Title: Security Blanket
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: R
Series: 1) The Word Is Out, 2) In the Light of Day, 3) Property, 4) Flames of Hell, 5) Bottles and Broomsticks, 6) At the Killing Edge, 7) Into Your Arms, 8) Uncharted Territory, 9) Kiss Your Tears Away
Author's Note: Mentions of rape/torture.
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 Nick Stokes, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Nick parked his truck in the garage, smiling as he reached for the package that lay on the passenger seat beside him. He had no idea how well it would go over with Greg, but he had a feeling that what he'd spent an hour picking out today had been a good choice.

Maybe Greg would feel annoyed by this, but Nick didn't think so. He was sure that the younger man would understand that this gift came from his heart, and from a sincere desire to help as much as he could. It might seem a little silly to others, but not to them.

He looked around as he headed for the front door, checking to see if there were any unusual vehicles in the neighborhood. Because Shane was still in the wind, he was always on the lookout for anything that looked like his car, but there was nothing suspicious in his sight.

Going into the house, he could feel the familiar warmth that always seemed to surround him whenever he came home and knew that Greg would be here. It had been a week now that the young man had been staying with him, and Nick never wanted it to end.

He'd always felt that his house was a home, but there had always been an empty feeling at the core of it. He had settled in and felt comfortable here a long time ago, but there had always been a void, a place that he could never quite fill, no matter how hard he had tried.

Greg filled that void. Greg's presence made his home complete; he'd never felt as happy and contented as he did when he walked through the front door knowing that he would see Greg's smile and hear his soft laughter at some point during the day.

He had never been happier than he'd been since Greg had been living here, and he never wanted this little interlude in their lives to be over. He wanted Greg to say here with him, to never have to go back to his own home, to feel as though Greg belonged with him.

Of course Greg belonged with him, Nick told himself sharply. And Greg wanted to be with him. It didn't matter that they couldn't live together, or make their feelings publicly known. As long as those feelings were there, that was the important thing.

Greg wasn't in the living room; Nick could hear him moving around in the kitchen, and he couldn't help but wonder just what his beautiful boyfriend was doing. Surely Greg wasn't cooking? He'd never seemed much like the domestic type.

But something definitely did smell good. Following the beguiling scent of something simmering on the stove, Nick went to the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to stand there and watch Greg as he stood in front of the stove, stirring whatever was in the large pot.

How could anyone be so utterly gorgeous? That was the thought that ran through Nick's mind every time he looked at Greg; he could still hardly believe that this young man loved him, that Greg was his. It was what he'd wanted for so long, and what he'd thought he could never have.

Greg had always seemed like some elusive dream that he would never be able to let himself enjoy. Nick had wanted him from the first time Greg had walked into the lab and smiled at him; he had wanted to wrap the young man in an embrace and keep him safe for the rest of his life.

He'd never believed in love at first sight -- that had always seemed like something out of a fairy tale. No, he believed that relationships took time; that you got to know someone, and somewhere along the way, you could gradually fall in love with them.

But it had been different with Greg. His desire for the young man had hit him like the proverbial ton of bricks -- but it had been more than simply desire. Greg had stolen his heart with that first tentative smile, that first tremulous hello that the two of them had exchanged.

And now, Greg was here -- in his home, a part of his life as much more than the co-workers they'd started out as being. If falling in love at first sight was a fairy tale, then it was one that he never wanted to leave the pages of, Nick thought with an inward smile.

"Hey, baby," he said softly, the smile reaching his face as Greg gasped and turned around. It was obvious that the young man had been concentrating on what he was doing, and hadn't expected to hear Nick come into the kitchen. "What are you making? It smells pretty great."

"Spaghetti," Greg told him, glancing back towards the stove. "It's a recipe for spaghetti sauce from Nana Olaf. I told her that I was taking some time off, and she told me that I should cook something because I'm way too skinny. So I took her advice."

Nick couldn't hold back his laughter at Greg's words. "Too skinny? I don't think so, babe. I think you're just right exactly the way you are." He moved into the room, setting the package he was carrying down on the kitchen table and taking Greg into his arms.

