Title: Just Another Shift
By: zronda
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Nick and Greg are going about their typical shift until something comes along to mess up their routine.

It was half way through what Greg Sanders considered his typical lab shift: A blur of tests, results, demanding CSI's, coffee breaks, and maybe even little Marilyn Manson thrown in to spice things up. And although no one knew it, Greg never considered his shift complete without a visit from his favorite level three CSI, Nick Stokes.

Whether they were playing name that chemical compound, standing close while looking over each others shoulders, or engaging in simple flirting, Greg relished every minute of the Texan's company. This shift was no different. Nick hadn't stopped in yet, but he still had a few hours to flash that million-dollar grin and make Greg's night.

Of course Greg believed nothing could ever come of his crush. A guy like Nick Stokes, legendary ladies man, would never be interested in a lab rat like him. But what Greg didn't know was that he could not be more wrong about Nick.

First of all, Nick was most certainly not a ladies man. He wasn't really sure how that reputation came about, but he never explicitly confirmed it, although he didn't deny it either. It gave him something to hide behind at work so that no one would know the truth about his personal life. Warrick was the only coworker who knew Nick was gay. They were best friends after all. They spent so much time together that when Nick worked up the courage to tell his friend the truth, Warrick simply remarked, "I was wondering when you were finally going to tell me."

Secondly, Nick look forward to his nightly visits to the DNA lab just as much as Greg did. Even during the worse cases, seeing Greg always made him a little happier inside. Nick always thought about making a move on Greg, but there were too many risks involved. He was pretty sure that Greg would let him down gently if his feelings were not reciprocated, but he couldn't see their friendship surviving the awkwardness that was sure to follow. Pining in secret for Greg was infinitely better than no Greg at all. Besides that, telling Greg might mean outing himself to more people in the lab and he wasn't sure he was ready for that.

But Nick knew that despite the risks he was going to have to do something soon to find out once and for all if Greg liked him. His crush on Greg was preventing him from really getting close to anyone else. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, Nick couldn't give up on the possibility of Greg.

So there they were, work as usual. Greg in the lab and Nick in the field both looking forward to that time of night when their paths would meet and they could complete their routine.

For Greg the night was relatively slow at the moment. There wasn't much evidence to process and he was roaming the halls, a bit bored and waiting for the results of a DNA test when he happened to pass the front desk. There was a tall man with blond hair asking the secretary where Nick Stokes was. She was hesitant to answer and the blond man was becoming annoyed.

"Look I just want to know where Nick Stokes is. I'm...a friend of his. I need to talk to him."

The secretary looked slightly bewildered and Greg was more than a little intrigued so he decided to take control of the situation. "Hi, is there a problem here?"

The man turned to look at Greg, "Yeah, I'm looking for my friend and this imbecile you call a secretary won't give me an answer."

"Okay Sir, calm down. She's just the secretary. She doesn't keep tabs on all of the employees all the time. I work back in the lab, maybe I can help you find your friend."

The secretary shot a grateful look to Greg as he led the blond man away from her desk.

"So who are you looking for?"

"Nick Stokes, do you know where he is or am I wasting my time?"

Why does Nick know this asshole? " Oh Nick, yeah, he's out in the field at the moment. He should be back soon if you want to wait around for him."

The blond man looked surprised that his query had been answered.

"Okay, uh, thanks. Sorry I guess I was a little rude. I don't have a lot of patience. It gets the better of me sometimes." The blond man smiled and Greg grinned back. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad. He was kind of cute...

"I'm Brian Dennis by the way."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Greg Sanders..."

No sooner had the words left Greg's mouth than he saw Brian's eyes flash with anger and felt a fist connect with his jaw. Pain shot through his body and he began to fall as everything went black...

Now most people know that if your going to beat someone up, the LVPD crime lab isn't exactly the best place for it to happen. This incident was no exception. After Greg fell to the floor Brian managed to kick him once in the ribs, but before the beating could go any further, the seemingly psychotic blond man was being hauled off to a holding cell. By that time most of the lab had gathered around to see what the commotion was.

Needless to say, Grissom was not happy. He turned to face the crowd, "Unless you have useful information about the incident which just occurred here, go back to work. Go on, you all have jobs to do!"

People began to clear out and he turned to Catherine and Sara. "Help me get Greg into the break room and then maybe we can make sense of what the hell is going on around here."

The three CSI's managed to get Greg to a couch. Grissom looked him over. "It doesn't seem too bad, but he'll probably be in some pain when he wakes up. Sara, stay here with Greg and wait for him to come out of it. Start putting some ice on his chin. Catherine you're coming with me. We need to find out what happened."

Grissom and Catherine walked back to the front desk. They saw Brass standing there trying talking with the secretary who was slightly hysterical. Catherine whispered to Grissom, "She just started a couple weeks ago. Best guess is that they'll be looking for another secretary soon."

A little smirk appeared on his lips, but the look in his eyes showed that he was in no mood to deal with this overly dramatic witness. Catherine took that as her cue to join Brass in trying to calm the girl down, while Grissom watched from the sidelines.

"Okay look, Cindy, right?" The secretary nodded. "Okay Cindy, take deeeep breaths. Greg's ok, everything is ok. That guy is in custody. Just tell us what happened."

Cindy managed to calm to the point where she could speak, " W-Well I'm not sure really. This guy came in and said he was here to see Nick Stokes. He's the CSI with the accent right?" Catherine nodded. Cindy continued, "Okay well I'm new here and I didn't exactly know how to handle it. He said he was Nick's friend, but how do I know that? I mean this is the police department and besides how am I supposed to know where Nick Stokes is? And this guy started getting annoyed and he was almost yelling at me and I really...."

"CINDY!"

All eyes turned to Grissom, who had gone past being minorly annoyed by the secretary. He closed his eyes and put his fingers on the bridge of his nose, "Cindy, can we please get back to the point here? Where does Greg Sanders fit into all of this?"

"Oh, right. Well he saw the guy talking to me and I guess I must have looked upset or something so he came over and said that maybe he could help the guy find whoever he was looking for. They moved to the corner over there and next thing I know the guy was punching Greg."

