Well…it has been a while since this was update. A long while. But I'm attempting to finish it, hopefully I still have some of you faithful readers around. Let me know you are still reading if you are, no point in finishing it if no is reading, after all.

Hope you enjoy! (And yes, there will be more frequent updates if ppl are still reading)

No beta for this, so all mistakes are mine. Kudos to Kegel for helping me to start writing this again.

Chapter 18: A Sudden Turn

He hadn't worked a full shift. Despite the backup in the lab Grissom had sent him home early. For once in his life, Greg hadn't the will or the strength to argue back. He was exhausted…no, that was putting it lightly. On the inside he felt completely empty, as though something inside of him would stop working without a moments notice.

It had only been a handful of days since he had taken the fall that had left him injured, and the ache still flared painfully if he moved to sudden or forcefully at once. As the hours went by, it was becoming more and more apparent that he was not doing well. That was the main reason why Grissom had sent him home.

Then there was the other reason. Sara…that in itself explained a lot. Greg was not sure what was going on with her anymore. Half of what she said was a lie, the other half…Greg couldn't even be sure if it was the truth. She claimed to be afraid of him, for what reason Greg could only fathom for it still baffled him. She would turn from screaming and yelling at him, to wanting to help him and keep him safe. It was a dizzying charade and he was becoming sick of it very quickly.

Still, he did not know whether to blame her for her actions, or accuse his own for allowing himself to become involved in something so deep and complicated. Sara needed help, yet she was the type of person who tended to refuse it when she needed it the most. And how could he help her when he only knew half of what was going on?

Greg pressed his head into his hands, silently willing the pain to die down. He felt slightly sick to his stomach, it was a result of both stress and the lack of eating. His body had not been on a normal schedule for a while now, and it was beginning to take its toll. Another moment passed, and he finally felt well enough to continue. Slowly he pulled on his jacket, pulling out his car keys as he closed his locker.

"You headed out already?"

Greg nodded, glancing at the Texan who had just walked in. There was a hint of compassion and understanding in the man's eyes as he nodded back. "Hang around for a moment, and I'll go with you? I'll be on break and we can stop somewhere, pick up some food, what do you say?"

"I don't know," Greg confessed quietly. He was hungry enough to eat, but he was also exhausted, and he wasn't sure how his company would fair at the moment. "Maybe some other time?"

Nick nodded, "If you're sure. I can drive you home as well."

It was a tempting offer, but Greg shook his head. He didn't need the entire lab offering him rides home, especially with the price of gas. "I'll be okay."

"Call…"

"If I need anything," he cut Nick off with a quiet laugh. Greg had a feeling he would be the sole reason of a costly phone bill as well. But it was comforting too, knowing that you had friends that wanted to look after you. At times Greg found in cumbersome, feeling as though he was burden to everyone else.

Lately it seemed that he and Sara had been doing nothing but causing trouble; Sara being fired, his suspension…and both getting back on shift with little effort mostly due in part to Grissom's work. He would have to remember to thank the man later, when this entire mess was all sorted out.

Even though it was in early hours of the morning, the air was still quite warm, forcing Greg to unzip his jacket as he made his way to the car. Though he would have been more comfortable with it off, the prospect of having to shrug out of it caused him to wince. Getting dressed and undressed caused the most pain with his ribs bruised the way they were. He would deal with it now, and crank the A/C on for the drive home. It was a strangely funny concept, but he would laugh later, perhaps when he felt better.

As tired as he was Greg believed that he had been hearing things at first. The echo of the footsteps did not cease when he did however, and Greg glanced over his shoulder at the sidewalk behind him. The area was well lit, the lamps running alongside the building since the area was frequented by cops, detectives and other agents at all hours of the day. But even so there was nothing there to be seen, and Greg could feel his heart skip a beat as he listened closely.

But the sound had died, and he forced himself to breathe, reassuring himself that he was hearing things. He was tired, and with the headache that was slowly forming it could be a number of things that he had heard. Vegas always carried a multitude of sounds, but even so Greg like to believe he had learnt them all by now.

Instead he shook his head, continuing to make his way to his car. The thoughts of a warm shower, a soft bed, beckoned to him and he hurried his step just a little. But as soon as he had he slowed, turning again to check behind him. He had heard the sound again, and just as the same time it disappeared shortly after he stopped. Greg swallowed, worried now, not so much that he was being followed but rather the fact that he was hearing so many strange things…maybe he wasn't as well as he wanted to believe…

He turned back around, coming to a sudden stop as he drew in a quick breath, the alarm dying down as soon as it had begun. "Can I help you?"

The man was standing mere inches from him, a short apology leaving his lips as he backed up a step. It made Greg feel a little better, knowing that there had been someone there, to know that he hadn't been hallucinating. But until he knew why this man was here, he couldn't let his guard down entirely.

He was slightly taller than Greg, dark brown hair that was styled thickly with grease and a thin beard that covered his chin. Try as he might Greg could not place him with someone he knew, but the pungent smell suggested maybe the man was lost. It wasn't too uncommon, tourists usually wound up lost, stumbling around here courtesy of a conceited taxi driver who had shuffled around one too many drunks.

They often figured dropping the lot off here was far better than any casino, and on top of that, they earned more pay simply because the mileage was longer. Greg knew the department was working on fixing the issue, but it was clear they hadn't solved it quite yet.

