Title: Swap Meet
Author: geekwriter
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Pairing: Nick/Greg implied
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up through "Swap Meet"
Summary: Greg and Sara talk a few things out.
A/N: This is so not the post-ep I planned on writing. Maybe a pervy one is yet to come.

"Hey," Sara said as she walked into the locker room to find Greg slinging his backpack over one shoulder. "You wanna grab some breakfast?"

Greg looked at her so icily that she took a step back. "Not with you," he said. He closed his locker door and glared at her for another moment before shaking his head and turning to leave the locker room.

Sara watched him go, turned towards her locker to open it, then paused. She sighed as she started after him. "Greg," she said. He didn't turn, so she jogged down the hall and caught his arm. "Greg," she said again.

He pulled away from her grip. "Do you mind?" he asked. "I'm kind of on my way out."

"Did I do something?"

He laughed mirthlessly and shook his head. "You have no idea, do you?"

"Obviously not. What is this about? You did a great job on the drowning case, I already told you that."

"Yeah, you've been telling people a lot of things, haven't you?" he asked. "How's this sound? You go get paper and a pen so you can take notes, I'll tell you every personal, humiliating experience of my life, and you can type it up and send it out as an interdepartmental newsletter. That sound good?"

"Wh-what?" she asked as he turned to walk away again. He was out the front doors before she caught up to him. "What are you talking about?"

He scoffed and shook his head as he headed towards his Jetta.

She ran after him and was just about close enough to touch him when he turned quickly. She had to stop short to keep from slamming into him.

"What is wrong with you?" she snapped.

Greg glared at her for another moment before speaking. "I'm trying to convince myself that this is worth it," he said. "And most days it is. Most days, I want this so bad that it's worth everything. It was worth it to get three hours of sleep a day because I was working so much and taking classes on top of that. I can take the other lab techs calling me a traitor and I can take the CSIs calling me a wannabe and I can take the twelve thousand dollar pay cut and I can even take everyone expecting me to fail and thinking I'm a loser for even trying, but I can't take it from you. I don't know. For some reason, I thought we were friends."

"We are," she said.

"No, we're not, because if you really thought of me as a friend then you wouldn't tell everyone in the lab my secrets."

Sara paled. "Oh…Mia didn't…"

He tipped his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Greg, I'm sorry, I didn't know she'd tell you that I—"

"And you know what? As pissed as I am with you right now I never even considered telling people what you told me about your family, because I know you told me that in confidence."

Sara had to look away from him. "I…she just seemed so uncomfortable, like everybody was cool and she was the odd kid out, and we were talking about you and she said she thought you were a player and I…defended you." She took a shaky breath. "I didn't mean for it to get back to you."

"Well, it did. I just…I trusted you, Sara, and you betrayed that trust."

"I know," she whispered, her lower lip trembling. "I'm so sorry, I…"

He sighed. "Don't do that."

"I'm not," she said, swallowing hard and shaking her head.

"It's like my kryptonite, you know, girls crying. I can't take it."

"I'm not crying," she said.

He reached up and brushed a tear off her cheek with his thumb. "I'm still mad at you," he said softly.

"OK." She nodded, her mouth quivering as she pressed her kips tight together.

"Jesus. Come here. I'm not mad at you." He pulled her into a hug. "You know, a year ago I would have tried to cop a feel."

Sara laughed against his shoulder.

"Really. I would have been all sensitive and understanding and then…" He slid his hand down her back.

"You touch my ass, you die."

He lifted his hand and stroked her hair instead.

She pulled away from him and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "I got your shirt all wet," she said softly.

He shrugged. "It'll dry."

"I really am sorry. I just wanted her to know that you weren't a jerk."

"As much as I appreciate you defending my honor by telling every new hire that I can't get laid, don't do it again."

"I won't," she said. She reached up and touched his face. "Besides, I didn't think getting laid was a problem for you anymore."

He grinned at her. "Well, you know, I am irresistible."

"Nick seems to think so."