"So that's it?" said Catherine, "That's all that happened?"

"I swear. I think that guy was crazy. I mean he had this look, you know? And..."

"Thank you Cindy," Grissom said, effectively silencing her, "You can get back to work now."

The two CSI's and the police captain moved away from the front desk to discuss their findings. "Looks like we're going to have to wait for Greg to come out of it before we can get any answers. Jim, did you get any information from the guy in holding?"

"Not much Gil, just his name, Brian Dennis, and that he says he's a friend of Nick's. Oh, and apparently he doesn't like Sanders all that much. I visited him in the cell and he kept muttering Greg's name. I'm pretty sure I heard a few choice words in connection with it."

Just then Sara came out to tell them that Greg was regaining consciousness. They moved into the break room to find him trying to sit up. He squinted at the group as he became conscious of the pain in his chin and in his side. "Ugh. Oh man, what the hell happened to me? What was that guy's problem?"

Brass immediately switched into his investigative mode, "Well Sanders we were sort of hoping you could answer some of those questions for us. I've got the guy in lock up but he won't tell us anything. He's been charged with assault. I'm going to need a statement from you. We've already got one from the secretary, what her name?" Grissom gave him the evil eye, and Brass grinned," Oh yeah Cindy. Lovely girl. Now Greg, what happened?"

"I'm not really sure. Guy said he wanted to know where Nick was, that he was a friend of his. I told him that Nick was in the field, but that he could wait around for him. Then he thanked me and apologized for how he acted. I thought everything was cool. He told me his name was Brian Dennis. I introduced myself and he punched me! Why? I have no idea. Next thing I know I'm waking up on this couch, end of story."

"Is that all that happened? You sure you're not leaving anything out?"

"Brass I swear. I've never even met the guy before and when I do, I get TKO'd. I'm just as curious as you are. By the way, why does it feel like I've been kicked in the ribs?"

Grissom fielded that question, "Well by all accounts Greg, you were. At least once before they read Mr. Dennis his rights." Greg just groaned. "Okay everyone looks like this case is at a dead end, at least until Nick and Warrick come back from the field. Hopefully Nick can shed some light on the events of the past hour. Catherine, Sara I need to send you two out on a case, B&E in Henderson. I'll let you know if there is anything else you can do for Greg's case. Greg, just stay here in the break room for a while. I'll get someone to cover the DNA lab. Let me know if you need anything."

With that everyone filed out of the break room leaving Greg to his thoughts. Who was that guy? Did Nick really know him? And why did he get so upset when I introduced myself?

One thing was for certain, Nick was going to have some questions to answer when he got back.

 

No sooner had Nick and Warrick stepped back in the lab than they were met with a stern looking Grissom.

"Nick, my office now." With that Grissom turned and walked towards his office leaving two very confused CSI's in his wake.

"Oooooh your in troooouuble," Warrick teased.

"Shut up Warrick! Man, what did I do? I've been out this whole shift on our case. How could I possibly be in trouble?" Nick sighed, "I guess I better get to his office. No need to make him any more upset than he already is."

"Good idea. I'll start on the evidence we collected. Come find me when your done getting yelled at."

"Haha, funny. Maybe I'll be long enough to miss processing our evidence." Nick yelled as he walked down the hall. He reached Grissom's office, took a deep breath, and opened the door. "Hey Gris, what's up?"

"Nick, have a seat." Nick sat down and Grissom stared at him for a minute before asking, "Does the name Brian Dennis sound familiar?"

Nick visibly paled at the mention of the blond man. Only one word kept running through his mind, Shit.

------------------------

Nick met Brian just over two months ago when he was out at a club. They had wound up back at Nick's after and had been sort of seeing each other ever since. In Nick's mind, it was just sex; a bit of fun with no strings attached. They didn't really talk all that much or hang out. It was more like two months of booty calls, or so Nick thought. A couple nights ago he had gone to Brian's place to hook up with him before work, but Brian had wanted to "talk" instead jumping straight into bed as usual. He started talking about their relationship, where it was going, how it could be something long term, how he really had a good feeling about "them." This was entirely too much for Nick to handle. He couldn't remember giving off any indication that he wanted anything like a relationship with Brian. He wasn't a bad guy, but he wasn't Greg Sanders either. Nick had to clear this up.

"Uh look Brian, I don't want to seem like a jerk, but I thought we were just having fun. You know, just sex, no attachments." As soon as Nick said this, the look on Brian's face told him that it was definitely not the right thing to say.

"Just sex?!! But it's been two months! We've been seeing each other for two months!!"

"Look man, I'm sorry you got the wrong idea. I'm just not into relationships. I didn't mean to lead you on."

It wasn't a complete lie. Nick wasn't into the idea of a relationship unless it was with Greg. That was at least until he got the courage to do something about his crush, in which case the lab tech would most likely turn him down flat.

Brian just sat there. Nick wasn't sure what to do so he responded to his body's urges to flee the scene. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. Look, uh... call me sometime. I need to go. I have some errands to do before work." With that Nick left as fast as he could. He just drove around the city until it was time for shift. He decided that he needed to find out if Greg felt the same way about him and he needed to do it soon. It was causing him to hurt other people, even if it was unintentionally.

---------------------

Nick hadn't heard from Brian since then and he figured that he never would again. But now he was sitting in his supervisor's office being asked about his former tryst and he couldn't possibly imagine what had happened while he was gone, although the look on Grissom's face said that it wasn't good.

"Nick? Nick!! I believe I asked you a question. Brian Dennis, who is he?"

"Uh sorry Gris, zoned out for a second. Brian is...was a...a friend of mine." Nick wasn't sure how much he should reveal about their relationship or how much Grissom already knew.

"You want to tell me why he would want to hurt Greg?"

"What?! What is going on? What happened while I was out at the crime scene?"

"It seems your friend, sorry, your former friend, Brian, came looking for you about an hour ago. He harassed the secretary and then Greg told him where you were. By all accounts everything was fine after this; that is until Greg introduced himself. After that Brian knocked Greg out and kicked him in the side until he was arrested. Any ideas on what set him off?"

