Beginning Notes: Ok guys, I'm working on my next fic. It is, of course, another angsty one, but I have decided to put two people through hell, and not just one. So, that should be fun. Um, plots like this have been done, but not as often I don't think so.. Just deal. Hopefully I will make it good enough so that you'll want to read it. But, either way I'm going to write it. Before any of you ask, the last chapter to Powerless will be up soon, I just wanted to post this real quick so I can get it started and everything.
Warnings: THIS IS NOT A SANDLE!! This is a Sara/Greg FRIENDSHIP! Like it or not, GSR is cannon, and I will not be going against that. However, I won't be talking much about any ship at all, because I'm not into reading or writing romance pieces, so I'm sorry. I chose Sara and Greg to go through this together because I like their dynamic together and think that they are perfect to handle tough situations together.. So.. Sorry Sandle friends. However, there might be some language that could be interpreted as romantic, but its not.
Ok, enough chatting. Read and review por favor!
It was one of the coldest days she could remember having in a while. In was in the lower-30s, and everywhere she went, people were bundled up in their warmest winter clothes. Of course, at this time of night and year, not as many people were out and about. Yes, Vegas was one of those cities that "never slept", but that's mainly for the die-hard club and casino-goers, most people turn in for the night around 12 AM during the off-season.
The good news was, Vegas seemed to be behaving pretty well lately, and there hadn't been too many cases. They had had the usual hit and runs, or accidental deaths, but nothing major or real complicated. Maybe it was the usually cold weather that was keeping even the criminals from leaving their homes.
The change was very welcomed after coming from a full two weeks of nonstop tough and elaborate cases. Ones where the team found themselves going in circles, everyone got in on the case to help solve it, even day shift came by to throw in their two cents.
But those cases were over now, and she could somewhat relax. However, the best part about it was, she didn't have to go outside and freeze to death. That was a definite plus.
The effects of the cold weather had made itself present throughout Vegas. There had been plenty of snow which caused minor car crashes everywhere, so traffic was horrible. And, as with any change in the season, especially the winter season, the viruses had started to spread. A good percentage of the lab was or already had been sick, but Sara felt confident she would be ok for a while, because she had got her cold at the beginning of the season. But most of the team had chosen to get sick within the last two weeks, when the crimes were happening one after the other, so the only ones left, Greg and herself, had been forced to handle the majority of the cases.
Everyone had tried to pitch in, but when Nick had to leave the room for the third time to throw up, everyone had decided that he should go home for a while. Then, you had Warrick who's coughs could cause an avalanche, Catherine was sneezing and coughing left and right, and constantly sucking on throat lozenges to ease the pain in her throat. Even Grissom had gotten sick, but he had decided to go all out a get a full blown case of the flu. He had, of course, been sent home eventually, after much convincing. Honestly, Sara was sure he had agreed to go home after he about passed out for the second time.
So, with everyone else sick, Greg and herself had been running around, doing what they could for the multiple cases, going out in the field, doing interviews; you name it. And naturally, they were exhausted.
Everyone else was about over their colds and were finally able to come back to work and help out again. Lucky for them, they got to come back to fairly easy and laid-back shifts.
But, it was ok, because Ecklie had agreed to give her and Greg the day off for being forced to work so hard the last couple of weeks to make up for the incapability's of their co-workers.
The truth was, she had kind of enjoyed working so closely with Greg. It had reminded her of when he first started and they worked together. Only this time, she didn't have much she could teach him. In fact, he becoming amazingly good. He even caught a few things that Sara had completely missed during their cases.
And the most impressive thing was, he still listened to everyone else and took their advise, even though his abilities were accelerating at a remarkable pace. Still, Sara had noticed that towards the end of their two-week crime-fighting spree, he was completely drained. She was too, of course. But she was amazed at how long he had lasted. He was still fairly new and was taking on case after case of some of the hardest cases CSI's encounter.
She smiled to herself and couldn't help but think Our baby is growing up…
She glanced down at her watched a sighed. Her shift was finally up. She could now run outside, get in her car, and drive home with the heater full-blast. And once she made it home, she planned on taking a hot bath to warm up before sleeping until she absolutely could stand no-more.
