A/N: Chapter three, ready to go. This is the last chapter containing any footage (other than possible flashbacks) from the show itself. I should have pointed out awhile ago, though I;ll say it now, this is un-beta'd, so any and all mistakes are mine. Usual disclaimer applies. Please read and review!

Chapter 3

"I'm riding it out
The storm that you brought in
Bringing it down, only around
For you I'd go again"

Greg didn't know how long he stood in the bathroom, water dripping from his face, lost in his thoughts. The revelation that he had had, the realization that in his heart, he did blame Grissom, was enough to stop him in his tracks and make him look at everything in his life. He needed out, he needed to get out of Las Vegas before his head exploded, or worse, he said something to Grissom that would get him fired for sure.

No, what he needed was, for lack of a better term, a time out, time away from the lab (and away for Grissom) to figure things out in his life. He had enough vacation time stored up that he could probably take two or three weeks off, but he didn't need that much time. A few days, perhaps. He could stay at home, catch up on all the shows he had Tivo-ed for the past several months, and, in essence, relax his troubles away.

Or, better yet, he could do what he had planned on doing since the idea of time off had entered his mind—he could go to San Francisco, find Sara, and beg her to return.

Greg's mind was made up. He would go to Grissom, ask for a few days off, and then he would head to California in pursuit of Sara. Whether or not he would find her, whether or not he would be able to convince her, all of these thoughts were inconsequential in his mind. All he knew is that he would be doing something, and that was more than what he was doing now.

He left the bathroom, heading straight for Grissom's office. There was a purpose to his steps now that had been lacking earlier in the evening, and there was even a lightness in his walk that told of an unseen weight being lifted from his shoulders. He had just reached the break room and was about to walk past when he heard voices coming from within the break room, and he paused, eavesdropping on the conversation without even meaning to.

It was Hodges who was talking, though who he was talking to, Greg didn't know. "You weren't ready—to leave—this: the challenges, the puzzles the job." There was a hint of a question in his tone, coupled with slight satisfaction.

"No," answered the other person in the room, and a chill ran down Greg's spine as he recognized Grissom's voice.

The satisfaction was gone from Hodge's voice, but the questioning tone still remained. "But Sara was."

There was a pause, and Greg felt his heart stop. "Yeah, she was," answered Grissom. Greg clenched his teeth, anger rising in his throat. How dare Grissom stand there and pretend that he knew what had been going through Sara's mind? How dare he pretend that he knew that Sara had been ready to leave the job, when this job had been Sara's life?

But Hodges was talking again, and Greg calmed his thoughts to listen to what the over-cocky lab tech was saying. "You can't stand in the way of that. When it's time for someone to move on, you just gotta let them go."

Again, a pause, and Greg used this pause to try and control his emotions. You never just had to let someone go. There was always a choice. Always a choice. Grissom ended the silence by saying, his voice strained, yet calm, "Let's play the game, shall we?"

Greg turned away from the break room, his own heart breaking. So it was true. Greg had just assumed that Grissom wasn't going after Sara because he wanted to let her go, but this proved it. Grissom was going to let Sara leave, let her get away, simply because he thought that it was the right thing to do, or that it was what Sara wanted.

But if that was what Grissom truly thought, than he had obviously not known Sara at all. Sara, who had spent her whole life running from her past, needed and wanted someone who would not let her run away. And Grissom was obviously not that man.

And that was the worst part of it. Because even though Grissom was not the man that would stop Sara from running, he was still the man that Sara loved. And if Grissom would just swallow his pride and go after her, if he would just follow her and tell her that he loved her and needed her to stay, then she would come back. Greg knew that she would, if it were Grissom to go after her. But if Greg went after her, even as he intended to do, she would not come back, and he knew that, even as his heart hoped beyond all odds.

Still, he was going to go, and if his mind wasn't made up before, it was now. He turned away from the break room, not waiting to hear more from Grissom, not wanting to have to think about Grissom anymore. He headed as if to leave, his mind numb. He would just call the lab later, and ask for time off. It was as good a method as any, and he would rather talk to Judy than to Grissom.

He had just started walking to the door when Catherine stepped in front of him, a look of concern on her fast. "Greg?" she asked gently.

Shaking his head once to clear it, he forced a smile onto his face, hoping it would be enough to fool her. ""Hey, Cath," he said, trying to keep his voice light and cheerful. "I didn't see you there."

She frowned, hands on her hips. "I've been calling your name from all the way down the hall."

So much for fooling her. Greg's smile slid off his face, and he looked down at his feet, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah, well, I've had a lot of things on my mind."

Catherine's gaze was too sympathetic, the hand she laid on his shoulder too gentle, and Greg only wished that she would leave him alone and not push it any further, even though he knew she would. "We've all had a lot on our minds since Sara left. All of us miss her, Greg. She was a good CSI and a better friend."

The words, coming from Catherine, who had all too often been at odds with Sara, seemed a little false, but Greg appreciated their sentiments nonetheless. "I know," he said softly, still avoiding her gaze. "I know that everyone misses Sara as well. I just wish she would've given us all time to say good-bye."

A small smile crept onto Catherine's face, and she remarked dryly, "I'm sure she didn't want to say good-bye because she knew that if she did, she never would've been able to leave. Especially if she had had to say good-bye to you."

"To me?" questioned Greg, raising an eyebrow. "How could I have been able to talk her out of leaving?"

Catherine just grinned. "Well, you know Greg, you can be rather persuasive when you want to be. Especially when, you know, you give those big, dark, puppy-dog eyes…"

Even Greg had to crack a grin, however short it was. "Somehow, I doubt even my best puppy-dog eyes could've stopped Sara."

"Maybe not your puppy-dog eyes," she conceded, still smiling. Then she sobered slightly. "But still, you're her best friend, and I bet you anything that if she had said good-bye to you, you would've been able to talk her out of leaving."

"Which is exactly why she didn't say good-bye to me," said Greg grimly. He fell silent, lost in thoughts.

Catherine let him think for a moment before she asked softly," I saw you heading to Grissom's office—did you need to tell him something?"

Again, there was an understanding look in her eyes, and Greg knew that she knew what he was thinking. "Actually, yeah," he said, hiding a smile. "Tell him that I'm taking a few days off."

Though she didn't seem particularly surprised, Catherine still raised an eyebrow at him. "Should I give him any particular reason, or should I let him work it out for himself?"

Greg just shrugged, clearly unconcerned. "I don't particularly care what you tell him. If it were up to me, I wouldn't give him any reason." Catherine nodded in understanding and turned to leave. Greg stopped her, a glint in his eye and a kind of savage smile on his face. "Oh, but Catherine, if he does ask for a reason, tell him I went to do what he should've done in the first place."

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A/N: And so Greg is out of the lab and into the fire...heading towards San Francisco to find Sara. Next couple of chapters will feature his drive to California--since it is a fairly lengthy drive from Las Vegas to San Francisco--but after that, I think Sara might actually show up in her own story.

Please review!