A/N: I'm probably crazy for posting this cause right now the end to my story is on the other side of this cliff (pleasantly known as Writers Block) and I have to look through these really blurry binoculars to find it. A.K.A I have only glimpsed what's happening after this. I probably won't update for awhile so I hope this can keep you interested long enough to read again when I do.

Thank's for the reviews/favorites/followers/generalreaders. it's always comforting to know you exist :)

The next day, Nick was eating in the break room when D.B walked in.

"Hey you have a robbery with Morgan, you need to leave in 10." Nick groaned.

"I'm almost off my shift can't someone from swing cover? I had to go dumpster diving today, twice. All I want to do is go home, pet my dog, and take a very long shower."

"It's an open and shut case, you just need to do some grunt work that's all. Won't take more than an hour."

"I'm coming, just give me a second to finish my sandwich and I'll meet her there."

"Alright, the address was sent to your phone." D.B turned to leave but remembered something. "Hey Nick." He looked around before sitting silently beside him and speaking quietly. "We both know something's wrong with Greg and he's not going to talk to me. I thought that since you've known him longer, that maybe you could get through to him. Get him to open up fully." Nick sighed and put his sandwich down.

"I know. But Greg will speak in his own time. Ever since he was attacked he hasn't been to keen on opening up. He got tired of people looking at him like he was helpless-his words not mine."

"But he only got attacked 3 days ago..."

"This is back in 09, you, Morgan, and Finn wouldn't have known about it."

"What happened?" Nick seemed hesitant to say anything.

"I'm not sure I should be the one to tell you this-"

"Nick, believe it or not I am your guy's boss, I have the right to know about his criminal history."

"I know D.B, the problem is, Greg's had enough people who've seen him victimized, a couple less wouldn't hurt.

You're right though, you have the right to know, but I can't tell you. Greg's a friend first and a coworker second- I can't betray his trust. If you need to know, it's all in the records, June 12th, 2009. I'm warning you now though, he won't just be that weird kid to you anymore. You'll see him differently." D.B's stomach twisted as his mind flip-flopped between being his boss and being his friend. He had to know though.

"I respect that Nick but in order for me to help him, I have to know everything. It's a risk I'll have to take." D.B stood up and left to search the records. Nick stared at his sandwich, unable to take another bite with Greg's bloody body from 2009 surrounding his thoughts. Suddenly Sara appeared with a grin on her face.

"Doesn't anybody answer their phones? Brass wants to see you, he's got a lead on the Steidbaker's case." Nick jumped out of his seat, threw away his half eaten sandwich and followed her out.

Out in the field, Morgan was processing the scene. A simple case with plenty of evidence. The man, who was caught later fleeing with a backpack full of cigarettes and money, had been caught on tape without a mask. It couldn't get any easier than that. At the moment she was working solo, but Nick was supposed to be joining her. He was 15 minutes late already though. It would take her hours to process this by herself. She had been there a half hour and so far she had only processed the cash register, watched the tape, and was now working on the front counter.

Then suddenly there was a BANG as a shot was fired outside. Morgan instinctively dropped to the floor and hid beneath the counter. Her body shook and her breathing became labored. She was terrified. There was a police officer outside, maybe he was the one who fired- or maybe he was the one shot. She quickly took the gun out of her holster, almost dropping it when her hands became too shaky to get a firm grip. She slowly raised her head over the counter but quickly went back down when she heard the bell connected to the front door ring.

She put all of her focus on her breathing, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Then a loud man's voice slapped the air and said, "Excuse me, I would like to talk to the CSI or CSI's in charge of this scene. There seems to be a security breach." Then suddenly a gun was fired haphazardly into the ceiling. Morgan didn't know what to do. She decided to keep silent and stay out of sight. What she really wanted to do was cry and run away screaming. Her mind raced to find an answer but it was so caught up in listening to what the stranger was doing and trying to keep herself from throwing up. Then suddenly there were shots fired into the shelves behind the counter. Morgan flinched, realizing conflict was about to ensue. She heard the man's foot steps cross over to the left side of the counter where there was an open space to get behind. He was coming for her. She didn't have the option to hide anymore.

Mustering all the bravery she could, she breathed deeply before quickly standing up and aiming the gun at the intruder.

"Freeze!" She yelled. The man who had yelled was wearing a skin colored mask and a jacket just big enough to hide a pistol, which he was currently aiming right back at her.