"Glad you like what you're getting," Greg murmured, a pink flush stealing over his cheeks. How was it that someone so beautiful seemed so unused to getting compliments on his looks? Nick wondered. He didn't think that Greg had been like that before Shane had been in his life.

"I love what I'm getting," Nick whispered into his ear, raising a hand to stroke his fingers through Greg's hair. "I missed you last night at work, baby. I'm looking forward to you being back there. I need my Greggo to make me like going to work again."

"I want to get back to work," Greg told him with a sigh. "But the doctors say that it'll be a while. The burns have to heal enough for me to be able to move around. And ...." He looked down, as though he didn't want to say the words. "And they still hurt. A lot."

"I know, baby," Nick whispered, holding Greg closer against the warmth of his body. He knew all too well how much those burns hurt; when he changed the dressings twice a day, there were still times when Greg cried from the pain, even though Nick tried to be as gentle as possible.

Greg obviously didn't want to talk about the other kinds of pain that still haunted him, and Nick didn't want to bring up the subject. Clearing his throat, he pointed towards the table at the brightly-wrapped package lying there, drawing Greg's attention to it.

"I got you something today," he said, a little hesitant now that it was time to actually present his gift to the person it was intended for. Maybe it was silly; maybe he shouldn't have thought that Greg could use something like this when he wasn't around.

"What is it?" Greg asked, disentangling himself from Nick's embrace and going to the table to pick up the package. He shook it gently, raising his brows at Nick in question. "It doesn't feel like a book, and I don't know what else you could be getting me."

"Just open it," Nick told him, feeling nervous. What if Greg thought he was being babied? What if this made him angry, or upset? But it was too late to turn back now; he'd already started tearing away the wrapping to reveal what was inside.

Greg picked up the stuffed panda, looking at it bemusedly. "He's cute," the young man said softly, a smile on his lips. "I didn't think stuffed animals were your kind of thing, Nicky. What kind of crazy idea made you go out and look for something like this?"

"I thought you might .... well, that you could use a security blanket," Nick told him, feeling more than a little embarrassed. Greg didn't seem annoyed, but suddenly it seemed like a silly thing to have gotten him. "When I'm at work, I mean. If you need something to hold on to."

"A lot of the time lately, I feel like I do," Greg said softly, his gaze meeting Nick's. "Thanks, Nick. It'll be nice to have something to hold when you're not here. And when I have to go back home and we can't sleep in the same bed any more."

"You won't be going back home until we catch that bastard and make sure that you're safe," Nick said, shaking his head. "And who says that we won't be able to sleep in the same bed after that? We might live in separate places, but you can still spend the night here."

"I have a feeling that I'm going to be spending more time at your house than at my apartment," Greg told him with a shaky laugh. The young man seemed almost near tears again; he was clutching the panda to his chest, holding onto it as though it were indeed a security blanket.

"You belong here," Nick told him, his voice soft and husky. "In my bed, in my arms, and in my heart. You've always belonged there, Greg. I wish I would have let you know that a long time before I did. But I'm working on making up for lost time."

"We've got a lot of time to make up for," Greg said, his voice sounding a little breathless. "Do you think you're up for that?" He was still holding the small stuffed panda against his chest, almost as thought it was some kind of protective talisman.

"I don't think it'll be a problem," Nick answered, keeping his own tone soft and gentle. "So what are you going to name your security blanket?" he asked, trying to change the subject. He didn't think Greg was ready to talk about their future relationship, at least not at this point.

Greg held up the stuffed animal, scrutinizing it with a careful eye. "I'll have to get back to you on that," he finally said, laughing softly. "I've never been very good at names. And this is a pretty special panda, so I think he needs a special name. I'll give it a lot of thought."

"You do that," Nick told him, wrapping his arms around Greg and pulling him close, panda and all. Yes, this was exactly where Greg belonged, he told himself. And if he was lucky, then this young man would be in his heart and in his arms for the rest of their lives.

***

Next story in series - Help Is on the Way.