He looked away from her quickly. "I…what do you mean by that?"

"I'm a trained investigator, Greg. I actually get paid for it. And I noticed that you stopped hitting on me around the same time you and Nick started spending so much time together outside work. About a year ago, actually."

He wet his lips with his tongue and nodded.

"I don't think anyone else has noticed, if that's what you're worried about."

He sighed and leaned back against his car. "I'm not the one that's so worried about it," he admitted.

"I won't say anything." She smiled a small, crooked smile. "Not even to Mia."

"I appreciate that."

"Besides, Catherine and I have a bet on Nick, and if I tell her, I'm gonna owe her fifty bucks."

He laughed softly. "I'm not worth a bet?"

She shrugged. "Well, she based her opinion of Nick mainly on the fact that he's never looked down her shirt, which you have."

He grinned and blushed, looking away from her. "Well, you know, Cath's…nicely built."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Don't feel bad. I've looked down your shirt, too. It's just, um, easier to look down Catherine's."

"Because she has bigger breasts, I know," Sara said, rolling her eyes.

"No, mainly because she wears lower cut shirts."

She laughed and slapped his arm. "I'm gonna go back in and tell Mia I take it back, you are a jerk."

"Tell her I lost my virginity when I was 14 while you're at it."

"To a hot 18 year-old cheerleader," Sara said. "Fine."

"No, I really did lose my virginity when I was 14."

She frowned. "But you told me—"

"I told you I didn't sleep with a woman until I was 22. You're the one that assumed that meant I was a virgin until then."

She pursed her lips. "Oh."

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Go get your purse. I'll buy you breakfast."

"So you forgive me for being a bitch?"

"It's the least I can do for looking down your shirt all these years."

She scowled at him. "Pervert," she said, but he could tell that she wasn't really mad.

As she headed back into the lab to get her things, Greg caught a glimpse of Grissom trying to look nonchalant as he turned quickly and unlocked his Tahoe. "Just perfect," he mouthed to himself as he opened his car door to let the heat out.

"Grissom saw us," Greg said a few minutes later as Sara let herself into the passenger seat of his Jetta.

"Saw us what?" she asked.

"Out here together. When I looked at him, he looked away. He pulled out of the parking lot at light speed. He's gonna make me pee in a cup tomorrow, I just know it. Probably in public."

She laughed. "What?"

"It's how he punishes me. He takes samples of bodily fluids in particularly humiliating ways."

"I…OK, besides the fact that that makes absolutely no sense, why would he punish you for talking to me?"

"For hugging you," he said. "He's going to think there's something between us, I can just feel it."

"Are you fucking with me?"

"No," he said. "The man's in love with you, Sara. I may not be a certified CSI, but even I can tell that. On the other hand, this may be just the push he needs to get off his butt and ask you out."

She sighed and leaned back against the seat as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Like that's ever going to happen. Not that I want it to," she added quickly.

"Please. The love between you two is about as subtle as an anvil falling on someone's head."

"I take it back. I'm going to tell Mia you didn't lose your virginity until you were 30."

"I'm 29, Sara."

"Seriously?"

"Yup."

She grinned. "Does that make Nick your sugar daddy?"

He laughed at that. "Hardly. Besides, there are quite a few more years between Grissom and you than there are between Nick and me."

"But Grissom and I aren't dating."

"No, but he does love you."

"Nick loves you, too."

Greg shrugged.

"Was that a 'no comment?'"

"Something like that."

"I think he does, Greg."

"We don't really talk about stuff like that."

She stretched her arms out and placed her hands on the warm dash, watched the city go by as Greg drove. "Love sucks sometimes, doesn't it?" she asked softly.

"Yeah."

She turned and reached out to touch his shoulder. "At least you've got him. I don't even have that."

Greg forced himself to smile. "Hey, maybe we can make out in the lab and it'll make him so jealous he'll be forced to confess his undying love to you."

"You just wanna make out with me."

"Hey, a guy's gotta keep his options open."

She laughed and leaned her head against the window as he continued to drive.