Nick just sat there, completely stunned. What was going on? He didn't ever remember even mentioning Greg to Brian. The only thought that crossed his mind was that Brian knew Greg was the reason they couldn't have a relationship. But how was that possible? He never talked about his feelings for the lab tech to anyone except Warrick and even that was rare.

"Grissom, honestly, I have no idea why that happened. I'm pretty sure I've never even mentioned Greg's name to Brian. I wish I had more to say. Is Greg okay? Is there anything I can do?"

"Greg's fine Nick. He's in the break room waiting for some answers, which apparently I can't give him. As for what you can do, you can take care of whatever is really going on here..."

"But Gris..." Nick protested.

"Save it Nick. I know there is more to this then what you're telling me. I don't know what it is and frankly I don't care, but fix it before it disturbs my lab any more than it already has. Do I make myself clear?" Nick nodded. "Good. Brian is in holding and Greg is in the lounge. You have the rest of the night off, as does Greg. Do what you need to do. I don't want to hear anymore about this except that it has been cleared up and I expect that to be by shift tomorrow night. "

Nick stood up and left the office. What was he going to do? He wanted to see how Greg was, but he figured that he should know what really happened before he ventured to the break room. There was only one person with the answer to that, Brian.

Nick went down to holding and located the cell Brian was in. took a deep breath and walked up to the bars, "Hey..."

Brian looked up at Nick and rolled his eyes. " Great, Nick Stokes. Just the man I wanted to see."

"Hey man there's no need to be sarcastic. You're the one who came here to see me and wound up punching one of my co-workers, remember?" Nick was beginning to let out some of the anger that he had been suppressing.

"Oh it's co-worker now, is it? I thought he was Greg Sanders, the love of your life. Or was it the hottest lab tech in the world? Or my favorite, the spiky haired sex god."

Nick was speechless. It was like Brian had read his mind. He looked completely bewildered and Brian took pity on him. "Your journal."

This roused Nick from his state of disbelief, "Huh?"

"Your journal. That's how I knew about Greg. You left so suddenly the other night, you left the bag you carried in with your spare clothes. I found it earlier. I was going to call you and return it, show you there were no hard feelings. After you left, I was upset for a bit and then I realized that what you said was true. We really didn't have anything but sex so I couldn't be mad at you. That is until I opened to bag to make sure it was yours. I saw your journal and read all about Greg. The only thing I could think of doing was coming down here and confronting you. I know what I did was stupid. I wasn't thinking. I really didn't have any right to be upset and I shouldn't have punched him, but when he told me that he was Greg Sanders I saw red."

For the second time in five minutes, Nick was speechless. Brian wasn't upset with him, he admitted to being wrong about their relationship, and he was even sorry for what he did to Greg. Nick managed to find his voice. "I'm sorry you had to find out about that. I'm also sorry about the other night, but I guess now you know why I feel the way I do."

"Yeah, it's alright. I'm over it. I'm just an idiot with a short temper. Would you tell Greg I'm sorry? Come to think of it what are you going to tell Greg?"

That was a good question, "Well at this point I think I'm just going to tell him the truth, all of it. I've been meaning to anyways. There really isn't any point in lying about this, besides he deserves to know that it was my fault he was hit."

"Again, I'm sorry about that. But good luck with Greg. I hope it goes well, really I do. It seems like you really care about him."

"I do. Thanks." With that Nick turned to leave.

"Hey Nick," Nick turned back towards Brian, "Your bag is in my car in the parking lot, journal included. I'm sure someone around here can give you the keys." Nick smiled and went to do just that.

-------------

Greg had been waiting in the break room for almost two hours when Nick finally walked in holding a duffel bag. His eyes were focused on Greg's face, more specifically his chin, and the look on his face was a mixture of guilt and nervousness. Greg knew that the Texan had heard about the events of the evening. Maybe he could finally get some answers on why Brian apparently disliked him to the point of violent outbursts.

"Hey Greggo, how you feelin'?" Nick asked cautiously.

"Oh you know, like I've gotten beat up for no reason," Greg said in a sarcastic tone. This succeeded in making Nick look even guiltier and Greg cursed himself for always being such a smart ass.

"G, I'm so sorry about that. It shouldn't have happened. I know your probably wondering what the hell is going on and you deserve a complete explanation. Grissom gave us both the rest of the night off and I really was hoping we could talk about this somewhere other than the lab, maybe grab a bite to eat or a beer or something."

The nervousness had returned to Nick's features and his eyes were pleading now. Greg couldn't resist his request and besides he'd finally get some answers.

"Okay Nick, sounds good, but do you think we could just go to my apartment and order in? I'm not really in the mood to be out in public. Besides I would probably look a little weird with an ice pack strapped to my face." With that Greg flashed a big grin hoping to get Nick to lighten up a bit.

Nick gave a tiny smile, "Sure G, whatever you want. I'll pick up some beer and meet you at your place. Are you okay to drive?"

"I'll be fine and you better not cheap out on the beer. Getting punched always makes me crave the expensive imported brands."

Nick laughed, "I'll bet. So, over-priced beer it is." Nick gave another little laugh and headed out to the parking lot with Greg in tow.

 

Greg raced home so he could clean up before Nick got there. He wasn't a complete slob, but he figured his coffee table should at least be cleared so they would have somewhere to eat. As he tidied he speculated on what Nick could possibly tell him about this whole incident. The way Nick looked in the break room suggested it was somehow his fault. The more Greg thought about it the more confused he felt. He decided to try and let it go until the Texan told him what was really going on. No need to get himself worked up over nothing. Fifteen minutes after he walked through the door he heard a knock. Greg undid the lock and Nick came inside carrying a case of beer and the same duffel bag from earlier.

"Hey G, where do you want the beer?"

Greg grinned, "Ahh perfect, a whole case. Now I can really drink my troubles away, but Nick whatever will you drink?"

"Hilarious Greg," Nick said as he made his way to the kitchen, "This is going in your fridge whether you like it or not."

