Sara walked through the halls of the lab, ignoring the looks of concern and wonder from the others. They would glance, and gawk, but say nothing, keeping their opinions to themselves. It was how she preferred it. At the same time, she couldn't blame any of them; she knew how bad she looked. Even through all her makeup, the bruising was still evident.

Still, she would rather not answer any questions. Lying to Greg had been painful enough, she didn't need any more guilt resting on her shoulders. All in all, she felt like an idiot. Greg had been nothing but understanding, staying with her through the night, keeping her safe. Her thanks to him had been little more than crude.

She had locked herself in her room, trying to muffle her sobs, knowing that Greg was just outside her door. He had spent a better part of an hour trying to convince her to come out. As time went by, the room grew quiet, and Sara had fallen into a restless sleep. By the time she had awoken, Greg was gone.

It wasn't much of a surprise; after all, she had been the one to tell him to leave. She had looked into the mirror for the first time that night. Her bottom lip was swollen, as well as her left eye, encircled in a deep bruise. Sara spent several hours, doing her best to conceal the damage, to no avail.

Rounding the corner she came to a stop. The door to the garage was hanging open, and she could see him from where she stood. Greg was working steadily, walking around the front of a small car, his flashlight shining off the blue paint. Most people, when watching him, wouldn't suspect a thing, but Sara could see easily enough that Greg was hurting.

He was good at hiding his pain, but Sara had experience with that; he was moving in the same manner as before, after the fall into the river several months back. Sara tried to remember what the doctor had said. At least a week of rest. Sara knew the only reason Greg was working at the present time was because of her. If she hadn't been fired, then Greg wouldn't have been called in.

Stepping inside the room, Sara waited a moment for her presence to be known, but Greg paid little heed to the newcomer. Clearing her throat, Sara spoke up for the first time. "You really should be home resting," she chided him lightly, giving him a smile as he looked up quickly.

Greg didn't return her smile, nor did he say anything. Instead he bent his head back down, kneeling down alongside the vehicle, running a gloved hand over the exterior.

She wasn't disturbed by his silence, walking a little further as she continued to talk. "You uh, you left your jacket at my place," she told him quietly, "I put it in your locker, in case you were looking for it."

Silence was her only response, but still determined, she continued. "I wanted to thank you for everything, it was really sweet of you." Another pause, another beat of silence. Sara sighed, shaking her head. The infamous silent treatment.

"Okay Greg," she started again. There was no beating around the bush this time. "I was stupid, I made a mistake. I told you once that I had a bad night, I was just so stressed that I was saying those things without thinking. I didn't mean any of it, you have to believe me."

Greg said nothing still, only opening the passenger side of the vehicle, proceeding to climb in. Grumbling, Sara marched over towards the car, using her sleeve to open the driver's side door, looking in on Greg.

"What do I have to do to make it up to you?" she asked, her voice tense and irritated.

This statement had finally caught his attention, and he looked up at her from where he was leaning over the seat, the beam of his flashlight hitting her in the face. "You want to make it up? Grab a flashlight and give me a hand."

It was short, demanding, and a bit crude, all the while completely off topic. Still, Greg had talked to her. It wasn't a very big step, but one nonetheless. Sara nodded shortly, already moving to pull on a pair of gloves, digging through the cluttered toolbox to find a spare flashlight.

Climbing in next to Greg, Sara clicked on the light, noting that it needed a new pair of batteries, as the beam itself was dim. "What are we looking for?" she asked skeptically.

"Any trace evidence," Greg confirmed. His voice was still withdrawn, something that would go for a while, she supposed. They worked in silence for the next several minutes, neither one ready to break that silence that lingered over them.

Glancing over at him, Sara wondered if she should try to say anything or not. Greg still seemed upset with her, and he had every right to. She shook off the uneasy feeling, turning her attention back what was in front of her.

"What mistake did you make?"

Greg's question caught her off guard, his voice much softer than it had been before. Sara wanted to tell him the truth, but at the same time was too afraid and ashamed to do so. What would Greg think of her then? Other than being a liar, it would prove to him that she was irresponsible, and that her manner of choice was also poor.

Instead she just shook her head. "Just forget it, okay?"

She hadn't expected it to work, so she was surprised when Greg didn't repeat the question, or prod at her in anyway as he did before. Letting out a sigh, she switched off the flashlight, balancing her arms on her knees. "We're not going to find anything in here," she stated glumly.

"Sara?" Greg said her name with a heavy sigh, earning a concerned look from her.

"What is it?" she wondered, shifting her body so that she was looking straight at him.

"I am your friend, right?"

Her look of concern turned to bewilderment as he continued. "I mean, I don't bother you, or drive you crazy or anything like that, do I?"

"No Greg," she shook her head, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Why would you think something like that?"

"Then why don't you trust me?"

The question twisted her stomach into knots, and with his questioning gaze he looked so small, and young. Sara tried to swallow, but it felt as though her throat had closed off on her.

"It's not that Greg," she managed to croak out, looking away from him. Silence stretched between the two of them; she could feel Greg's eyes on her still, and she let out a heavy sigh.

"I had some problems," she told him, "I'll admit that. But they're all taken care of."

"It was him," Greg prodded, "wasn't it?"

"Let's not talk about this now," Sara stated, trying to deter him from the conversation.

"When?"

Sara shook her head, sighing softly. She knew that Greg wasn't going to give up trying. And how could she resist? Especially with that look of his? "During break," she told him quietly, "We'll head over to my place, get something to eat."

TBC