Thanks to my beta for doing this a quick once-over. My writing isn't at its best late at night so she caught a lot of stupid mistakes. Roughly one more chapter to go after this, so enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Involvement

He never thought he'd be here. Not on this side, not for this reason. Earlier he would have given anything for a nice warm bed, a long uninterrupted sleep. But not now; now he couldn't even think about sleeping.

Instead he stood here, watching almost with detached emotion. The two-way mirror protected him from being seen, but Greg knew the man had seen him already. The man probably knew he was watching, more in likely thrilled at that fact. For him though, it was unnerving.

Who was he? Why had he wanted him dead? More importantly, how did he know him? These were only a few of the questions bouncing around in his head. Greg wasn't able to answer them, only able to watch as the interrogation progressed. They were simple questions that were asked, the usual. The ones that they always had to ask. The man replied in an uninformative manner, answering them without really truly answering. Still it boggled his mind, Greg trying to piece together what he knew to what he perhaps should know. But nothing came.

This was still going on when the door near him opened, Greg meeting the other man's gaze cautiously. Nick looked none too happy, closing the door quietly as he approached. "You shouldn't be here."

"Where should I be?"

He was angry, and bitter. Who could blame him? The more questions that were asked the more anxious he became. The man, known as Michael Tanners, was thirty-four years of age. That was all they knew. But the name…Michael…why did it sound so familiar?

Of course he was bound to know or recognize the name. He had crossed paths with many people since coming to Vegas, but surely he would remember someone that wanted to kill him. Wouldn't he? The more he thought about it the more it confused him. He was slightly startled as Nick came up near him, the man placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You're too involved with this…you need to leave."

"I need to be here," Greg corrected him. "This concerns me."

"Exactly," Nick agreed, "which is why you should leave. I'll fill you in on the details when we figure out what's going on. You'll be the first to know."

Greg shook his head, watching him. "No, I won't. I'll be the last. All of you here, right now; you'll know first. He wanted me dead, Nick…I deserve to know why. You wanted to know, when it was Crane, when he attacked you, didn't you?"

The question worked, he could see Nick considering it, thinking it over. Finally he nodded, giving in with a sigh. "Not a word, not a comment. This is still an active case, understand?"

Greg nodded, relieved. He wasn't stupid, he didn't need Nick reminding him that they could lose the case. This was only beginning, not ending. Quietly he shifted in the silence, waiting for the questions to begin anew, Grissom and Brass talking quietly in one corner of the room while the suspect stared straight ahead.

It seemed like forever, in reality it was only a span of several minutes, before the two returned to their normal positions. Whatever they had discussed seemed promising enough, but the next question spoken was not one Greg was prepared for.

"How do you know Sara Sidle?"

Grissom had been the one to ask, his voice cutting through the air. The smile on Michael's face disappeared, replaced by an angry frown as he sat up. "No business of yours."

Michael…the name; Greg closed his eyes, running it through his head. It couldn't be…could it?

"Sources tell us she used to be your girlfriend."

"Still is last time I checked," Michael snapped back, "who says differently?"

It was. Greg felt his breath catch in his chest, and he shook his head in denial, thinking it through. This was the same man Sara had met, the same man that had stormed her place…the same man that had tried to kill him. But why him? What had he done to earn the wrath of this unstable man?

"Sara tells us that she asked you to stay away," Grissom continued. "Why didn't you?"

"I left when she told me to," Michael played quietly.

"Before or after you roughed her up?"

That was Brass, the man's voice no kinder than what Grissom's had been before. The question caused the man to laugh though.

"Wasn't my fault; she made me angry. But I'm a man of my word. I left, gave her time to reconsider what she was doing. Didn't want her to make a mistake."

"And when she didn't come crawling back to you, what did you do then?"

"Fellas," the man laughed, grinning now. "I care about the girl; there's a reason we're dating. I knew she would come back to me, it was only a matter of time. Then she got distracted, that guy of hers showed up to her place. She told me about him before. I'm a one girl type of man, and honestly, I don't want to share. Had to get rid of him somehow."

Near him he heard Nick curse quietly as the interrogation wore on. Greg glanced his way but only briefly, the thoughts storming through his mind now. Was this how Nick had felt upon learning Nigel's reasoning? To learn of the man's infatuation that centered around him?

It wasn't the same, Greg knew, but it was close. This was the same man that Sara had feelings for…but then Sara had uttered those words, had said herself that she was afraid of Greg. And he had done nothing, nothing but try to care for her. But Michael, Michael had attacked her.