Greg walked into the kitchen just in time to see Nick bent over stocking the fridge with beers. The CSI's backside was a sight to behold, especially in the tight jeans he had elected to wear that day. As Greg stood there ogling he thought maybe this night wasn't so bad after all. Sure some guy he never met before flipped out on him, but now he was spending a night off with Nick and enjoying the view set out in front of him. When Nick stood up Greg remembered why he had come into the kitchen in the first place.

"So what do you want to order? Pizza, Chinese, other various Asian cuisines?"

Nick put a couple beers in the freezer and turned around, "Up to you G, I could eat whatever."

"Fine then pizza it is, sausage and jalapenos on yours, right?"

"You got it."

Nick went back into the living room. Greg ordered the pizza and went to join him. "Hey man, I know we have to talk and all, but I was wondering if it would be alright if I showered first? Besides, you should never discuss things on an empty stomach."

"Sure, no problem G. I'll just watch some TV or something."

"Cool. Oh and your paying for dinner right?"

"Your gonna milk this punching thing for all it's worth aren't you?"

"Moi? Of course," Greg smirked. Nick chuckled and Greg went into his room.

Nick stared after Greg. Instead of turning on the TV he began to think of what he was going to say and how to say it. He knew it was best to be straightforward and he hoped that he wouldn't get tongue tied when the time came. Before he knew it the pizza had arrived. Greg walked out of his room in a t-shirt and sweats as Nick was setting the box on the coffee table.

Greg hopped onto the couch, "Sweet, just in time. Want to go grab us a couple beers there Nick?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Greg pretended to think for a minute, "No, not really."

Nick tried to hide a smile and rolled his eyes. "Well then sure Greg, it would make me immensely happy to go fetch us some beer."

Nick grabbed the now cold beers he had stashed in the freezer and he and Greg proceeded to devour the pizza while watching a little mindless television. They slipped into silence and by the time they were finished eating things were feeling a little awkward. They both knew their talk was coming and each had become slightly nervous for their own separate reasons. After half an hour of staring at the screen in front of them, it was Nick who finally broke the silence.

"So Greggo you probably have a lot of questions about what happened tonight."

Greg took a deep breath and turned off the TV. Oh goody, here comes the big talk.

He didn't know why he was so nervous. It was Nick who had some explaining to do. Greg chalked it up to the natural fear of the unknown, as he didn't even have a clue to what Nick was about to tell him.

"Not really Nick, it's mainly one big, simple question. Why did Brian hit me?"

Nick steeled his nerves and mental reviewed his strategy. There was no going back now. "I wish the explanation was as simple as the question. I guess I should start by saying that I'm the reason Brian got so upset with you," Nick paused and reached down into the duffel bag he had brought in with him. He pulled out a notebook, "Or at least, this is. It's my journal."

If Greg thought he was confused before, it was nothing compared to how he was feeling now. All he could do was sit there and listen to what else Nick had to say; hoping things would eventually become clear.

"Now before I tell you exactly why Brian's outburst happened, there's something you need to know about me and how I know Brian." Nick closed his eyes. Say it quick, don't dwell on it. Just like ripping off a band-aid. Nick sighed, here goes nothing, "Greg, I'm...I'm gay. Brian is a guy I was seeing for a couple months."

Greg was stunned. He couldn't form coherent words. He could just sputter while thoughts raced through his mind. He's gay? He's GAY?!! All this time! All this time there was hope and I didn't know.

Greg finally managed to squeak out, "What?"

Nick watched Greg's expressions carefully. "G, I know you're in shock. I just hope that we can still be friends. I'm still the same person."

Greg couldn't believe it. Nick was afraid he wouldn't accept him. He wanted to tell Nick not to worry, that he knows exactly how he feels, that he is the same way, and most importantly that he would never give him up as a friend. Instead, "But you're a ladies man!" came out of his mouth.

Nick smiled sadly, "I never said that G. People just assumed and I let them."

"What about that girl, the hooker, Kristy?"

"That...that was a mistake; in more ways than one. Even I don't really know why it happened."

Nick's heart sunk. If this was how Greg reacted to when he told him he was gay, how would he react when Nick told him how he truly felt about him? He decided he better cut his losses while he still could.

"Look Greg, no one at work knows except Warrick and I...I'd like to keep it that way. And I understand if your not comfortable, but I promise I'll show you I'm still the same."

I'm a complete idiot, Greg thought. Now Nick thinks I'm weirded out by him. Great job Sanders, make the guy your crazy about think you're a homophobe. Greg smiled warmly and looked Nick in the eye. "Nick it's alright. No one at work knows about me either."

Now it was Nick's turned to be stunned. "Huh? What?"

"You heard me Stokes."

"But you...you like Sara."

Greg shrugged, "I'm bi. And I don't really like Sara, I admire her more than anything."

The thoughts running through Nick's head were almost identical to the ones Greg had only minutes ago. If Nick had known Greg was gay all his recent torment would have been non-existent. He just kept wondering how he missed it all this time.

Greg could see that Nick was completely caught off guard. "Sooo...now that's out of the way, wanna tell me what happened tonight and how all of this fits together? Cause as amazing as I am, I can't read minds."

Nick let out a sigh of relief and a smile formed on his face, he was still a little nervous, but things felt like they had gotten a whole lot easier. Already a huge weight felt lifted off him. Greg knew he was gay and he didn't have any problems with it. Hell, Greg was gay himself! That fact alone made Nick feel giddy. He was surprised he hadn't started giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Right G, sorry. That is the reason I'm here."

Greg shook his head, "There's no reason to be sorry Nick."

Nick looked at Greg and began his story. "I guess all of this started two nights ago. Brian told me that he wanted to have a real relationship and basically I didn't. We we're seeing each other for two months, but it wasn't serious. We were just...uh..." Nick began to blush.

"Fuck buddies?" Greg supplied with a smirk.

After clearing his throat Nick began again, "Uh, yeah. Anyway when I left that night I also left my duffel bag of extra clothes. This bag actually." Nick lifted the bag he had taken his journal from. "As I showed you earlier, my journal was in there. Apparently Brian came to his senses about our relationship since the other night. Then earlier today he found my bag and was going to return it with an apology. That is until he found my journal and read it. Greg the reason he punched you was because I wrote about you in my journal."

