Greg stared down at the pictures of the man who'd been electrocuted, pretending to study the image intently, anything to avoid talking to Nick who stood on the other side of the lit table from him. This was the first case they'd been the two main CSI's assigned to since everything had exploded, and Greg was having a hard time keeping it civil. He knew Nick was still seeing Easton on a daily basis, as much as the Texan said otherwise, and it incensed him even more.
The last time Greg had seen Easton was two weeks ago when his parents had decided to show up for an impromptu visit. Instead of breaking his over-protective mother's heart, he and Easton had decided to simulate happiness over dinner then tell them the truth. They would break that news when the baby was born and they determined who the father was, which if it turned out to be Nick, Greg didn't know if his heart could break anymore then it already had.
Easton had looked dazzling though, Greg had to acknowledge that, no matter how much he abhorred her, she'd always be striking in his eyes. The pregnancy had given her curves she didn't have before and Greg had had a hard time not taking her in the back and having his way with her. She'd been affectionate with him through the entire dinner, holding his hands, touching his arms, allowing him to feel her growing bump. He hadn't know if it had been for show, or if it had been genuine, but he did know that the feel of her skin on his had made him desperate that time travel could really exist.
Ray Langston stood at the head of the table, seeming oblivious or choosing to ignore the tension between the two.
"And next up, we have the layout room," Hodges voice came loudly as he suddenly appeared in the doorway followed by a group of people wearing visitor badges, causing the three men to look up in surprise. "Group, I'd like you to meet Dr. Raymond Langston, Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders," Hodges continued, pointing at each one of them as he introduced them. "These are our CSI field agents. They go out and collect all those little bits of evidence and then they bring them to me for answers."
Nick watched the group with raised eyebrows as they all filed into the room, filling the doorway.
"Oooh, it looks like they're cooking up a searing mystery today," Hodges went on dramatically.
"Are these pictures of a murder victim?" a middle-aged woman asked, a look of dismay on her face.
"Attempted." Hodges nodded. "I hear he's hanging on by a thread."
Greg noticed a woman scoot by other members of the tour group to come to the front and he felt his breath catch in his throat. She was gorgeous with jet black hair and porcelain white skin, wearing a modest v-neck navy and white polka dot dress with a pale pink cardigan over top, a pearl drop necklace and matching earrings. She was everything opposite of Easton, which was exactly what Greg needed right now. He couldn't take his eyes off her and she seemed to be watching him too.
"You mean to say that he's still alive?" an older man within the group queried.
Nick seemed to notice the trance Greg seemed to be under and he motioned at him. "You know, Greg here is our lead man on the case, so if you have any questions you can direct them to him." The least he could do was help his friend get a new girl after he'd been such a horrible part of taking away his other one.
Greg seemed a little put off by Nick's statement, but he went with it when he noticed the woman perk up slightly.
"Are you Mr. Lodges boss?" she questioned, leaning forward with what seemed like genuine interest at hearing Greg talk.
"Uh, Hodges," Hodges muttered from the side.
"Uh, not exactly," Greg said, his gaze not wavering from her elegant face.
"That's so horrible. Is he going to live?" her face went from interest to concern.
Greg blinked, shaking his head slightly, finally looking away from her. "I'm sorry but this is an ongoing case so I can't really discuss any of the details."
She seemed slightly disappointed, but she sighed, a smile spreading across her face, causing her brown eyes to sparkle. "I'm sorry. I understand."
Nick and Ray shared a look, somewhat of relief that Greg finally seemed to be moving past Easton and somewhat of amusement at the fact that he seemed to be so taken by this mystery woman.
"And what brings you here?" Greg asked, now ignoring the rest of the group.
"I teach fourth grade science and I wanted to see if this was appropriate for a field trip." She made a face, glancing around the room before looking back at Greg. "But I'm afraid it's a little too gory."
"Oh honey," Hodges said before Greg could reply. "This is nothing. I could tell you stories that would just curl your hair."
"The tour could definitely be cleaned up for more innocent eyes," Greg said, looking at her pointedly.
Ray made his way around the light table to where Hodges stood. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble would you mind taking these down to the lab and running them for trace, please?" he asked, handing Hodges several evidence bags. "No, don't worry, I'll be taking over the tour for you. You go right ahead and carry on."
"Alas, ladies and gentlemen," Hodges said somewhat dramatically, taking the evidence from Ray. "Duty calls. I bid you adieu."
"And now ladies and gentlemen, if you would follow me this way to reception," Ray said, leading the group back out into the hall. The woman seemed reluctant to leave, watching Greg as she slowly followed behind, making sure she was the last one from the room. "I can introduce you to Judy, who can then introduce you to the intricacies of dispatch," Ray's voice trailed down the hall.
"You really shouldn't let her leave without getting her number," Nick told Greg, once the group had filed away, leaning with both hands on the table.
Greg turned to him, an annoyed look on his face. "Why, so you can sleep with her? I really don't think she came here to get hit on."
"Dude, it's a pop-fly hit right up to you and all you have to do is put your mitt up and catch it," Nick said, choosing to ignore Greg's dig. He watched as a small smile toyed on Greg's lips. "Easy. Go. Go now."
Greg grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, darting out of the room, catching the woman just as the group was disappearing around the corner.
He tapped her on the shoulder. "Hi," he said giddily, a big smile on his face. "I'm not trying to be pushy or anything, but I was just thinking if you really want to know more about the lab maybe you could give me your number and we could go out sometime, talk about it."
She toyed her finger on her chin coyly. "Well, normally I wouldn't," she said slowly. "But who could be safer then a cop?" She shrugged. "Plus, you seem really nice. Why not?"
Greg handed her the paper and she jotted down the number.
"Aren't you dating Easton Mead though?"
The smile dropped off Greg's face as he took the paper back from her. "Uh no, not anymore." He looked down at the scrawled numbers with her name and fluttered it in front of him, quickly putting the smile back on his face before she inquired more about Easton. "Thanks Ellen, I'll call you," he called after her as she disappeared to find the rest of the group.