Author's Notes: Thank you to all who are reading! Please let me know what you think!

Jenny

Chapter Three:

Greg walked into the break room, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he made a beeline for the coffeepot. He was too tired to even care that he would be ingesting the cheap sludge the crime lab bought in an attempt to pass off as coffee, he was too tired to even acknowledge his coworker's presence. Sitting down at the table, coffee cup in hand, he let his eyes close, his hand raised to his forehead in an attempt to block the rest of the world out.

"Rough night?" Nick asked, dropping into the seat next to Greg, "You look like crap."

"Thanks." Greg muttered quietly, "Glad to know I can count on you."

"Hey, I call it as I see it." Nick replied, "Seriously, man, you look bad. I'm sure Catherine would let you go home if you asked."

Greg opened one eye, giving Nick a questioning look, "And duck out on Sara on her first night back? No way."

"You don't have to be her knight in shining armor, Greg." Nick chastised, "Sara's a big girl, she can look after herself."

"You just don't know." Greg muttered in response, taking a swig of the bitter black liquid, "She's still having a really rough time with this."

Nick shrugged, "We all miss Grissom, but it's been three weeks. It's good she's coming back to work, she shouldn't sit around moping all day, that won't change the past."

"She loved him, Nick." Greg replied tiredly, "He wasn't just a boss and a friend to her, it's a little harder to deal with in her shoes."

Nick shrugged again, tapping his fingers against the table, "I'm just surprised Ecklie didn't put his foot down sooner about her coming back."

"Me too." Greg agreed, "She's taking a long time in the locker room...should I go check on her?"

"She's a big girl, Greg, she can handle putting away her things without help." Nick drawled, "What about you, man? You don't look like you should be investigating anything, with the exception of the inside of your eyelids."

Greg took another sip of coffee, forcing his eyes open once more, "Stayed at Sara's last night."

"Yeah?" Nick asked, "She doesn't let you sleep?"

"No, it's not that...she just has these horrible nightmares sometimes." Greg replied quietly, not wanting their conversation to be overheard if the woman in question happened to come in, "I mean, they're the worst I've ever seen." he shrugged gently, "I guess after experiencing one of those, I decided it would be better to stay awake and make sure she was resting peacefully then be jolted awake by another."

Nick nodded sympathetically, looking up towards the doorway as movement caught his eye.

He had been wrong. Obviously Sara couldn't just take care of herself, mature adult or not. There were black circles under her pale face, and her clothes were hanging limply on her slender body. She, like Greg, made a beeline for the coffeepot, and took a seat opposite the men.

"Hey Sara, welcome back." Nick said quietly, taking in her appearance.

She had always been a small woman, but it was clear that she had lost a few pounds. He worriedly wondered if she was eating at all. Glancing in Greg's direction, he made a mental reminder to ask the younger man. Her eyes were blank and dark, devoid of the excited spark she usually possessed at the beginning of a shift. Her hair even fell limply around her shoulders. It was as if her entire spirit had just taken off, leaving only the shell of the woman they had all come to know and love. If he hadn't been worried she'd sock him in the jaw, he would have moved to her side to give her a gigantic hug. She looked as if she could use one.

"Hey." she murmured quietly, briefly glancing at Nick before turning her gaze to Greg.

They made eye contact, and even as a bystander, Nick could see the silent conversation the two held with their eyes. After a few seconds, their gaze broke and Greg pushed his chair back, mumbling quietly, "Nick? Want something out of the vending machine?"

"I don't even have two nickels to rub together, man." Nick replied, "Thanks though."

Greg looked towards Sara, offering her a small smile as he disappeared around the corner. Once Greg was gone, the tension in the room flared, and Nick found himself growing uncomfortable in the awkward silence that followed.

Nick cleared his throat, asking quietly, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." Sara replied, her voice cracking slightly. They were silent for a few minutes before she offered him a hint of a smile, "So, now that Catherine's boss, how long do you think it will take before she tries to fire me?"

"I doubt she will." Nick said quietly, "Just because you butt heads sometimes, that doesn't means she doesn't respect you."

"As a person or as a CSI?" Sara retorted flatly, staring at the doorway, "I bet you're happy to be working for her again."

Nick shrugged silently, also looking towards the doorway. He wondered if they had felt this awkward talking to him after he had been nearly killed the summer before. It was as if he was sitting with Sara for the first time, she seemed like a completely different person from the Sara who had been coerced into taking a single day off with her boyfriend a few weeks prior.