Her plan made her shiver with excitement.
She got out of her comfy position on the lay-out room couch and headed towards the locker room to get her things. When she rounded the corner, she stopped suddenly at the sight that greeted her.
Greg was laid out on the locker room bench with no shirt on, one leg stretched out, the other bent and planted on the floor. Both arms hung limply at his sides dangling down to the ground, but in one hand, his fingers were laced around a shirt. Sara smiled widely.
He must have been extremely tired to actually be able to sleep on a bench. And then, despite the heat circulating through the building, it was still cold, so the fact that he was only half dressed also amazed her.
But then again, Greg had always managed to amaze.
Sara stepped quietly into the room, careful not to wake him yet, and bent down closer to his face. He was so cute when he was asleep. Like a little baby. She didn't really want to wake him up, but she couldn't just leave him there like that. If he didn't already have a cold, then he would surely get one like this.
She carefully placed her hand on his shoulder, taking note at how warm his skin felt. She shook him lightly, not wanting him to freak out and tumble off the bench to the cold ground. After a minute, she shook a little harder, and cooed "Greg" quietly.
A second later, Sara could see his eyes moving underneath his closed eyelids, and then they opened. Sara giggled at the dazed look his eyes held as he looked up at her and then at his surroundings. It was crystal clear to Sara when he realized what was going on because she shot up, and began to rub his face.
Sara laughed out loud, then went to her own locker to go about her own business.
"How you managed that, I will never know.." she said lightly, as she opened her locker and rummaged through it.
Greg continued to rub his eyes, then looked up at her with a fake smile on.
"Yeah, that was pretty funny," he said sarcastically, but in a joking manner.
Sara just grinned again.
"It's ok. You've been working harder than me on all these cases, and I know I'm tired so you must be wiped out."
Greg nodded then stood up and retrieved his shirt that had been left on the ground.
"Yeah…"
Sara looked over at him, kind of concerned at the sound of his voice. It was slightly strained and raspy. She watched him put on his shirt, rub his eyes again, then he leaned his head onto the locker. Sara turned back to her locker.
"You feeling ok?" She asked casually, not wanting him to know she was concerned.
Greg didn't respond at first, but eventually he lifted his head off the locker's surface, and looked at her and grunted once in a kind of ironic laughter.
"Actually, I think I'm coming down with something."
Sara smiled but looked at him.
"Well, I guess it is technically your turn."
Greg grinned and turned back to his locker to finish up.
"Yeah I guess so.. But this headache is killer," he said, as he sat back down and put his face in his hands.
"I remember why I went to sleep now; this headache was killing me."
This concerned Sara a little more. This was to be expected though, in a twisted sense, it was his turn to get sick based on the fact that just about everyone else in the lab had been, and then with the way he had been working, his defense and immune system would be weak and vulnerable.
She sat down next to him and rubbed his back and frowned.
"You're really hot."
Greg looked up at her with a childish grin, though it wasn't his signature one. Sara guessed that was the result of exhaustion and pain. She smile back at him.
"Not like that. I'm serious. You got a fever?" She asked as she brought her hand up to his forehead.
Right away he moved away from her.
"Sara, I'm fine. Just tired.."
But, Sara had already gotten what she needed. He was definitely running a fever, and it wasn't a slight one. It wasn't bad, but he needed some medicine and rest.
"Shut up Greg, you're sick," Sara said, not wanting to play any of his No, I'm fine games. Greg stared at her, taken aback by her blunt comment.
"Put on your coat, I'm going to take you home."
Greg didn't take this order. He stood up and looked her in the eyes.
"Thanks Sara, but I can go home myself," he said in a somewhat weak and tired voice.
"I'm sure you can, but if you've got the flu, which is very possible seeing as how Grissom had it" she added when he opened his mouth to object, "then there is a possibility you could pass out like he was. Besides, I don't think you were able to fall asleep on the bench only because of a bad headache. Now, don't argue with me, I'm taking you home. You can get your car later, or we can have someone drop it off at your apartment. Now, get on your coat and lets go."