Greg's eyes were wide as saucers. What the hell was in that journal?

The next thing Nick had to say was going to be big. He mustered up his courage, took a deep breath, and continued. "Greg in the journal I wrote that I..."

"That you what Nick?" Greg said softly

"That I love you. I'm in love with you and that is why I can't have a relationship with anyone else. Because even though I don't know how you feel about me, not knowing means I can still have hope even if you don't feel the same, which you probably don't. Pathetic, huh?" Nick chanced a quick look at Greg's eyes and then hung his head.

As for Greg, thank God he had a strong heart with all the shocks his system received in the past twenty minutes. First Nick was gay, now he was in love with him. Nick Stokes was in love with him, Greg Sanders, lowly lab rat. Greg thought maybe it was a dream, but pinching just hurt, it didn't wake him up. All of a sudden he realized that he was sitting there wide eyed and staring while Nick was waiting for an answer. Nick had put it all on the line and what did Greg do? He became a staring mute. Greg needed to fix this. He needed to show Nick that he felt the same way.

Slowly he moved a little closer to Nick on the couch. He reached out his hand, cupping the Texan's chin, and then pulled Nick's face up so that his eyes were looking directly into Greg's. He saw fear and anxiety in them and realized those were two things he never wanted to see in Nick's eyes again.

"Your not pathetic, Nick."

Greg leaned forward and brushed his lips against Nick's. He closed his eyes and planted his lips firmly on the other man's. He opened his mouth, licking Nick's lips with the edge of his tongue. Nick gave in and everything they had felt for each other poured out into that kiss. Tongues intertwined fighting for dominance. Hands were being used to pull each other closer until there was virtually no space between them. If they weren't in such desperate need of oxygen they might never have parted. When they finally pulled away from each other, they were both grinning like idiots and gasping for breath.

Greg, though still panting, was the first to recover speech, "I love...you too...Nick."

Nick moved his face back towards Greg's and gave him a quick kiss then pulled him into a tight hug. "I can't believe this is happening. It's like a dream."

"Not a dream, pinched myself." Greg mumbled into Nick's neck.

Nick laughed and pulled back his head. He stared into Greg's eyes and then went to kiss him again. The kiss started softly, but as it intensified so did Nick's need for Greg. He pushed the younger man back onto the couch and lay on top of him. Nick moved from Greg's lips down to his neck. Greg let out a soft moan when he began sucking on his Adam's apple. Nick trailed his tongue up the side of Greg's neck and began to nibble on his ear. Underneath him, Greg thrust his hips up grinding their growing erections together.

"Jesus Greg," Nick gasped. Greg had a smug look on his face and Nick thought, Two can play that game. He mimicked the younger man's moves and ground his hips down.

Greg moaned loudly. "Enough Stokes. Bedroom. Now."

Nick was pleased that he had take away Greg's ability to form coherent sentences. He stood up and pulled Greg to his feet. Greg moved in for a searing kiss before taking Nick's hand and leading him down the hallway to the bedroom.

 

Nick let Greg pull him down the hall and into the to the bedroom before he grabbed the younger man and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. He moved them closer to the bed before reaching down, grabbing the hem of Greg's t-shirt, and pulling it up over his head. A moment later, Greg's lips were back on his and the button down shirt he was wearing was quickly being removed by nimble fingers. Nick slowly ran his hands along Greg's chest. His fingers rubbed over Greg's already hard nipples and Greg moaned into his mouth. Nick's fingertips trailed lightly down the younger man's stomach and Greg let out a whimper when they reached the top of his jeans. Nick teasingly slid one hand over the bulge that was straining the denim fabric. "Fuck...Nicky, take them off, please..." Greg pleaded.

Nick couldn't believe it. When he woke up today, never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Greg Sanders would be half-naked in front of him and begging for him to keep going. Not wanting to disappoint, Nick undid Greg's jeans and grabbing the waistband of his boxers, pushed both articles down over Greg's hips, letting them drop to the floor. Greg kicked them aside while Nick took a moment to move back and get a full view of the lab tech's body in all its nude glory. He moved back towards Greg and pushed him back onto the bed. Nick straddled Greg's hips and rocked against him bringing Greg's naked erection against his own still covered length.

Greg groaned. "Not fair Nick, you have too many clothes on. Take them off, I want to feel you."

Nick decided he was going to have fun with this. He reached down, grabbed hold of Greg's cock and started stoking it lightly. "What do you want G? I couldn't understand you."

"Mmmm...you heard me...shit...stop that...you're going to make me come." Greg tried to move Nick's hand.

Nick smiled and swatted away Greg's hand, "Nuh uh, Greg, not until you tell me what you want." Nick looked into Greg's eyes and his voice took on a low, seductive tone. "Come on Greggo, tell me. What do you want me to do for you?" He said as he ran his thumb over the tip of Greg's shaft.

Greg shuddered and arched his back. "Fucking...tease!...What I want...is for you to get rid of your clothes...Jesus...and then for you to fuck me...hard...make me yours Nicky. Please Nick, need you inside me."

The sound of Greg pleading went straight to Nick's groin. It was all he needed to hastily leave the bed and strip off his remaining clothing with lightening speed. In his absence Greg reached into his nightstand drawer to retrieve his condoms and lube. When Nick returned to the bed, Greg was waiting for him with his knees pressed against his chest exposing his tight pink entrance. Nick realized that he must have been staring because Greg had become impatient and was holding the lube, getting ready to prepare himself. Nick snapped back to reality and snatched the bottle from his hands. "Let me Greg, just lay back and relax."

Greg took a deep breath and sunk back into the bed. As he watched Nick in front of him, coating his fingers, it finally hit him that his biggest fantasy was about to come true. He was going to what it was like to have Nick Stokes inside him, feeling his body up against him, knowing that Nick was there only for him. Greg smiled at the thought, a smile that turned into a look of satisfaction when Nick finally slid a finger into him past the tight ring of muscle. Greg cried out with pleasure when Nick curled the finger and found his prostate. "Oh God...Nick!"

