Title: When the Heartache Ends
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: Inspired By Songs, mission_insane
Prompt: 9, When the Heartache Ends
Author's Note: Post-ep for the S11 CSI: Vegas episode "Cello and Goodbye," and a sequel to the Greg/Nick fic "The Second Time Around." Completely unrelated to the other Greg/Nick series that I write.
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 Nick Stokes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Nick glanced over to where Greg was curled up on the couch in his living room, seemingly absorbed in the magazine he was reading. He probably was, Nick thought with a wry smile. Greg could always get lost in anything to do with new breakthroughs in science.

Even though Greg wasn't a lab rat any more, he was still very involved in what went on in the world of DNA. Nick admired him for that; he knew that most people would have left that part of their professional life far behind, but Greg never would.

His boyfriend always had a hard time letting go of the past -- even if that past hurt him. Nick knew that there were times when he still thought about what had happened with that gang -- the beating, the court case, the way that their bosses had seemed to throw him under the bus.

Nick quickly pushed those thoughts out of his mind; he didn't want to think about that terrible time in their lives. He and Greg had been a couple then, hiding their relationship from everyone around them, and even then, they'd had more than their share of rocky moments.

That was also something he didn't want to think about, he told himself firmly. He needed to look to the future that he and Greg could build together, not back at a past that was over and done with. It wouldn't do either of them any good to brood over ancient history.

He couldn't help wondering how long it would take Greg to let go of his past with Jonah -- or if he ever would. The two of them were together now, but he knew that it was still going to take a while for Greg to get to the point where he'd be ready to put his grief aside.

Nick wasn't going to rush him with that. Greg had loved Jonah; he had a right to grieve for the man who had been willing to marry him and entwine their lives together, even after they'd only been a couple for a short while. That wouldn't be easy to get over.

But he would be here to help Greg in any way he could, every step of the way. It might take a while for Greg's heart to stop aching, but when the heartache was at an end and he was ready to step back into life again, Nick knew that he would be waiting with open arms.

As though he realized that he was being scrutinized, Greg raised his head, looking directly at Nick before the other man could direct his gaze elsewhere. "I'm not going to break down all of a sudden, Nicky," he said softly, shaking his head. "Don't look so worried."

"Did I look worried?" Nick could feel the familiar heat rise to his cheeks; he didn't like to be caught when he was staring at Greg. It was a habit that he'd developed when they had first started dating -- probably even before that, if he was honest about it.

He'd always loved to look at Greg. There had been times before they'd become a couple when he had gone out of his way to be in the DNA lab when Greg was working there, just to watch the younger man's graceful movements, to observe him immersed in his work.

It wasn't just that Greg was beautiful, he told himself. There was an inner light in Greg that shone through in everything he did; he was like a beacon that beckoned to Nick, leading him onwards, through cold and darkness, to find his way home again.

"Yeah, you do," Greg said, his voice very soft. "Don't be, Nicky. I might not be over everything that's happened yet, but I will be. I'll be okay. It's just going to take a little time. The fact that I'm here with you says something, doesn't it?"

Nick nodded, swallowing back the lump that rose in his throat. He could see the sheen of tears in Greg's dark eyes; he knew that it was still hard for him to talk about Jonah, even though the two of them were, for all intents and purposes, back together now.

They still hadn't slept together, but that didn't matter. That would come in time, Nick told himself. He didn't need to rush Greg into sex. It was enough that Greg came to him for comfort, that he wanted to be held through the night. When he wanted sex, he would let Nick know.

Waiting wasn't easy, but Nick was willing to give Greg all the time that he needed. He was proving to his boyfriend that he was capable of putting Greg first -- before his job, before everything else in his life. And he was finding that much easier than he'd thought it would be.

"I'm kind of surprised you're here, after how I treated you for so long," he finally said, the words coming out hesitantly. "I don't deserve you, Greg. But I'm the luckiest man in the world to have a second chance with you -- and I'm not going to screw it up again."

Nick got up from the chair he'd been sitting in, going to the couch to sit next to Greg and take the other man's hands in his own. "Baby, I know this has been rough going for you. I just want you to know that I won't push you into anything. We can take things as slow as you need to."

"I know it's hard on you to have to wait for me," Greg whispered, blinking back the unshed tears that Nick could see shining in his eyes. "But I'm just not ready for us to be .... the way we were before, Nicky. Not yet. But I'll get there. I promise I will."

"I know you will, baby." Nick slid an arm around Greg, pulling the younger man close against his body. When Greg rested his head against his shoulder, Nick closed his eyes, pressing his cheek against his boyfriend's soft hair, breathing in the soft cinnamon scent.

"You've been through so much, Greg," he said softly, raising a hand to stroke the other man's hair. "But I promise you that I'll be here when the heartache ends. I'm going to do my best to make you happy every day for the rest of our lives."

"I know you will," Greg murmured, his voice very soft. "I'd say that I wish you'd made that decision a long time ago, but in some ways, I'm glad you didn't. I can't regret Jonah being a part of my life, Nick. I loved him. I can't say that I'm sorry I was with him."

"I'll admit that it hurt to see you with somebody else," Nick told him, his arm tightening around Greg's slim waist. "But I'm glad you had the chance to love him, Greg. If he made you happy, then that's the important thing. I'm just sorry that you ended up getting hurt so badly."

"I have to stop thinking about what could have been, and focus on what's going to be," Greg said, a slight quaver in his voice. "It's not that I don't think I'll be happy with you, Nicky. I know I will. You're the love of my life, and you always have been. But I did love Jonah, too."

"I don't blame you for loving him," Nick said softly, his heart aching for Greg. "But when the heartache ends, it's time for you to move forward, Greg. You can't keep living in the past. Jonah's gone, and he would want you to move on and be happy."

Greg nodded, sniffling as he raised a hand to wipe away the few tears that had streaked down his face. "I know he would," he whispered, taking a deep breath. "He knew that I love you, Nicky. I think he knew that you and I share something I could have never had with him."

"He told me that he thought you still loved me," Nick murmured, brushing a gentle kiss across Greg's cheek. "I'm glad that he was right. He was a good guy, Greg. I'm sorry you lost him -- but I can't say that I'm sorry you're back here with me. I think it's where you belong."

"It is," Greg whispered, turning in Nick's arms and snuggling into his embrace. "I can't honestly say that I'm ready for more than what we have right now, but I hope that can be enough for a while, Nick. The rest will come later. Just give me some time, okay?"

"All the time in the world, baby," Nick answered, blinking back his own tears. He would give anything to have spared Greg all of the heartache that he was dealing with; he hated to see the man he loved hurting so badly, and to know that he couldn't do anything to stop that pain.

But the heart would eventually be over, and Greg would be able to move on, he told himself firmly. And when the heartache finally ended and Greg could see the light at the end of the tunnel, he would be there waiting, to lead them both into their own personal happy ever after.

***

Next story in series - If Only.