Greg stood for a second, staring at her. Yeah, she was a little annoying right now, but he admired her for being so bold and to-the-point. Deep down, he knew he shouldn't be driving because he knew that he was pretty sick. Even more-so then he was allowing to show.
So, he agreed to Sara's commands, not wanting to fight. And besides, he was much too tired to drive now.
"But wait, our apartments aren't too close to each other." He said, halting as they had begun to walk out of the door.
Sara stopped as well and turned to look at him.
"So?" She responded.
"So… So it's snowing out there and no one should be driving more than they have to." Greg answered confidently. This was not an attempt to prove himself capable of driving home by himself, he was truly against the thought of Sara driving more than she had to because he was too lazy to drive home himself.
"Oh come off it, Greg. I don't mind at all. And stop trying to get rid of me. I'm taking you home, and that's final. Now lets go."
Knowing there was no point in trying to stop her, he reluctantly followed, his body starting to feel all achy. He sighed, knowing that a fever, headache, and achy body were all signs of the flu or some other annoying virus. He should have known it was coming, but after weeks of seeing everyone else get sick, he thought that maybe this year would let him off the hook. He didn't get sick much anyways, so it was a possibility. But, not anymore, because like it or not, he was getting sick.
They were about to the main door when he noticed Sara zip up her coat before exiting. Right away, he saw her body contract, trying to keep itself warm against the cold January night air. Greg followed her out the door, but found the temperature to be quite refreshing. He guessed it was the fever talking, but either way, it all felt pretty good. So, he took his time getting to the car, unlike Sara who had practically darted.
His body didn't want to go any faster anyway, so why not listen to it? He walked at a normal pace, letting the air cool his burning cheeks. Finally, Sara's car was in view, and so was Sara herself. She had removed her gloves and was looking directly at him with an angry face.
She started to mouth things and point angrily down, making it clear she wanted him to get in the car now. Greg just smiled and made his way over her vehicle and opened the door and got in.
"Why aren't you wearing your coat, Greg??!" Sara exclaimed, sounding amazingly like his mother.
"What? I am wearing a coat," he replied back while he buckled up.
"That little thing can hardly be described as a coat! Why weren't you wearing the one you have in your hand?"
Greg looked down and saw the overly sized ski jacket with the down feathers and wondered why he ever got this in the first place.
"This giant? It wasn't even that cold out there."
"Oh really? Then why are you shivering?"
This question momentarily confused him, but when he looked down, he did noticed that he was shaking. But he wasn't cold, so… just another part of the virus he was getting?
"But, I'm not cold," he said under his breath, mainly to himself, but Sara heard.
"Greg, your sick. You have a fever. Obviously, your body is cold, but your head is telling you it's not." She snapped back, sounding annoyed. Her tone distinctly reminded him of his mother again. He used to always ask her questions about science, and she would eventually get irritated when he repeatedly knew more than her.
He laughed out loud, but immediately regretted it when he saw Sara throw another concerned glance his way. He decided to keep his mouth shut and just stare out the window.
The Vegas lights against the falling white specks of snow was memorizing. He found his eyelids getting heavy, and the colors starting to blur and fade until all he could see where the tiny white dots falling from the sky and streaks of neon colors in the background. And even that disappeared as he slipped into a deep sleep.
Sara, on the other hand was wide awake, despite the fact that she should be just as tired as Greg. She was remaining so alert because the weather had seemed to intensify over the past couple of minutes. They had already left the well-lit strip and was going down another road when it became very hard to see through the snow.
Sara, not wanting to panic, continued on. She moved forward in her seat and squinted her eyes into her dark surroundings, and the only thing she knew right now was that none of it was familiar. At least, none of it was supposed to be there because Sara knew exactly what she should be seeing on her way to Greg's apartment.
She started to worry only a little now because it was getting more and more difficult to see, and the little that she could see was becoming less and less. She hadn't seen any real buildings or houses or anything in a while. She hadn't even seen another car in a while.
She knew that they could not keep going this way, so she looked over to the side of the road and pulled over with her emergency signals on. She looked over to Greg and was happy that he was sleeping, but she also wanted him to be awake to help her out. In the end, she decided to leave him alone, and opened the door and got out.