It didn't make sense. How could Sara fear him when he had never harmed her? How could she…after all that he had done? Back in the river, when Greg had felt that things were hopeless, when he had felt the only chance for survival was giving in to save her, he had thought, had strongly felt that it had been the right course of action. But not now. Now he was beginning to wonder; now he was beginning to try and sort it all out. Had he truly given her everything only to be paid back in such a way?

It was selfish, he knew, to think of such things. He didn't try to save her life merely for the gratitude of it all. He did it because he cared for her, did it because…because he loved her…

But that was foolish thinking now; it was clear she didn't return that obvious affection. Did she care for him? More in likely, in the same manner she cared for everyone else here. No more and no less. He was nothing more than a simple friend. The sudden realization was painful, to the point that he had missed most of what was said. But he didn't care, couldn't care. Now it felt as though none of it mattered.

Sara had lied, had lied to cover her own skin…and in the end he had almost paid with the price of his own life.

"Have a seat."

His voice wasn't kind, nor was it inviting. Sara had half a mind to keep standing just to drive him mad, to pull him off his solid edge. But she thought against it. This would mark the second time she had been in this office in less than a week. That was a new record according to her.

If she wasn't fired and permanently banned from the department this time…that alone would be a miracle. Carefully she edged herself down on the chair, resting her purse on her lap as the man began. She barely listened though, already knowing the infamous speech by heart.

She had screwed up, she had endangered someone's life, she should have said something sooner. All of this was already known to her. None of it was a surprise. In her mind, she focused instead on figuring out what she would tell Greg, of how she would explain it all. From time to time her concentration was broken, Ecklie's words filtering in so that she could piece together the majority of the conversation.

"…a threat to this department…"

She could always tell him another fib. Fudge the truth in her favor. She couldn't hide everything, for surely he would find out through the others during the interrogation. Word was never kept quiet here at the lab, so it would only be a matter of time before he did figure it out.

"…if you are worth keeping around…"

But no…she couldn't lead him on to believe false hopes. She owed him the truth, he deserved that much at least. Yet explaining it, trying to make him understand when she barely understood it herself. How was that even possible? Trust was a fragile thing, and she wanted to maintain it between them. But Sara felt she had already destroyed that trust. Greg had never held back from her, had always been open and honest. A favor she returned with a lie and a cold shoulder. She had truly felt she was doing what was best for the both of them at that time.

"…probation, suspension, or I could just fire you…"

She closed her eyes, letting the words roll on by. Right now they meant nothing. She was prepared to take whatever would come. Her only concern was Greg, and she had done the right thing in order to keep him safe. They had enough to hold Michael until DNA matched. The samples Nick had collected from Greg after the attack earlier would provide more than enough to put him away for attempted murder. Assault was something that could be pinned against him as well, if only she had paid more attention.

It was too late for that now. Nothing could be done that would hold up in court. But he would go away for several years at the very least. Until then Greg was safe…she was safe. Sara suddenly found herself not caring very much about her safety.

"…that is why," Ecklie came to a stop in front of her, snapping Sara from her daydream. "That is why I have decided to let you off easy. This time."

"What?"

Was that it? No suspension, no write-up slip, no probation…more importantly, not being fired? Was Ecklie on drugs?

"Having problems hearing, too?"

"I figured…something would happen, at least," she admitted, still unsure if she had heard him correctly or not.

"Tell me why I should punish the others because of your mistake? I believe you understand what you did was wrong, and that such an instant will never happen again. Am I wrong to assume this?"

Sara was quick to shake her head, still in disbelief. She wondered if Grissom had anything to do with this light reprimand, but then again she knew Grissom hadn't any time to discuss it with Ecklie. Then her mind flashed back to what Greg had told her earlier, a smile coming to her face. Ecklie would remember he would need to find a replacement…truly it was Greg's doing that had saved her job, not just once, but twice now.

The truth was, she owed him more than just an explanation. She owed him an apology, and an offering of thanks.

Usually it was the silence that drove him crazy. Greg had learned at a very young age that sound was his friend. As a child he would slip out of bed, and turn the television on. He couldn't sleep unless there was noise. That worked for only so long; his parents didn't enjoy being woken up in the middle of the night to the unplanned programs going on in the background. So he had migrated, from the noise of the television, to the sound of a leaky faucet, the gentle hum of the fridge, the snores of his parents in the next room.

It was a habit he had grown up with. Even now, as an adult, he needed noise on an almost consistent basis to help him function. That was why he talked so much, why he listened to his music when he was working, why he slept with radio or television on. But now he didn't care; he simply didn't care.

