Hey all another Sandle fanfic, this one exploring more about Sara's back ground. It's not going to be romantic from the offset up build up!
Hope you all like it (especially, those of you that R&R Red Wine Moments!)

Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely characters!

Counting Coffee Cups: Chapter One

Sara sat alone at the bar running her fingertips around the rip of yet another empty glass. She could barely remember how much she had had to drink while she'd been there but from the expression on the bar tenders face as he placed another gin and tonic in front of her it must have been quite a few. She never liked this bar, the music was always too loud and the people were too obnoxious. But the alcohol had treated that. The silence at home had let Sara hear her own thought but she'd needed to escape.

"Let me buy you a drink." A man placed himself down next to her. The smell of beer radiating from was sickening, and there was something about the way that he looked at her that wasn't right Sara noted.

"No." Sara responded quickly hoping that putting her response bluntly would mean that he moved on quickly. But it didn't help as he watched her through sullen eyes he watched her in a way an animal would watch its prey.

"Come on babe." He laughed placing his hand on her leg. Sara flinched as the warmth of his skin reached hers. She assessed his strength trying to work out what to do next. She had been trained in weapon less defence but in this very real situation training seemed to mean little. She picked him hand up and shoved it back at him.

"No, thank you." She said in the sweetest voice she could muster, giving him a smile. But from the way he was undressing her with his eyes she could tell he wasn't going to give up that quickly.

"This guy bothering you?" the bar tender asked not taking his eyes off the jerk seated next to her.

"Look I'm leaving okay? I don't want any trouble." He threw his hands up in defence and began walking away as if something were able to explode.

"Thanks." Sara muttered handing yet another empty glass to him.

"I don't blame him, what's a girl like you doing here alone?" he said attempting to charm her.

"Alone is better than being with a creep like him. You want to join me?" Sara looked up, it was then she finally realised how handsome the young man that had been serving her all night was. Young. Almost half her age if she was honest.

The bar tender chucked. "I would if I wasn't working, but if he comes back, just give me a shout." He gave her a smile that could make butter melt while he passed her another G&T. He disappeared to serve other customers.

She placed her head in her hands and closed her eyes. The day that had passed ran through her mind. She thought of the fifteen year old girl they had found overdosed on the cocktail of pills she'd found in her parents medicine cabinet because she couldn't take any more of her father's abuse. Fifteen.

That was it.

Grissom had noticed how hard the case had hit her but she couldn't bring herself t telling him more of the misery that had lingering in her past. She remembered the way he had surveyed her with worried eyes making her feel inadequate. But she hadn't been able to unravel and to let him in.

"I would offer to buy you a drink but you look like you've already had too much." A voice muttered into her ear making Sara jump. She bolted up right to see Greg beaming at her. The sudden feeling of faintness and disorientation hit her as she fell forwards towards Greg.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently taking Sara by the shoulders. His expression changed quickly from a smile to nervousness.

"I'm fine." She said quietly. "Sit." She indicated to the stool where the creep had been sitting just moments before. Greg did as she told him, and placed himself down slowly retracting his arms away to make sure she could sit up.

"You going to tell me what's wrong?" he said ordering himself a whiskey sour. Sara thought for a few moments before she answered his question.

"Nope." She smiled.

"Fair enough." Greg said smiling down at his drink. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Yes, you can help me get drunk." Sara chuckled in a humourless way. She picked up Greg's drink taking a sip from it while the whole time not breaking eye contact with him. She placed it back in front of him and looked at him in a way that made his heart skip a beat.

The bar slowly started to empty as the evening passed but Sara and Greg remained in their seats. After a few drinks Greg switched to lemonade having the feeling that he was going to have to take Sara home. She had been determined to forget which ever memories were at the peripheral of her mind.

She was hurting.

Greg could tell but Sara was a closed book, to him at least. Even with that amount of alcohol in her system she wouldn't let anything slip.

"Come on, I'd better get you home." Greg finally said as they were the last people left. He stood up offering a hand to Sara so that she could pull herself up. Even with this support it seemed to be hard and soon enough she fell forward into Greg's arms. He awkwardly let her lean on him as they walked out of the bar into the night air.

Las Vegas only had one type of weather; hot. And it was no different as they walked. Soon enough Greg realised his ability to work as a support for Sara and also move forward were not effective. He scooped her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck in attempts to feel more secure.

Greg thought of the last time he'd carried a drunk girl home. It had been while he was still in college. They'd gone to a party together but found themselves separated to be reunited at the end. He glanced down at Sara who'd fallen asleep being lulled up his walking.

Soon enough they'd Sara's apartment. Greg rummaged through her coat pockets to find the key's to her front door. Finally finding them he swung the door open, the apartment was just like Sara, like an extension of her personality.

Greg laid Sara on her bed and placed her shoes and coat on the side. He pulled the duvet up to her chin and moved strands of hair away from her face.

Sara looked so defenceless.

She looked vulnerable.

He wondered what it was that made her so broken.