Greg leant back in the chair. He glanced down to admire his new ‘Weezer’ t-shirt, is new favourite shirt to wear.
Ruffling back his hair with one hand, he took a sip from his coke can with the other. Checking his watch he got up. Catherine would be back from Lindsay’s Christmas play soon and she had made him promise to work on the new evidence on their case while she was gone.
“ Greg.” Grissom entered the staff-room then, papers in his hand.
“ What’s up Griss?” Greg asked, throwing out his empty soda-can.
Grissom raised an eyebrow but handed the papers over.
“But I already have a case?” Greg started to say, until he saw what the official document said.
“ You made me a level one CSI?” Greg asked, his eyes wide.
Grissom nodded;
“ You deserve it”
“ But what about the lab, who will be the new techie?” Greg asked, re-reading the information in his hands.
“ We already have someone in mind”
Greg gazed up at Grissom, resisting the urge to jump and hug him.
“ Thankyou.” He managed to say before Grissom nodded and left the room, a small smile creeping up on his face.
“ What are you so happy about?” Sara asked between yawns as she entered the staff-room to grab a root-beer.
“ I am now a CSI level one.” Greg showed her the official papers proudly.
“ Good job Greggo.” Sara smiled. She looked up quickly as a familiar figure passed by the doorway, then back at the can in her hands.
Greg noticed;
“ How’s it going with Nick?” He asked. The two older CSI’s had been very much in love for more than a year but after a big fight they had broken up. It had been eight months since then and Greg had heard that Nick was dating some blonde woman now.
“ Fine.” Sara attempted a smile.
“ I have to get some work done, cant be lazy all day.” Greg smiled.
She returned his smile and watched him leave.

Greg saw Nick the next day.
“ Hey Greggo!” Nick smiled up from the trace evidence table.
“ Hey, guess who made CSI level one?” Greg beamed, pointing to his new badge.
“ Cool man, you’ll love it out in the field”
“ I already do.” Greg beamed again.

Two weeks later and the Friday of the Christmas Party arrived. Greg spent the best part of the evening getting ready, rumour had it the new lab-techie would be there and Greg wanted her too see him at his best. He’d been single for too long now.
As he pulled into the car park of CSI HQ, Catherine pulled up beside him with Lindsay in the passenger seat.
“ Hi Greg!” Lindsay smiled, her trusty Polaroid camera round her neck.
“ Hey.” Greg smiled.
“ How’s our new level one doing? First two weeks on the job are the best hey?” Catherine asked as they walked up to the doors.
“ You got it!” Greg smiled. Every moment after Grissom had promoted him, he had been overjoyed. His parents were so proud of him that they had taken him out the dinner that very night.
They entered the party happily. Greg slipped away from Catherine and Lindsay to go Nick’s side;
“ Hey”
“ Hey Greggo. I’ve got someone who wants to meet you”
Greg looked where he was gesturing and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her just above the shoulder-length blonde hair curled slightly in all the right places. Her smile was beautiful. Greg watched as she talked with Catherine and Sara before heading over to Nick’s side.
“ I want you to meet the guy whose job your replacing Alexis. This is Greg Sanders, now a level one CSI”
“ Hi;” She held out her hand and Greg shook it; “ I’ve heard so much about you from Nick”
Confusion passed through Greg’s mind, wasn’t this the first time she had met any of them? But his thoughts were interrupted by Alexis’ sweet voice;
“ They’re out of water bottles in the fridge, I saw a vending machine down somewhere. Where is it?” She asked, tucking a piece of loose hair behind her ear.
“ I can show you.” Greg suddenly said.
“ There ya’ go!;” Nick cuffed the younger man’s arm; “ You can show her where she will be working”
“ Sure.” Greg tried not to show his excitement to be with this vision of beauty alone. He led Alexis out into the hallway.
“ Thanks for this.” She smiled, touching his arm lightly and he felt his heart start to beat faster, pink tints appearing in his cheeks.
She didn’t notice and Greg was thankful.
“ This is Grissom’s office;” Greg gestured to the open door. They passed too close to the door-frame and the loud singing of Billy Bass started up.
Alexis couldn’t stop laughing as Greg quickly lead her down the next corridor.
“ What was that?” She asked finally as Greg showed her Sara Sidles office, nervously checking that Sara didn’t have the same kind of security that Grissom had.
“ Grissom feels that Billy Bass makes a good guard dog.” He smiled and showed her the rest of the offices, including his own which he was particularly proud of. They paused at the vending machine too each purchase a water bottle each then Greg showed her too the lab;
“ Here is your new humble abode”
Alexis entered it slowly, running her fingers along the tops of the machines as if in awe;
“ This is great!;” She finally managed to say; “ Nick told me the number two crime lab in the country had top cons, but wow this is just amazing. I can do almost anything in here”
Finally Greg asked the question that had been pricking at his mind for the last hour;
“ How do you know Nick Stokes”
Her face brightened up suddenly and Greg’s heart dropped. He had seen that face before, that face showed what the heart was feeling. How many times he had seen Sara make that same face when talking about Grissom, the smile showing white teeth and the way it seemed that he had made her life perfect.
“ Hasn’t he told you?;” Alexis asked as she sat on a lab-stool to test it out; “ We’re dating”
“Oh.” Greg cursed himself silently; his disappointment had clearly been showing as he said that.
Alexis seemed to have noticed but didn’t call on it, instead she picked up a new test-tube from the nearby rack and then slipped it back into its hole on the rack;
“ It’s not been long;” She suddenly said, clearly wanting to talk to someone; “ Its been like two months”
Clearly something kept nagging at the back of her mind so Greg had to ask;
“ Everything okay”
She looked up at him as if it was her first time seeing him;
“ It’s nothing really, its just…..” She took a deep breath and looked down at the lab work-station.
“ What?” Greg asked, coming to her side.
Her deep blue eyes looked up into his;
“ I’m no Sara Sidle.”