Nick inserted a second digit into Greg and scissored his fingers, stretching the muscle. Greg couldn't take it any more. "Nicky, please, I'm ready. Need to feel you inside me."

Nick pulled his fingers from Greg and grabbed a condom from the bed. He ripped the package open with his teeth and slid the condom down his shaft. He opened the lube and covered himself and Greg with it. Nick positioned himself at Greg's opening.

Greg could feel Nick's blunt head seeking entrance and pushed against it. "Push it in Nick...all the way...Please...need you," he choked out.

Nick thrust all of himself into Greg's silky heat causing Greg to let out a small scream. "Greg, baby, are you ok?"

"Yeah just give me a minute." They stayed still for a few moments, the pain subsided and Greg adjusted to Nick's size. He rocked hips into Nick letting the other man know it was ok to continue. Nick began to slowly thrust in and out of Greg. And Nick thought he must be in heaven because he had wanted this for so long. Greg was laying underneath him eyes staring into his, mouth open, panting. Greg was finally his.

They began to move faster, more frantically against each other. Nick knew they wouldn't last much longer. They had been waiting for this release for too long. It didn't help that Greg was babbling things like, "Fuck, so good," and "Harder Nicky, fuck me harder." Nick reached down and grasped Greg's cock stroking it in time with his now urgent thrusts. Nick could feel Greg's muscles tightening around him and he knew Greg was close.

"Oh...Nick!" Nick continued stoking Greg as he released onto his stomach and Nick's hand. Nick brought his hand up and licked Greg's essence off his fingers. His orgasm combined with the sight of Nick licking his come off of his hand almost made Greg pass out with sheer pleasure.

"Greg, gonna come..." Nick thrust in once more and let out a grunt, filling the condom inside Greg. He collapsed onto his new lover in a satisfied daze. They lay there holding each other coming down from their high. Finally Nick found enough strength to slide himself out of Greg. He rolled over and removed the condom, tossing it in the trashcan, and lay back on the bed.

Greg didn't want to break contact with the older man. He let out a disappointed moan when Nick pulled out of him. Once Nick lay back in bed Greg turned his body to face him. He moved his hand and began stroking the Texan's well-toned chest. "Nick, that was...amazing."

Nick looked into Greg's eyes and a smile filled his face. He put his hand behind Greg's neck and brought him down for a kiss. "You're amazing G." Greg beamed and Nick kissed him again. "I'm exhausted, let's get some sleep."

"Good idea," Greg said before laying his head on Nick's chest and drifting off for some much needed rest.

---------------

Later that morning, Nick woke and reached his hand out across the bed, but he was alone. He opened his eyes and sat up. Thoughts started running through his mind, Where's Greg? Did he leave? Was last night a one-time thing? But he said he... All of a sudden Nick realized something. He was in Greg's apartment, Greg's bed. He shook his head and cursed himself for being so insecure. Nick rolled out of bed and located his boxers from the night before. Slipping them on he left Greg's bedroom and headed for the living room. As he turned into the room from the hallway, he stopped. There in front of him on the couch sat Greg intently reading something which Nick quickly recognized as his journal.

Greg looked up and grinned with a twinkle in his eye. "So Nicky, spiky-haired sex god? And that was before I even had the chance to rock you world."

Nick blushed a dark shade of red and went to sit on the couch. "Greg, that's private. You aren't supposed to be reading it."

"Oh come on Nick, it's mostly all about me anyways and I was curious what you wrote to make Brian that upset." Greg leaned forward and brought his lips to Nick's ear, "By the way, that fantasy you wrote about, the one with the hand cuffs? I have my own personal set we could use whenever you're feeling...adventurous."

Greg then traced his tongue along the outside of Nick's ear and felt the CSI shudder against him. "I don't know about you Nicky, but I need a shower. There's plenty of room for two." With that, Greg got off the couch and walked out of the room towards his bathroom. It took a moment for Nick to process what Greg had said before he jumped up and followed him down the hall.

Greg was turning on the taps in the shower when Nick came in behind him. "Guess I'm irresistible, huh?" Nick rolled his eyes and pulled Greg in for a kiss. "I'll take that as a yes," Greg said with a smirk. He pulled off his boxers and got into the shower. He peeked around the curtain at Nick, "Aren't you going to join me?"

A second later Nick was in the shower with his arms around Greg kissing him under the water. Greg slowly pushed Nick back until he was against the tile. He ground his hips into Nick causing him to break their kiss and let out a moan. Greg then latched onto Nick's neck and began sucking and nibbling his way across it.

Nick slid his hands down Greg's back, cupping the firm globes of his ass and began massaging them. Greg drew back from his neck and smirked before kneeling down in front of Nick.

Nick's eyes popped open at the shifting of bodies. "G what are...*gasp* Ohh, Greg." Greg had begun to run his tongue across Nick's now rock hard member. He reached one hand up to cup Nick's balls and began rolling them around in his fingers. Greg used his tongue to trace the throbbing vein down the underside of Nick's cock. He looked up to see the older man with his head back against the wall, eyes shut, and mouth open moaning in response to his ministrations. "Yes G, right there...so good baby."

Greg opened his lips and enveloped Nick's erection with his mouth, taking as much as he could into his throat. He brought his hands to Nick's hips and held him against the wall. Greg began sucking harder, hallowing his cheeks as Nick's cock moved in and out his mouth.

Nick grasped onto Greg's hair. "So close Greg...so close...please..."

Greg could feel Nick tense beneath him before he came, shooting his hot fluid down Greg's throat. Greg continued sucking until Nick's spasming subsided then he let the now limp cock fall from his lips. He stood up and kissed his love, who was still recovering against the wall.

After Greg pulled back from his kiss, Nick opened his eyes and smiling said, "Shit Greg, your gonna be the death of me. I'm an old man remember."

"Nick your not that much older than I am, and there's no way in hell you can call yourself old. Otherwise I'd have to call myself middle aged and that's hardly true," Greg said a little indignantly.

Nick just laughed and pulled Greg in for a hug. "Uh, G?"

"Yeah Nick?"