"You Sanders? Greg Sanders?"

For a moment he didn't reply, but then mustered enough sense to nod. Greg's mind was quickly switching from lost tourist to potential case suspect. More than once had someone on the team been approached by a third party with information to a current case, simply because they were scared witless to file a legal report. The fact that he was drunk suggested that there might be some cause of guilt as well…

"If you're here about any of the cases, you'll have to speak with my supervisor. I'm not authorized to take any statements, especially out here."

"No case," the man shook his head, casting nervous glances around the both of them. "Something personal…a friend of mine…said you could help."

"Who?" Greg frowned, studying the man. Surely it couldn't be someone he knew. He would recognize a face, but then again he had mentioned a friend. Maybe a name would spark some recognition.

The man shook his head, looking away, his face an array of emotions that Greg was unable to pinpoint. Perhaps it was the fact he was tired, or maybe it was just because his mind was currently occupied that Greg missed the next movement that happened.

In a sudden blur the unknown man lunged at him, arms wrapping about Greg's torso, slamming him against the nearest car. The blow stunned him, sending a jolt of pain through his body, but the sudden flow of adrenaline countered it, dampening it as Greg fought back.

Drunk as the man was Greg was able to keep most of his swings at bay, but the combination of weight and motion toppled the both of them over, the concrete breaking their fall as a snap sounded in the air. The sudden fall had knocked the air from his lungs, and Greg quickly found himself pinned as he fought to breathe, struggling under the mad man's grasp.

The flash caught his eyes briefly before the man swung the blade down, narrowly missing him as it struck the cement with a loud clunk, the man bring the blade back up for another blow. Greg kicked out; bring his knee up into the man's stomach, pushing up with arms even as the blade came back down.

The sudden motion knocked his assailant off balance, and Greg moved to his side, kicking out again as he scrambled away. The man was on his hands and knees again, grasping the knife and bringing it into the air, ready for another strike, but a single gunshot rang out in the air from behind them. For a brief moment the man watched from over the vehicle, flinching at the harsh demands to drop his weapon, then he turned and met Greg's gaze. Then without warning he moved to his feet, darting into the night.

Greg heard Nick's string of curses as the man came up around the vehicles, pausing for a half moment in decision to whether or not he wanted to follow the attacker. Greg could care less at the moment, closing his eyes as he laid his head down on the warm concrete, wrapping his arms about him tentatively.

His left arm was on fire, and his chest hurt painfully as his breathing slowly returned to normal, his heart still pounding in his chest. It was as though his body had forgotten to breathe during the entire exchange, and his mind raced with unasked questions. Greg tensed as the hand was laid on his shoulder, but relaxed as no real pressure was added.

"Greg, you're bleeding…"

"You don't say?" Greg responded sarcastically, gritting his teeth. He let out a breath, concentrating on calming his racing heart. Nick made no further comment, staying where he was, giving him the time he needed. It wasn't long until they were joined; the shot Nick had fired alerting everyone that something was wrong.

"He okay?" Catherine asked quietly, her heels clicking on the sidewalk as she approached.

"Yeah," Nick answered for him, squeezing his shoulder gently. "Small stab wound to the arm, we'll get it cleaned it up, he just needs a moment to rest."

"What happened?"

That was Grissom this time, and Greg opened his eyes as he slowly moved into a sitting position. Nick hooked an arm around his right one, helping him, easing him against the car to rest.

"He just attacked me," he confessed quietly, glancing at his arm mildly. It hurt, but it was more of a burn than anything else, the blade had done more damage to his jacket than his arm. Truth was that his chest hurt more, and it wasn't surprising, giving the tussle he had just taken.

"You didn't know him?" Catherine wondered, "What? Did he feel like taking a stroll and attacking the first person he saw?"

"He knew me," Greg told her quietly, meeting her gaze. "He knew my name, at least."

"So who did you piss off?" Nick asked, a slight grin on his face.

He would have responded, if he had thought of something good enough, but Grissom cut the conversation short, taking the lead. "This could be case related; names leak out all the time with who is working what, and if he is a suspect, he might be trying to get revenge."

"So he happens to just randomly be around when Greg leaves?" Catherine wondered, shaking her head. "That doesn't make any sense Gil."

"Nicky, get him inside," Grissom nodded towards the two of them. "You'll have to take evidence, Cath and I will see what we can find out here. We'll have Archie pull surveillance, and put a broadcast out for this guy."

Nick was already moving, and Greg took his offer on the slight help, pausing only long enough to look at Grissom. "I guess this means I don't get to go home?"

"Sorry," the older man shook his head. "This might be a random attack, but until we know for sure, you'll have to stay here."

"And that could take…months," Greg pointed out quietly. There was no way in hell he was going to stay here for that long, or even days for that matter.

"Get cleaned up, change your clothes and take the couch in my office until then," Grissom nodded towards him. "We will figure things out as soon as we can. You'll be home before you know it."

Greg only returned the nod, but somehow he doubted that to be true. He wanted it to be a bad dream, wanted to wake up in his own bed, and laugh at the reality of it all. Things only seemed to be taking a worse turn as time went on. It made him wonder, what exactly, would be in store for him in the coming days.

TBC