Overheard

Chapter One

Greg walked down the hallway, his kit in hand. He was assigned a
case with Sara and he was trying to find her. She wasn't in the break
room, print lab or anywhere else he might expect to find her. He
began to wonder if she had left without him.

Which would be her idea of a joke, he thought as he came upon
Grissom's office.

He heard voices as he drew closer to the room. He stopped as he
realized the voices belonged to Sara and Grissom. Sara didn't sound
happy and Grissom's voice was calm and steady.

What is she upset about now? Greg thought as he listened, his
curiosity getting the better of him.

"Why won't you go out with me?" Sara asked, her voice rising.

"Even if my feelings were inclined that way, I can't, Sara, you are
my employee. It's not the same as you going out with, say, Greg."

"Going out with someone else is not going to happen. Especially not
with Greg."

"Give him a chance, Sara," Grissom said calmly.

"You know how I feel about you, Grissom. Why are you suggesting I
date Greg?"

"I'm your supervisor, Sara. We can't have any kind of relationship
outside the professional. You should know that."

"Why Greg?"

"I've seen the way he looks at you. How he acts around you."

"It's a crush, Grissom. He'll get over it."

"I don't think he will, Sara. I think its more than a crush."

"He flirts with me, but it doesn't mean anything."

"Sara…"

"No, Grissom," Sara's voice held an edge to it. "I'm not going to
date him. He's nice, but he's not what I need."

Greg felt his heart sink at Sara's words. He leaned against the wall,
fearing his feet would give out, and closed his eyes. He took several
deep breaths to calm himself to no avail.

She doesn't care for me at all, he thought as he made his way out of
the building. Did she ever?

Greg leaned against the SUV as tears stung his eyes. He blinked them
away as he heard footsteps approach. He looked up and saw Sara, her
expression calm and professional as if she hadn't argued with Grissom
a few short minutes ago.

"Ready?" Sara asked as she went to the driver's side door.

"Yes," Greg answered, hoping his voice didn't betray his anguished
emotions.

They climbed into the Tahoe. Greg kept his attention focused ahead of
him as Sara drove toward their destination. Greg closed his eyes as
the pain washed over him. His thoughts were in turmoil as Sara's
words played in his mind.

"He's not what I need. Flirting…doesn't mean anything. He'll get over
it."

Greg's breath caught as his heart clinched. Hot tears stung his eyes,
but he didn't let them fall. He wouldn't let her know how much her
words hurt him.

They arrived at their destination in twenty minutes. It was a wooded
park known to be frequented by hikers and joggers. They climbed out
of the SUV and grabbed their cases. They walked up the trail until
they spotted Captain Jim Brass. He turned toward them as they strode
up to him.

"A hiker found the body," he said as the three walked toward the
body. "He made the call on her cell phone. That was about 4:30."

Greg looked down at the body and felt nothing. He thought he would,
having only been in the field for a couple months. He closed his eyes
and sighed.

She's affected me more than I thought, Greg realized as he knelt
beside the body. Sara took pictures as he searched for evidence.

"What's the time of death?" Sara asked.

"Coroner puts the time of death about one this afternoon."

"There's something around her neck," Greg announced as he removed a
wire from the body. He held it up for Sara to examine.

"Looks like piano wire," she said before taking a picture.

Greg said nothing as he placed the wire in a bag and marked it. He
made a mental note to check for finger prints back at the lab. He
glanced at the body and noticed her fingernails.

"Maybe she fought with her attacker," he suggested as he placed a
paper under her hand. He scrapped under the nails, dirt landing on
the paper. He folded it and placed it in a bag.

"Let's hope she scratched her attacker good," Sara remarked.

Greg nodded and placed the bag in his kit. He picked up his
flashlight and searched for more evidence, maybe a footprint or two.
He hoped to keep his mind off Sara's words, but they continued to
plague him.

He glanced over at her as she talked with the hiker.

Why did she say those words? Greg thought. Do I matter so little to
her?

He looked at the ground and spotted a dent in the shape of a foot. He
placed a marker near the print and took a couple of pictures. He went
over to Sara. He waited a moment as Sara finished with the witness.
She turned her attention to him, an eyebrow raised.

"I found a footprint," Greg mentioned, pointing in the general
direction. "It could be the hiker's or the attacker's."

Sara offered him a smile that made his heart melt. It made her words
hurt all the more.

"We'll also need a sample of his DNA then," she said.

Greg nodded and went back to his kit. He brought out a swab and
rejoined Sara and the hiker. The hiker opened his mouth only after
Sara convinced him it was to eliminate him as a suspect. Greg swabbed
the hiker's cheek as Sara mentioned the shoes.

"You want my shoes?"

"That's correct," she said. "Just to compare with the print we found."

The hiker rolled his eyes and took off his shoes. Greg bagged and
marked them. He then thanked the hiker and picked up his kit.

Sara followed him as the coroner took the body away. They climbed
into the Tahoe and headed back to the lab.

Greg felt Sara's eyes upon him and he did his best to pretend he
didn't notice. He stared out the window, watching the scenery speed
by.

"Are you all right?" Sara asked, her voice concerned.

"I'm fine," he answered, wondering why she cared. "Why?"

"You've been awfully quiet. You've barely said anything today."

Greg looked at her and saw the concern in her eyes. It was almost his
undoing. He wanted to tell her what he had overheard, but he turned
his gaze to the window. He didn't want to hear the words again, so he
kept quiet.

"I've had a lot on my mind," he answered softly.

"Like what?"

Greg shook his head, refusing to tell her anything. Let her wonder as
far as he was concerned. He closed his eyes as he hoped she wouldn't
push him. He didn't want to get into an argument with her. Not now.

Sara sighed and focused her attention on driving. She had no idea
what was wrong with Greg. Suddenly, he was quiet and reserved. She
wondered what had happened to cause this change in him.

He's never been like this before, she thought as she pulled into the
parking lot of the CSI headquarters. What's going on with him and why
doesn't he want to tell me?

She followed Greg into the lab with the intention of asking him those
very questions. He went into the evidence room and placed his kit in
top of the table. He opened it and brought out the two evidence bags.
He closed the lid and turned.

"Sara," he said, surprised she was behind him.

The dull expression in his brown eyes caused her to pause. She had
never seen them look so devoid of life. She wanted even more to know
what was wrong with him.

"What's wrong, Greg?"

"Nothing, Sara," he answered. "Just tired."

He left the room before she could comment. She sighed and leaned
against the table.

Something's wrong and he doesn't want to talk about it. Why?

Sara shook her head and left the room. She knew he would tell her
eventually. She hoped whatever it was wouldn't become worse.