"Your still hard." They both looked down. Nick took Greg's throbbing member into his hand and began to stroke it. "Let me help you with that, G."

Greg moaned and placed his forehead against Nick's chest. Nick began to stroke harder and Greg grabbed onto the Texan's broad shoulders for support. "Come on Greg, come for me baby, come in my hand."

Greg could feel himself getting closer to orgasm. He got lost in the sensations of Nick's touch, incoherent babbling mixed with needy moans. Soon he felt his stomach tighten and he let go, coming all over Nick's hand, "Jesus!...I'm coming...Nick..." He slumped against the Nick's strong frame, completely spent. When he picked his head up again, Greg watched as Nick pulled his hand up and licked off his come for the second time that day. "God Nick, that is so hot. Even better than my fantasies."

Nick let out a low chuckle, "Fantasies, hmm? Maybe you could share some of them with me. Besides you owe me for reading my journal."

"I have an idea. Let's get cleaned up and I'll tell you a couple of my favorite fantasies over breakfast." Greg winked, "Although I hate to tell you my biggest fantasy has recently come true so these will only be sub-categories of that fantasy."

Nick smiled and shook his head, "Only you would have your fantasies arranged into categories and sub-categories, G. But breakfast does sound good. I've worked up an appetite fulfilling that fantasy of yours."

"Oh really? I managed to work up an appetite of my own while I was trying to fulfill your fantasy as well," Greg retorted.

"Who said anything about my fantasy?"

"Your journal."

"Oh...right." Nick smiled sheepishly and blushed.

"Nick Stokes you are so fucking adorable when you're embarrassed." Greg pulled him in for a hug. "Come on. If we hurry up there might be a few more fantasies we can explore after breakfast."

Once they got out of the shower Nick and Greg went for breakfast at a diner close by. After breakfast they spent the afternoon in bed taking time to explore each other. They eventually passed out, exhausted, but happy.

Later in the evening, before shift, Nick woke up feeling Greg's back pressed up against his chest. His face wore a smile of contentment and he tightened his grip around Greg, bring the younger man closer to him. Greg sighed, "Nick I know you can't get enough of me, but do you have to crush me?"

Nick quickly moved back from Greg and propped himself up on his elbow, startled by the fact that his lover was awake. Greg rolled onto his back to face Nick, a smile crossed his features, "Aww Nicky, did I scare you?' he teased.

"I'll give you scared," Nick said and began to tickle Greg. Greg writhed and giggled until he finally caught Nick's hands. Nick bent down, getting close to Greg's face, "Sorry, I didn't mean to crush you." Then he leaned in and captured Greg's lips in a loving kiss.

"Hmm, I suppose I'll forgive you," Greg smirked and reached up to give Nick a peck. "We need to get ready for work soon."

Nick frowned, "Let's call in sick."

"Nick we were given off early last night. Besides, after all the drama that went on there is no way that we can both call in sick and not seem suspicious. Speaking of work, do you need to go home before shift?"

"Nah, I have spare clothes, " Nick laughed.

Greg was puzzled, "What?"

"I just realized the only reason I have spare clothes is because Brian brought that black duffel bag with him."

"The one with your journal?" Nick nodded. "You know he helped us a lot when you think about it. Without him, you never would have felt guilty and confessed your love for me. And now you can leave from here for work, so we have extra time for a shower." Greg wiggled his eyebrows.

Nick grinned, "First of all Greg, I was planning on telling you how I felt soon anyway. And secondly, I'm pretty sure that if we shower together we will never make it in on time."

Greg huffed, "Fine, separate showers." He smirked, "So what are you going to tell Grissom about last night?"

"I have no idea Greggo. I guess I'll see what happens. But I might have to tell him about us, you know how he can be with lab relationships. Are you okay with that?"

"That we're in a relationship? Of course! Does this mean I can introduce you as my boyfriend, or how about 'sweet cheeks', or maybe 'honey bun'?" Greg joked.

"Greg, come on, be serious."

"Look Nick, I've never hidden who I was from anyone at the lab, they also never asked. Actually I think Sara might know, but she hasn't said anything. Anyway, the point is, I'm not afraid if that's what you mean. I know who I am and if people can't accept that, well then they can go fuck themselves. Besides, the people at the lab are like family, well night shift that is. I can't see any of them treating us differently because we like men. You said Warrick was cool with it right?"

Nick smiled, "Yeah, he knew before I even told him."

"Are you okay with it Nicky? I mean earlier you said you wanted to keep the fact that you were gay a secret."

"Well I partly said that because I thought you were getting freaked out by my admission, but I guess I am a little uncomfortable. It's not exactly easy admitting your gay when you grew up where I did. My dad still doesn't treat me the same since he found out, but the rest of my family took it pretty well, which was more than I could have hoped for. Still of all the people in the lab finding out I think I was most worried about Warrick and that did go surprisingly well."

"You are CSI's Nick, you're trained to look for things others can't see. I know Catherine always gives me a look whenever I flirt with you in the lab. Maybe she knows too. Hell maybe they all know and this discussion is completely irrelevant."

Nick sighed, "I hope your right Greg. Either way I need to talk to Grissom and I think it would be worse for us if he found out later on that we were dating and didn't tell him. And I think I owe everyone some sort of apology for what happened. The whole lab was disrupted because of me. I'll say something during case assignment, otherwise I'll feel awful about it."

Greg giggled, "Nick Stokes, you are the epitome of a gentleman, and your all mine." He gave Nick a quick kiss, "Now come on stop thinking too hard. We need to start getting ready or we'll be late even without sharing a shower."

Nick looked at him and his lips curved into a smile. "I love you G."

"I love you too, Nicky." They kissed and got up to get ready for the night.

------------------------------------

Nick got to work and headed towards the locker room. He opened the door to find Warrick changing by his locker. "Hey Nick! Man, I heard about what happened to Sanders last night. I told you that Brian guy seemed a little screwy. You break it off with him and he goes around assaulting your co-workers, that is not someone in their right mind."

Great, Nick thought, two minutes in the building and already I'm getting questioned about last night. Oh, well at least it's only Ric. Don't have as much to explain to him as the rest of the team.

