a lot better than finding out when Hank is standing right in front of him.
No, she hadn't bothered, hadn't cared enough to let him know not to get emotionally involved. He laughed bitterly, thinking of how sappy he had been, thinking how maybe one day it might be their wedding that he was at. Thank God he hadn't mentioned that in their heart-to-heart last night.
And just as rapidly as it came, the anger faded into despair. God, what a fool he had been. How could he ever have thought someone as perfect as Sara would EVER consider anything with him?
Then he remembered that he'd have to work with Sara every day. Pretending like nothing had happened. And that just made it worse. Greg picked up a glass off the coffee table and threw it across the room. He had the satisfaction of hearing it break into a thousand pieces as he stormed from the room.
As he reached his bedroom, the rage again subsided. His bed called to him. The mile-a-minute emotional roller coaster he had been on for the past hour had drained him, so he simply kicked off his shoes and rolled under the covers, curling into a ball. He closed his eyes, willing the tears that had suddenly appeared in them not to fall. He failed, bitter sobs wretched from his chest, as he cried himself to sleep.
A/N: Um, it has come to my attention that the words used in the last chapter as the opening scroll for "The Empire Strikes Back" are from a draft of the screenplay, not the actual movie. Apologies for any confusion caused.