Greg hadn't waited, hadn't slowed when Nick had called out after him. He needed to get out of there, needed to leave; he didn't care where he went. It was a difficult task; Nick still had the keys to his car, still had his wallet. The only option was to walk; it was the option he took.

At this time, at this hour, the back streets were virtually dead. No life, no emotion, no noise. That alone should have driven him crazy, but he was too occupied to even notice. His mind was alive, racing with all the emotions he could muster up in one single thought. Anger and pain, and wanting to blame her, but wanting to forgive her. The knowledge of betrayal, the feeling of rejection. It was an overwhelming sensation all rolled up into one package.

At the same time it was amusing, but in a grotesque manner of sorts. Dimly he wondered how much the body could handle before snapping altogether. If it wasn't soon, then Greg would be surprised. If he didn't break emotionally, then he would physically.

Exhaustion was rampant inside of him, but he couldn't sleep, not now. His body ached from head to toe, each throb and every bruise hurting more with each passing moment. His endless trek wasn't helping things either. How long had he walked now? He wasn't sure; he no longer knew where he was, and without that knowledge figuring out the first part wasn't possible. And still, he kept walking.

There was no destination in mind; he just simply needed to get away. He needed to be alone, needed to think, needed to rationalize. But what was there left to do so? Sara had lied, had betrayed him. Nothing he did, nothing he tried would ever change that. Even the simplest of reasonings fell short in his mind. There simply was no logical answer.

These were the thoughts he was lost in, wrapped so deeply in exhaustion that he hardly noticed a change in surroundings. He failed to see the light on the road ahead, didn't notice the humming sound as it approached. Twice his name was called out before he even registered he was being followed. He knew then, but Greg wasn't ready for a confrontation, wasn't ready to be told he was crazy, wasn't ready to hear what he already knew.

Nick drove ahead, parking a few feet away, moving from the car without even turning the vehicle off. By the tone of his voice, the posture of his body, Greg could tell he wasn't exactly happy. For a moment he wondered if the other might even become physical, slowing Greg in his tracks. But the Texan just stood there, watching him with a sad shake of his head.

"What are you doing?"

"Walking."

Greg had answered without much thought, stating the obvious that could be seen. The answer provoked a dry laugh from the other man.

"Middle of the night, in the middle of Vegas, with no protection or cell phone…are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I would drive," Greg pressed. "But someone took my keys."

"For this precise reason," Nick answered, moving up to him. "Get in the car, we're leaving."

"I'm not going back to the lab."

"Don't worry," the Texan answered, turning away from him. "I figured you wouldn't want to, you can crash at my place for the night. I already have my couch ready."

It wasn't that odd, considering he had stayed the night at Nick's more than once. On off days when they used to hang out with one another it was often expected even. But knowing how Nick lived, Greg knew it was virtually impossible to find a place to even sit on his couch, let alone sleep on it. Last time it had taken the man nearly half an hour to clear it off and find spare blankets and a pillow. That had been several months ago, so there was no telling what kind of state it was in now…

So why had Nick said he already had it ready? Nick had heard the confession just as well as he had, would have pieced it together just as he had. But even if that was so, even if he had guessed then, Nick wouldn't have had any time to run back to his place and clean up, before coming to find him. Unless…

"You already knew."

Greg uttered the words quietly, feeling the truth sink in and yet hoping and praying he was just speculating. But the man hadn't moved, hadn't responded, and Greg nodded, feeling even more betrayed. "So everyone knew but me, isn't that great?"

"Wasn't like that," Nick explained, moving closer to him. "I guessed; Brass gave us a call saying that Sara knew who the guy was and we had to be at the park asap. It wasn't like I was keeping secrets from you."

"Of course not," Greg laughed sadly. "You just knew something I didn't, but probably should know, and you decided not to tell me."

"I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure. There was a reason why I didn't want you in there."

"Then why did you let me stay?"

"Because you needed to know," Nick nodded towards him. "Just like I needed to know with Nigel Crane."

It was true; he had learned the truth, but it didn't make it any easier to bear, and the new burdens only added a weight that felt impossible to remove. He couldn't blame Nick for his own wants and desires, even now after they had turned out so flawed.

"So are you coming? Or do I have to drag you there?"

He almost laughed; would have laughed if he didn't think it to be true. But he knew Nick better than that, and wouldn't put it pass the man to try such a feat. And the last thing Greg needed was more pain on top of the heap that was continually piling up on him. Not only that, but a long uninterrupted sleep was not only desired, but welcomed with open arms.

What was more appealing, was the simple knowledge that venturing to Nick's place meant he wouldn't have to encounter Sara. And that…that was more inviting than the soft and warm couch beckoning only moments away.

TBC