Her arms tightened around her as the cold night air encircled her and briefly took the air out her lungs. Once she was able to breath again, she looked around.
She began to panic more because she found that there was absolutely nothing around them. Wherever they were, there was no street lamps or houses or buildings or anything to provide extra light, and the lights from the car weren't nearly enough. And even the little that was illuminated by the few provided lights confirmed her fears: there was nothing and no one anywhere near them.
How in the world had she gotten here?
With no immediate plan and the frigid air chilling her to the bone, she got back in the car quietly. She sat for a moment, at a total loss. She considered waking up Greg again, but thought better of it.
She got them there, she could get them out.
She put the car in drive, and slowly eased forward until she found a place large enough to turn her Denali around in. Obviously, going forward was getting them nowhere, so going back the way they came had to be more productive than the alternative.
She turned the car around, then proceeded forward. The falling snow had thickened, making it even harder to see.
Where is all this bad weather coming from?!? Then she remembered watching the news briefly the other night and hearing about a large system coming through the states. She sighed, remembering how big it was and recalled herself saying that she would stay indoors when it did come.
She had now come to a fork in the road. She had no recollection of their being a fork or any turn at all. She sat staring for a moment, her hand on her head. This was really getting annoying. She looked over at Greg again, still sleeping soundly and felt jealous. Then, without knowing why, she reached over and felt his head again. It was hotter than it was earlier.
Damn. She needed to get him home and soon. She decided that once she knew where she was, she would just take him to either her place or his, whichever was closer, and then they would just stay there. There was no way she going to drive to two different places.
She reached over and felt his head again, and knew she needed to make a decision.
Right.
She put the car in drive once more, and headed down the right side of the road, praying it was a good choice.
She had been going down this road for close to twenty-five minutes before deciding that her choice was not only wrong, but it was dangerous as well. She wasn't exactly sure, but she felt pretty certain that whatever road she had taken was leading them up a hill or mountain. Somewhere elevated, and they were now on a narrow 2-way street.
Her heart started to beat faster as she looked around and was able to see nothing except for white specks against pitch black. She needed help.
She looked quickly over at Greg, hating the fact that she was about to wake him up, but knew she had to. She put her hand on his shoulder, the other tightly clutching the steering wheel, and shook him lightly and called his name.
Just when she saw his eyes flutter open, the car jolted causing her to slam on breaks, but the car didn't stop. They started to slip and spin on the fresh snow, and before they knew it, they were going down a very steep hill, flying up and crashing down. The two passengers were flung from side to side and the car went over things until finally, something stopped them forcefully.
Both of their heads went crashing in front of them, Sara into the wheel, Greg onto the dashboard.
Greg sat breathing heavily, his whole body in severe pain. He tired to lift his head, but found it didn't work so well. His world had become fuzzy and his head was swimming. He moved his eyes over to his left, and saw Sara in the same position, her eyes closed and a small amount of red blood coming from her head still laying on the steering wheel.
The sight apparently gave him enough energy to lift his head, though it immediately fell back to the seat and noticed that he too had blood seeping down from a head injury as well as other places on his body. However, he was now able to see what had stopped them. In front of the car, almost completely covering the front windshield was pearly white snow.
Greg tried to call Sara's name, but found his voice to be very distant. He tried again, but this time, he couldn't hear himself at all.
The last thing he saw before the blissful blackness took him over, was Sara's eyes open and look around, full of fear.
AN: Alrighty so, there it was. I'm pretty satisfied with it. I did look up Vegas weather and made sure it snowed and got to low enough temps, but I'm not 100 sure how much it can snow, nor am I positive about and hills or steep mountainsides that one could easily go over if snow and ice was a factor. You all must understand that here in Florida, it never snows. Well, I think it did in 89, but I wasn't alive. And, we are either at, or below see level (I know I know, pretty pathetic but I always forget) So.. This is all very new to me. I've never even seen snow and as far as cold weather goes, it was 86 here today.. So.. Bare with me please. Review if you can and the next one will be up eventually, but this week is going to be very busy so don't expect it too soon. Sorry.