Title: Lost & Found
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Adam Ross
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: NY
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Adam Ross, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"Have you met the new guy yet, Greg?" Nick called to the other CSI as they passed each other in the hall. "He seems like a nice guy, even if he's a little tightly wound. You should go talk to him. He kind of reminds me of you when you were a lab rat."

"So you thought I was tightly wound when I was a lab rat?" Greg called after him with a laugh. "No, I wasn't," he added under his breath, hoping that Nick had been joking about that. Compared to some CSIs he'd known, he had been more laid-back than was necessary.

Nick was right about thing, though; he needed to meet the new guy. Greg was just glad that they'd gotten a CSI who had come from a very busy lab in New York; he would more than likely be able to keep up with the pace here, which some in the past hadn't been able to do.

From what he'd already heard about Adam Ross, the guy was brilliant. His recommendations had been great, and apparently the New York lab had nothing but good things to say about him. Greg was looking forward to having someone of that caliber to work with.

He had no idea what the guy might be like personally, but he wasn't going to speculate on that. Besides, it wasn't like they would be working together all day long; Greg was spending more time out of the lab these days than in it, so their paths probably wouldn't cross too often.

There were times when he missed his lab work, he had to admit. He loved being a CSI, in spite of the pay cut, but there were still days when he wanted to be in the lab, processing some evidence that he was sure would lead them to the perpetrator of a crime.

Maybe he'd try to spend a little more time in the lab, if he and Adam got along well. Not that he wanted to go back to working here exclusively, Greg told himself. But it would be nice to spend a little time here. In spite of wanting to be out in the field, he did like making discoveries in the lab.

What would this Adam Ross be like? he asked himself as he headed down the hallway towards his office space. If he was anything like the crime lab people that Greg had known in New York when he'd been an intern there, he would be driven and professional, at the very least.

Turning the corner to go into his office, Greg's eye was caught by a young man standing in the lab right across from him, looking a bit bewildered. He was looking around him as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing; that had to be the new guy.

Greg's brow furrowed as he watched the younger man; had someone confused him in some way, or was he just overwhelmed by how busy the place could get? The former seemed more likely, since he knew from experience that the New York labs were busy places, too.

Changing his direction, Greg went into the lab, holding out a hand and smiling as the young man looked up at him. "Hi. I'm Greg Sanders. I guess they haven't gotten around to giving you proper introductions yet because we've been so busy lately. Sorry about that."

"I'm Adam Ross." The young man reached out for Greg's hand; when their fingers connected, it was as if Greg could feel an electric shock running up his arm, a tingle that spread throughout his entire body. The force of it almost made him gasp, his eyes widening in surprise.

Adam Ross was one of the most attractive men he'd ever seen. Greg hadn't expected someone who was working in the lab to be so good-looking -- or to have such an effect on him. He wanted to look at Adam to his heart's content, drinking in every nuance of his features.

He couldn't quite put his finger on just what made Adam so attractive, but it went beyond his face. There was something about this young man that seemed to draw Greg closer; it took him a few moments to realize that he was standing there staring, not saying a word.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked, tilting his head to the side and looking slightly worried. He was studying Greg intently as well, but it didn't seem as though he was staring outright; Greg cleared his throat and looked away, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just .... had a late night last night, that's all," he murmured, wishing that his words didn't make him sound like some kind of frivolous party boy -- which he wasn't. He didn't want to give Adam a bad impression of him right from the first.

Why was he having such a strong reaction to meeting Adam? His immediate answer to that question was that he was falling head over heels for someone he'd just met and didn't know at all, but the more practical side of his mind refused to countenance that explanation.

The last thing he needed was to fall for someone who worked with him. That would mean one of them having to move to another shift, and even though he'd been here the longest, that person would probably be him. He didn't want to do that, not for anyone.

He'd always worked on the night shift, and he was comfortable with it. He'd gotten used to being here at night, and he actually liked having his days to himself. He'd carved out a comfortable niche in life, and he wasn't willing to give that up, not even for a good relationship.

Of course, working the night shift was probably one reason why he hadn't been able to keep any of the short relationships he'd had in the last ten years or so going, Greg thought wryly. His lifestyle wasn't one that many people were willing to deal with on a daily basis.

But he had the feeling that Adam would be different. He was used to working in a crime lab, and even if he hadn't worked on the night shift before, he would understand how demanding of time and resources this kind of life could be. He wouldn't need to have everything spelled out for him.

What was he doing? He couldn't be seriously thinking about trying to start a relationship with Adam. They had only just met -- and anyway, hadn't he warned himself time and time again about getting involved with someone he had to work with?

He'd seen what could happen when people got involved with co-workers. David and Wendy had crashed and burned, and other relationships within the team had either broken up, or broken the team apart in some ways. Greg didn't want to be in the middle of a situation like that.

But yet .... there was something that drew him inexorably towards Adam, made him want to stand here and just bask in the young man's presence, to get to know him better. Much, much better. Intimately better. As soon as he possibly could.

"How are you liking it so far?" he asked, hoping that the question wouldn't sound too silly. Adam would fit in fine, he was sure of that, but it was his first day and he was obviously having a bit of trouble adjusting. "Is there anything I can help with? Just ask."

Adam smiled, shaking his head. "No, I'm okay," he answered, sounding more confident than Greg would have thought he could, given his confused expression of a few minutes ago. "I was just kind of wondering what I'm supposed to think of as my office, or if I even have one."

"Lab rats have offices," Greg told him, gesturing to Adam to follow as he moved towards the room where the other lab techs had their desks. "You'll probably have Wendy's old desk, but expect some trouble from Hodges. He was pretty wrecked when she left."

Adam nodded, sighing. "I figured that I was going to be replacing somebody who had been here and while and nobody wanted to see leave. The new guy always gets the shaft no matter where they are, huh?" He sounded dubious, and not a little nervous about the future.

"Hey, don't let it get to you." Greg tried to sound upbeat, but privately, he wondered if he would have to talk with David about being nice to Adam. After all, it wasn't Adam's fault that Wendy had chosen to leave. "If anybody gives you any trouble, I'll talk to them."

"You used to be a lab tech, didn't you?" Adam asked, raising his brows in question. "I've heard a lot about you. You're kind of a wonder kid back in the New York labs. People still talk about some of the things you did, even though I didn't work in the same precinct you interned in."

"Yeah, I was a lab rat for a few years before I became a CSI." Greg could feel the blush returning; he had hoped that Adam might not have heard about some of his shenanigans in the New York labs when he'd first been interning there. "I did some pretty crazy things."

Were any of the things he'd done as a lab rat even halfway as crazy as feeling like he was falling in love at first sight with someone he barely knew, someone he'd have to work with every day? Greg didn't think so; this seemed like the most bizarre thing he'd ever done.

Was it possible that he and Adam could have a future together? There was no telling at this point; Greg didn't even know if he was interested in men. But he would find out. There was no hurry; he had time to get to know Adam and find out where his interests might lie.

"And I'll probably do a lot more crazy things in the future," he said aloud, smiling and taking a deep breath. "Like asking you if you'd like to go out for breakfast after the shift is over. It's always good for co-workers to get to know each other, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I do. And I'd like to go out to breakfast. If you're sure you don't mind having company," Adam said softly, sounding a little embarrassed. "I was hoping somebody would ask me to hang out with them. I've kind of been feeling a little lost ever since I moved here."

"Well, you don't have to worry about being lost any more," Greg told him with a smile. Not now that I've found you, he added to himself. He had no idea what might happen in their future, but he had a feeling that he and Adam were going to get much closer in the days to come.

***