Title: When You Call My Name
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Mentions of rape/torture.
Summary: Nick is determined to be there for Greg whenever his boyfriend needs him.
Notes: Part of an ongoing Greg/Nick series
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Ryan Wolfe, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"Nicky ...." Greg's voice was barely audible as he turned his head to the side on the pillow, his eyes tightly closed. "Nicky, help me!" The whispered words rose to a scream within no more than a few seconds as the nightmare sunk its claws deeper into the young man.

After a few seconds, Greg began to turn his head from side to side, raising his hands as though to ward off some attack that only he could visualize. "Nicky!" he screamed, his voice rising to a shriek on the single word. "Help! Help me!"

Nick sat bolt upright in bed, not realizing for a few seconds just what had woken him up. When Greg cried out again, raising an arm as though he was attempting to push some phantom assailant away, Nick turned to him, sliding his arms around his boyfriend's waist to pull him close.

"Greg, baby .... Shhhh .... It's okay," Nick crooned, trying to soothe the other man and bring him out of the nightmare that gripped him. "Wake up, baby. Come on, Greggo, wake up!" He shook Greg gently, then a little harder, desperate to bring him out of his dream.

Greg screamed again as his eyes snapped open, unseeing, unfocused. Nick could have sworn that he saw naked terror in those dark depths before Greg's gaze focused on him, obviously realizing that it was Nick who held him and not the monster he'd been dreaming about.

"Shhh, baby, it's all right," Nick whispered, raising a hand to stroke Greg's hair as the other man sagged against him. "It's just a dream, Greg. Just a dream." He didn't know what to say; his own throat had gone tight and dry with fear at the look in Greg's eyes.

Nick knew that he had been dreaming about Shane, and what had been done to him. Greg's dreams were getting more and more graphic, judging from what he'd told Nick about them; it was as if the memories he was reluctant to discuss were searching for their own way out.

Greg burrowed into his arms, gulping in deep breaths of air. Nick could feel him trembling; hot tears were falling onto his skin, trailing down his back from his shoulder. Greg's arms went around his waist, almost crushing the breath out of him, those thin arms clutching at him.

Nick knew better than to start questioning Greg about his dream; all that he could do at the moment was to let the young man calm down, and when Greg was ready to talk, then he would. He simply held his boyfriend close, murmuring soft words into his ear.

It took a few moments for Greg to regain his equilibrium; after a few moments, he slumped against Nick's body, his arms no longer clutching at the other man so tightly. "I'm sorry, Nick. I d-didn't mean to wake you up. I j-just .... had another bad d-dream."

Nick nodded, pressing a kiss against Greg's cheek, not releasing the younger man from the comfort of his arms. He was going to keep holding Greg until the trembling ceased, or until he pulled away of his own volition. "I know, baby. It's okay. It seemed like a bad one this time."

Greg sighed, nodding reluctantly. "They used to always be the same. Now they're different. The only thing that's alike about all of them is that he ...." His voice trailed off; he gulped in another deep breath, closing his eyes, his voice barely a whisper when he continued. "That he rapes me."

Nick closed his own eyes tightly, not wanting to hear what Greg was saying, but knowing that he had to. He didn't want to think about that bastard touching Greg, being inside him, hurting him. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone causing Greg any kind of pain.

When he found Shane, he was going to rip that monster to pieces with his bare hands. He was going to make absolutely sure that Shane got what was coming to him; he would spend the rest of his life behind bars, and he would suffer a thousand times what he'd put Greg through.

"I shouldn't be sleeping in the same bed with you," Greg murmured, shaking his head. "I only end up waking you up with my bad dreams, and then both of us don't get much sleep. I'm sorry, Nicky. I wish I'd stop having these nightmares all the time."

"It's not unusual for people who've been through as much as you have in such a short time to have a lot of bad dreams," Nick murmured, not relinquishing his hold on the younger man. "Don't worry about it, Greg. Even if you weren't right here beside me, I'd still be awake, and I'd be with you."

"I just feel bad that you're losing a lot of sleep because of me," Greg answered, resting his head against Nick's shoulder. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be feeling a lot better. And you wouldn't have to go to so much trouble to hide the fact that we're more than roommates."

"Yeah, that's not the easiest thing in the world to do, but I don't have any regrets," Nick said softly, raising a hand to stroke his boyfriend's hair. "Greg, I'm always here for you, baby. No matter what. When you call my name, I'll be there. Whenever you need me, any time."

"What did I do to deserve you?" Greg whispered, raising his head to look into Nick's eyes. "I thought I was going to have to spend my life with Shane -- or somebody like him. I always thought you were some kind of impossible dream that I could never have."

"Funny, that's what I've always thought about you," Nick said with a smile, trying to lighten the tone of their conversation a little. "I've been in love with you since the first day we met, Greg. And now that I've got you, I'm not letting you go. You belong to me. Now and always."

"I don't want to be anywhere else but with you," Greg sighed, relaxing into Nick's arms. "All the time I was with him, all I wanted was to be with you. I just didn't have the nerve to tell you how I felt -- or the strength to break away from him and come to you."

"I wish you would have, baby," Nick whispered, closing his eyes to hold back the tears that had risen to them as Greg spoke. "You didn't deserve to be treated like that. And when we find him, I'm going to make sure that he ends up in jail for the rest of his life for what he did to you."

"The fact that he's still out there somewhere scares me to death," Greg admitted, burying his face against Nick's shoulder. "What if he comes back for me, Nicky? You can't be with me every second of every day. He's going to find me alone sooner or later."

"No, he won't," Nick told him, keeping his tone strong and firm. "There's no way Shane is going to be able to get near you, Greg. I'm not going to let him, and neither is anybody else. Everybody on the team is going to go out of their way to find him and keep you safe."

"There are a lot of other cases to work on," Greg told him, shaking his head. "Everybody can't stay focused on me, Nick. Even the cops aren't going to keep looking for Shane once it's a cold case. And he can stay hidden for a long time. He's smarter than you think."

"He might be, but sooner or later, he'll slip up, and we'll get him," Nick said. He had to believe that. He had to feel that they were going to punish the man who had caused his beautiful Greg so much anguish. If he didn't, then he would lose his grip on his resolve to avenge Greg.

"I hope you're right," Greg whispered, his voice trembling. Nick tightened his hold around his boyfriend's waist, pulling Greg closer against the warmth of his body. He wasn't good with comforting words, but he hoped that Greg felt safer being near him.

"When you call my name, I'm going to be right here by your side, Greg," he whispered against the young man's hair. "I'll always be here for you, whenever you need me. Even if you don't feel like you need me, I'll always be here, ready to help you with anything."

"I know you will, Nicky," Greg said, raising his head again and gazing into Nick's eyes. The older man could feel his breath hitch in his throat; the love that he saw in those dark depths was plain for anyone to see, and he knew that it was mirrored in his own gaze.

He bowed his head slightly to brush his lips against Greg's, the kiss very gentle at first, then deepening and strengthening. All he wanted to do was kiss Greg for the rest of his life, to hold his lover in his arms and keep him safe, to lose themselves in their own private world.

Whenever Greg called out to him, he would be here. He would give his life to protect this man; there was nothing he wouldn't do for Greg, no sacrifice he wouldn't make. Greg was everything to him; he always had been, from the first moment Nick had laid eyes on him.

He settled back against the pillows with Greg in his arms, smiling when he realized that the young man had fallen asleep again. And that was exactly where he belonged, Nick thought contentedly as he closed his eyes to let sleep reclaim him once again.

***