Two souls One Heart

Chapter 8

It all comes down to this: if not you, then who?

"I can't believe you are actually alive. Do you know how worried I was all I got from you since you left was like three messengers! That's like an insult, you know that right?" Greg's frustrated voice spoke through the speaker of Athena's phone as she continued sketching the Jane Doe, sitting by her sketch table while her phone was on speaker. She knew it wasn't fair to Greg for her just to shut him out like that, but she didn't mean for it to happen, it just kind of did.

"Did you find a new best friend in New York? Are you replacing me?"

"What? Greg, that's insane! How could I ever replace you; you are like the annoying little brother I never had."

"Aw thanks." he said sarcastically as Athena chuckled. "How are things over there? Gil told me you got a new job at the crime lab as the sketch artist."

"Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you but to be fair I didn't tell Gil or Sara either." Athena said as Greg let out a sign.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. I know you and I know if you want someone to know something important you will tell them, no hesitation."

"You know me too well." There was a moment of silence as Greg took a deep breath in. "Are you happy?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I just want to make sure, you know, with everything that went down four months ago." he said as Athena froze for a moment her pencil hovering over the page as her hand started to tremble.

"I'm happy here Greg. I feel like I belong again after four months. It just feels right here." she said after taking a few deep breaths in.

"That's good. You deserve to be happy, Athena. We all miss you here." he trailed off again and Athena dreaded what was about to come next. "He misses you too, you know."

"Greg." she warned.

"I know but it's the truth. He hasn't been himself ever since you left and it's pulling us in two over here. Because everyone is on your side, but we can't just abandon Nicky either. We are family and sometimes family argues."

"This is not that and you know it." she said, placing a hand on her trembling one, that held the pencil. She closed her eyes before looking outside the window.

"I know and I'm not saying I'm choosing his side, but I just thought you would like to know he asks about you a lot."

"I don't want to know." Athena said more sternly as Greg paused, a bit shocked by her outburst. "I don't want anything to do with him, he hurt me a lot and I don't think I will ever forgive him for it. Not for now while it is still fresh." she said as a few moments of silence filled the room. She looked towards her phone wondering if Greg hung up, but he was still on the line. "Greg?"

"Yeah, I know," he said as Athena flinched at the cold words. "I have to go; I just got a new case. Good luck over there and I hope you will learn to forgive the people in your life."

"Greg I'm...." before she could finish her sentence the line went dead. She let out a frustrated groan slamming her palm against the desk. "Stupid!"

"Hey, don't take it out on the table." a voice spoke behind her as she turned around in her chair seeing Mac standing in the doorway. "If you don't like the people's stuff don't break it."

"Sorry, I'm just not in the best mood right now." she said, turning back around and continuing the last touches on the sketch. Mac walked towards her looking over her shoulder at the sketch.

"It's coming along." he said as she nodded her head. Her strokes were fiercer than before she spoke to Greg and Mac caught on to her mood. "I think you might need a break. There is this vending machine down the hall calling your name."