"Oh there you are," he mocked. "I was beginning to think you had already left before I could deliver my message." The man slowly walked to her. She was panicking.

"I said freeze!" She yelled louder in an attempt to gather control of the situation. But the man only smirked behind his disturbing mask.

"Oh honey, you're shaking all over, maybe you should lay down." Then suddenly he fired his gun.

It took a second before she realized she was on the ground, until she felt the searing pain in her right arm. She was immobilized by the sudden hit, until she saw him getting closer. She frightfully scooted away from him, also looking around for the gun she had dropped. Before she knew it, her back was to the counter and her knees were pressed against her stomach as she held her now bloody arm. The man knelt down right in front of her.

"Oh you're a pretty thing. Too bad we can't take you back to our base. You'd make a lovely entertainment piece." Morgan became instantly angry and in that moment she was nervous. How far was this going to go? She was beginning to feel light headed from the blood loss.

"Go screw yourself!" she snapped. The man only laughed, then suddenly his hand was grasped firmly around her chin. She tried to get out of his grip, but he was strong and unyielding. His breath smelled like cigarettes and gasoline.

"Now listen here blondie, and listen close. You need to deliver a message to your little buddies in the labs. I can either have you do it verbally, or I can carve it into your arm. Which would you prefer?" Morgan stopped struggling. "That's what I thought. Here's the message-Insurance. You got it?" Morgan was forced to nod. "Good." Then they could hear police sirens ringing outside. "Sound's like me cue. Remember that word. Or I'll be coming back to carve it into your dead body." Then in a flash, he was gone.

Morgan didn't hold back any longer. She let the tears fall freely. She held onto her flaming arm as police officers raced into the building. The next hour became a blur. Paramedics were rushed to the scene, police officers- including Brass- were running all over the block looking for the suspect, Morgan was moved onto a stretcher and was now laying in the back of an ambulance waiting for them to finish stitching her up.

The young man finished threading and said, "Well it's done, but I would still prefer if you went to the hospital and received the proper drugs right now. The longer you wait, the bigger the chance it will get infected." Morgan leaned up wincing from the pain.

"Thank's for the concern but I know the risk." She said tersely. He just shrugged, mumbling to himself about the stubbornness of cops as he put away the supplies. Morgan got out of the van and sat on the tailgate waiting. She saw Greg and Finn pull up across the parking lot and quickly run to her side.

"Are you okay? What happened?" asked Greg, concern etched into his tone. Morgan couldn't help but feel warmth in her face as his care made her blush.

"I'm fine. Listen, that man is targeting someone in the labs. Someone's in danger."

"Wouldn't be the first time. Has D.B been notified?" asked Finn. Morgan nodded, wincing slightly from the headache she acquired. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should go to a hospital..." Morgan practically yelled that she was fine. Finn knew she wasn't telling the truth. As a whole, cops were notorious for avoiding any show of weakness, and CSI's weren't any better. Greg gently gave her a half hug- avoiding her injured arm- and let his hand linger on her arm. Finn knew that look.

"Well I'm going to process the back. I'm really glad you're okay Morgan." Finn gave her a half hug too before she left, leaving Greg and Morgan alone. They both knew what they wanted to say, but neither of them could figure out how to do it. They could feel it though. The air around them was just drenched in want. Morgan was tired of it though. Too long she had waited for opportunities to come to her- now was her chance for her to go to it. But Greg interrupted before she could follow through.

"Look, no one would look down on you if you took a couple days to get yourself straightened out." Greg felt like he was poking the bear. He could tell she was already about to attack someone herself. She had practically jumped Finn only seconds ago.

"This get's exhausting to tell, but I'm fine, okay? Got it? I don't need time off, I need to work so we can catch this guy before he attacks someone else. I can't just quit." Morgan couldn't stop herself from getting louder and angrier. She wanted to strangle that man, rip his throat out, or simply beat him to a living pulp. Right now, all this standing around wasn't getting that accomplished.

"I didn't think you would. We've all been through this before, and it's a hard decision. My suggestion is that you should go home, read a book or something to get your mind off of it and then go to work tomorrow. It helps to know that normal thing's still exist after someone strips you of your safety." Morgan was about to protest but thought it over and surrendered.

