Title: Animal Planet - Nick and Greg chapter 3
By: Serenity
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Nick"s POV of the 3rd chapter of anmanis Animal Planet.

Nick watched in horror as Sara launched her attack on Greg. He whined and paced back and forth beside them, not knowing how to break the fight up. Luckily, Grissom launched himself into the middle of the frenzy, knocking them apart and unleashing a series of angry barks at the pair.

Nick made his way over to where Greg had landed, checking the small, furry body over for any injuries. Greg squirmed beneath him, but seemed to be relatively unhurt, which relieved him greatly. His own paw was still throbbing from when the horse, who he'd finally realised was Detective Vartan, had trodden on him so he didn't need to be worried about Greg being injured as well.

He gave the pup a gentle lick on the nose and shot Sara a warning look. She was huddled against the wall and Bobby was shielding her from the rest of the group, Catherine especially. Greg looked up at him, his dark brown eyes apologetic.

"Please be careful, Greg." he whimpered. "You're so small, I don't want to see you get hurt." Greg nuzzled at him, and he breathed in the familiar scent that was now mixed with that ‘puppy smell'.

Nick hadn't noticed that Grissom and Warrick had disappeared into another room until Vartan whinnied and reared up onto his back legs. He hunched himself into a tiny ball, trying to avoid those hooves again, and watched as a snake slithered out of the AV Lab, followed by Warrick and Grissom. Greg immediately bounced towards the snake, and Nick opened his mouth to shout at him to come back, but Greg was already yipping loudly and jumping around the reptile.

The snake darted out its long tongue and tasted the air around Greg. It made no moves to attack the pup, so Nick inched closer to the pair. It's most likely Archie he told himself, sniffing the snake. There wasn't really much scent to verify it‘s identity, but as it had come out of the AV Lab and seemed to recognise Greg, the odds were pretty good. He moved to Greg's side, ready to protect him if need be.

But Greg seemed to have other ideas. He suddenly took off running, following the panther into the DNA lab, where Grissom had already entered. Once the pup had rounded the corner, Nick lost visual contact with him, so he let out a sigh that came out like a huff through his nose, and trotted after him. Suddenly an overwhelming scent stopped him in his tracks. He breathed in deeply, taking in the intoxicating smell. He looked across at Brass, who was also taking deep breaths through his wet nose.

He couldn't stop his body responding to the scent. He began to pant, his long pink tongue hanging out of his mouth, dripping foamy drool onto the tiled floor. His ears twitched with excitement. Something deep inside him told him that this smell was a good thing.

Greg came tumbling out of the DNA lab, looking slightly sheepish. Nick guessed that the barking he's heard coming from Grissom had once again been directed at the pup. Honestly, if there's trouble to be found, Greg will find it he sighed. A ferret followed Greg out of the room and scurried towards the other animals.

Grissom also left the room, and Nick noticed that the scent was getting stronger. A large golden retriever was following the Pointer, and she was definitely on heat. She trotted past the others and headed straight for Nick. He could feel the heat rising in his face, his eyes widening as she came closer. The bitch tossed her head as she approached him, her golden fur rippling, making him finally realise who she was. Sofia.

The arousing scent seemed to envelope him, and he wanted to take the creature there and then. His human persona felt terrible guilt for even thinking such a thing, he was in a loving and committed relationship with Greg, and he didn't want to risk that for anything, but his canine form was overwhelmed with the urge to procreate, especially when Sofia was so obviously flirting with him. It was a primal urge that his brain had no control over.

Suddenly Grissom was on top of him, the sharp teeth piercing through the fur on his neck. What the hell..... Nick gasped, trying to struggle out of the vice-like grip, twisting his body against the weight of the large dog.

Suddenly his canine instincts kicked in again, and he knew that he had to submit to the alpha male. He quickly dropped to the floor and turned onto his back, showing his belly. This seemed to satisfy Grissom, who released his grip and sauntered off, the majority of the animals following him unquestioningly.

Left behind were Catherine and Greg. Catherine slinked around Nick, who was standing again, as if checking to make sure the Collie wasn't injured. Greg sat watching them, his head hanging low, soft whimpers coming from his mouth. His eyes had darkened in a hurt expression.

"Greg, I'm sorry, I wasn't going to do anything with her." he whined to the tiny pup. Greg continued to stare. "I promise, I just got a little carried away."

Greg turned and walked away from them, in the direction the other animals had taken. Nick sighed and Catherine rubbed herself against him in a comforting way. She mightn't know the reason why Greg was angry at Nick, but she could tell that Nick was upset by it.