He was spared from further conversation when Greg walked back into the room, taking a seat next to the silent brunette and handing her a package of peanut butter crackers and a bottle of V8. She silently look the crackers, tearing open the package and nibbling on the corner of one. She tilted the package towards Greg, and he shook his head, "I stopped at Burger King on my way in."

"That's healthy." Sara retorted, a hint of a smile on her pale face, "Double whopper meal?"

"Large sized." Greg said with a matching smile, "With bacon and cheese."

Sara rolled her eyes, "Typical. Where do you put all of that food?"

"I'm a guy." Greg smirked in response, opening the bottle of V8 and pushing it towards her, "Drink."

Sara wordlessly took the bottle from him, taking a small sip before placing it back on the table, "I'm done."

"No, you're not." Greg replied firmly, plucking another cracker out of the package and handing it to her, "Come on, Sara, don't be difficult."

Sara's eyes lit up with a small flash of anger before she snapped quietly, "Greg, this really isn't the time or the place...come on, we're at work."

"And one cracker and a sip of juice isn't enough to sustain you for the entire shift." Greg replied in an equally bitter tone, "Sara--"

"Okay, okay." Sara replied, taking the cracker out of his hand, "I told you, we don't need to get into this here."

"Finish the juice." Greg replied sternly, pushing the bottle closer to her, "It's good for you."

"Just like your double whopper and fries?" Sara smirked, rolling her eyes as Greg desperately tried for a quick comeback.

Their quiet bickering was stopped by Catherine's entrance into the break room, followed quickly by Warrick, who was still buttoning his shirt. By his tired eyes, it was clear he had either overslept or hadn't gone to bed yet.

Warrick slid into the chair beside Nick, eyeing both Sara and Greg's coffee cups with a definite look of jealousy. He looked up, his eyes connecting briefly with Sara's, "Welcome back, Sara, it's good to see you again."

"Thanks." Sara replied, looking down at her cup before pushing it towards Warrick. He accepted it with a grateful smile, not having time to speak before Catherine started to talk.

"Okay guys, we've got a busy night ahead of us." Catherine began, taking a quick look at her team. Aside from Nick, her crew looked like the walking dead. With a quiet sigh, she re viewed her assignment sheets, "Nicky, I've got a 419 in Henderson, fly solo." Nick accepted the paper, pushing his chair back quietly as he moved towards the doorway.

"Warrick, have you finished the arson from last shift?"

"No." Warrick replied, his voice scratchy with fatigue, "Getting close though."

Catherine nodded curtly, debating on which case to give him. After a few moments, she slid a thin strip towards Warrick, "B&E at the Chevron around the corner. It should be simple enough to give you plenty of time to work on your arson."

"Greg, Sara, you will be with me. We've got a triple homicide, an entire family murdered. Greg, get your things, I need to have a word with Sara before we go." Catherine spoke as Warrick disappeared down the hallway.

She waited for Greg to leave before she shut the door, sitting down across from the stoic brunette, "How are you doing?"

"How do you think I'm doing?" Sara replied curtly. She paused for a moment before sighing deeply, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be rude...it's just..."

"Hard?"

"Yeah." Sara replied, taking a small sip of her juice, "Don't worry though, I'm ready to be back at work."

Catherine nodded, "I never doubted that. I just want you to know...if anything gets too overwhelming to you tonight, or any night, just let me know and you can take a step back. You're going through a hard time, and I'm fully supportive of you and the time it takes to heal."

"I'm okay, Catherine."

"You look like something Doc Robbins has posted on his table." Catherine replied in a flat tone, "Sara, you're a good worker, and a valuable asset to the lab...not to mention, you're part of our CSI Family we've got going on here. We look out for each other, and you're no exception. If you need help, feel free to ask for it, you aren't alone."

Sara nodded, tears stinging her eyes. She glanced up towards the ceiling, trying to keep the moisture at bay, before whispering in a strained voice, "I'll be okay, Catherine. Thank you."

"No problem...now are you ready to go catch a crook?" Catherine asked, pushing her chair back, "Let's get moving, unless you want Greg to claim rights to drive."

Sara's eyes snapped open and she stood as well, stifling a yawn, "We can't let that happen."

Ten minutes later they were on the road, Catherine driving while Greg and Sara sat in the backseat, both nodding off slightly as they made their journey to the crime scene.

Sara rested her head on Greg's shoulder, reaching out to hold his hand. She couldn't explain it, but something about Greg made her feel safe and secure, a feeling she had never experienced before with another person. With a small smile on her lips, she yawned tiredly, letting herself relax as she succumbed to the beckoning darkness.

TBC