"Russell wouldn't let me do anything anyways." Greg nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I got attacked 3 days ago and he's still not allowing me field duty until the neurologist gives the all clear." He paused, letting the silence surround them. "It does help to talk about it you know. If you need someone to listen I have some pretty amazing ears. And I owe you." Morgan halfheartedly smiled to the ground. Right then she made up her mind. It was time.

"When I got shot, I kept thinking is this it? Is this how I want my life to end? But it wasn't really the how I was worried about. It was the end. It was knowing I didn't at least try to do what I've wanted to do since I got here. " She said, her heart beating out of her chest.

"Morgan-"

"Let's have a breakfast date. Just you and me talking about things not related to work." This was the moment. The moment that would either make or break their entire relationship. She had finally took the leap and it had only taken a near death experience for her to do it.

Greg was taken aback and thrilled. His face lit up as he spurted, "Uh yeah, yes, of course." He completely forgot his current endangerment, completely forgot about the man in the alley. Right now Morgan was his entire world and nothing bad could ever happen. "I'll pick you up at 8 tomorrow morning."

She smiled awkwardly right back at him as butterflies flurried in her stomach. She had just been shot; but the start of a relationship made it a perfect day.

In that moment Brass walked up to them, completely oblivious to the absurdly happy CSI's and returned their thought's back on the job.

"Alright Morgan, are you ready to tell me what happened? Wait, Sanders what are you doing here?" Greg shuffled his feet in embarrassment.

"Oh, uhh I was just here to make sure Morgan was okay. I'd help but I haven't been cleared for field duty yet." Morgan's cheek's flushed.

That seemed to be enough reason for Brass as he returned his attention back to Morgan. She cleared her throat and explained everything that had happened.

"-the thing is, he only attacked me because he wanted to relay a message to us. Insurance." Brass stopped writing and looked up at her expecting a further explanation. "That's all he said. And then the police sirens rang and he took off." Meanwhile, Greg had gone numb. He sat down on the edge of the ambulance and stared out into space. The others didn't even notice. When Brass finished and left, Morgan turned around with a grin on her face.

"Sooo, where are you...wait what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost- or someone ripping up a Sinatra record." She attempted a small joke to get him back to reality. When she had turned around, Greg was pale and silent.

Greg was raging inside. It was his fault. He had got her involved and now she was hurt because of him- because she was associated with him. What would they do if I was dating her? How far will they go next time? Greg felt like crying. His throat burned with the words that were stuck inside.

"Morgan...I can't go out with you tomorrow." Morgan's perfect day burst into oblivion.

"Did you forget about another date you had or something?" She didn't want to believe it. Just moment's ago they were finally closing the gap and now he was tearing it apart. Greg looked to the ground, ashamed of what he had to say.

"We can't be together." Morgan was angry- but more than that she was hurt. It felt like he was grabbing onto her heart and squeezing as hard as he could.

"If this is because of Ecklie-"

"No, no! It's not because of that, it's just...complicated. Now's not the best time for me."

"Well it was just a second ago." Morgan demanded an answer. She needed to know what had changed. Greg didn't know what to say. All he wanted to do was say 'just kidding!' and pull her into a tight hug and never let go. But he had to push her away. For her own protection.

"I just can't be with you right now. I'm sorry, but it won't work." She felt humiliated. She had finally admitted her feeling to him and not only did he stomp it into the ground, but he had given her hope and then caught it on fire. After her earlier encounter she couldn't hold her anger in any longer. She stood abruptly and slapped him hard in the face. Greg's left cheek became beat red where her hand had been. She couldn't believe what she had done, but she couldn't take it away. She stormed off on the verge of crying but holding it in for her ego's sake.

Greg just sat on the bumper allowing the pain to flow throughout his face, feeling like he deserved it, as he watched Morgan stomp away to her car and pull away. As he watched her leave, something was shining behind the tape and Greg soon realized it was the glass of binoculars reflecting the light. Greg squinted to get a better look and saw a man staring right back at him. Greg felt chills crawl up his spine as the man smiled at him and gave him a small wave.

He was being followed.

A/N: Just so you know, that attack in 09 is not the Fannysmackin' incident, it's one I am making up to add a little more surprises in it. It wouldn't have the same impact if you already knew what D.B was going to find out. :P

Reviews are wonderful encouragement. But as fellow writers I'm sure you're already aware of that. :)