Nick put his bag on the bench and sighed, "He wasn't crazy Ric and he hit Greg for a reason. Long story short, Brian read my journal where I wrote my true feelings about Greg and got upset. You seem to know the rest."

"Damn, what did you tell Sanders? I heard he was confused as hell."

Just then Greg walked into the locker room. He caught Nick's eye and both men quickly looked away, a blush rising in their cheeks and a grin forming on their lips. Warrick studied this reaction and smiled. Greg cleared his throat and began walking to his locker, "Hey guys, didn't mean to interrupt anything. Just gotta grab my lab coat and I'm off."

Nick became suddenly preoccupied with his combination lock and Greg retrieved his lab coat in record time. Warrick kept silently observing as the lab tech exited the room, pausing at the door to meet Nick's eyes once more. The two men exchanged smiles before Greg left once again leaving Nick alone with Warrick. Warrick walked over to where Nick stood. "Okay, what the hell was that?"

Nick continued with his lock. "What was what Ric?"

"That, with you and Greg. The little smiles, the blushing, the inability to remember your locker combination."

Nick looked up, "I was not blushing!"

Warrick's eyes lit up, "Oh my God, you told him didn't you? And it went well. Are you two together now?" The smile that formed on Nick's face told him all he needed to know. "Finally! I told you he liked you, but no Nick Stokes couldn't believe that someone who flirted with him everyday would ever be interested in him."

"Shh Warrick. Keep it down. Your big mouth is not how I want the lab to find out about Greg and I. I'm going to apologize to the team for yesterday during case assignment and it'll probably come out then. Do you think you can keep quiet for another ten minutes?"

"Of course I can. And don't worry, no one will care, and besides I got your back. They mess with you they mess with me."

Nick grinned. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as he thought. "Thanks Ric."

"No problem. See you in the break room." Warrick shut his locker and left.

Nick put his things away, took a deep breath and headed for the break room himself. On the way he looked into Greg's lab and received a brilliant smile and a thumbs up from the tech. He felt instantly more relaxed. Nick knew in his heart that Greg was worth any friends he may lose and so much more. He smiled back at Greg and continued down the hall stopping outside the break room. He wanted to speak to Grissom before addressing the rest of the team. Like clockwork, Nick saw Grissom heading down the hall with the night's assignments in hand. He stopped in front of Nick, "Hi Nick, is there something I can do for you?"

"Uh yeah Gris. I just wanted to let you know that everything from last night is cleared up and there won't be anymore problems."

"Good to hear. Is that all?"

"No actually, I was wondering if I could make an apology to the team before you handed out assignments and maybe offer an explanation as well. I'm sure you're all curious."

"I think that's a good idea Nick." He walked with Grissom into the break room and Grissom announced, "Nick has something to say," before sitting with the rest of the team.

Nick stood in front of his coworkers. Behind him, Greg was peering around a corner into the break room, wanting to know how this would play out. Nick took a deep breath and began. "I just wanted to apologize to you all for last night. The disturbance that occurred was a result of my actions although I had no idea that it was going to happen. Now as for a reason why..."

Nick steadied himself. This was going to be the hard part. And he really wished Warrick wasn't grinning at him like an idiot. Nick closed his eyes and resumed his story. "I'll try to be brief. Brian Dennis was a man that...that I had been seeing for a couple months. I recently broke it off with him and when I did I accidentally left my journal at his house. He read it and found out that the reason I broke up with him was because I had feelings for...for Greg. That is why came to the lab and why he punched Greg. I'm truly sorry that my personal life caused such problems for all of you and I promise it will not happen again."

Nick began to open his eyes and observe the faces around him. Warrick was still grinning and Catherine had joined him. Sara was looking slightly confused and Grissom was wearing his normal stoic expression with an ever so slight hint of a grin. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. No one had screamed or freaked out on him. They all seemed to be taking it in stride. Sara was the first to speak, "What did you tell Greg? I mean about what happened to him?"

Nick blinked as though it were obvious. "I told him the truth."

Sara seemed to catch the grin that Catherine and Warrick already shared. "And what did he say? How did he take it?"

This question made Nick's whole face blush. He ducked his head to keep his friends from seeing the radiant smile that was forming on his face. He couldn't help it. Every time he thought of Greg it made him light up. Warrick could no longer take that the now obvious was not being stated, "Oh come on man, tell them. Your damn smile gives it away anyway."

Nick looked up, "Uh Greg and I are...sort of...were kind of...we're seeing each other." Even Grissom smiled at this statement and Nick knew it wouldn't be a problem for anyone. The secret he had kept from his friends was finally out in the open and no one thought any different of him. He saw Catherine and Warrick begin to argue over something and looked at them questioningly. Catherine noticed his expression and said, "Nick could you do us a favor, would you mind settling something for us?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Who was the first to say that they had feelings for the other? Greg or yourself?"

Nick was puzzled, but responded, "That would be me. I told Greg I liked him before he told me."

Warrick shot his fist in the air, "Yes! That's my man!" He looked at Catherine, "You owe me Fifty, Cath." Catherine rolled her eyes and handed him money from her back pocket.

Nick was shocked, "You had a bet going? You knew we liked each other?"

Catherine laughed, "Nicky, honey, I think everyone but the two of you knew how you felt about each other. You did flirt with each other like crazy."

Nick stood there, mouth open. He couldn't believe it. Grissom stood up taking control of the group, "All right everyone. Everything is out in the open, time to get back to work." Behind him a grinning lab rat could be seen scampering back to his space.

Grissom handed out assignments. Nick was paired with Catherine and by the look on her face he knew she was going to want details on the drive out to their crime scene. "Hey Cath, I'll meet you in the parking lot. I gotta take care of something real quick."

Catherine nodded giving him a knowing smile. Nick turned and headed in the direction of the DNA lab. Greg saw him coming through the glass walls and put down the tests he was working on. Nick opened the door and walked up to Greg with a giant smile on his face. "I did it G. I told them everything and they didn't care. They're happy for us."

Greg pulled him in for a quick hug. "I know Nicky, I'm so proud of you."

"You know?"

Greg blushed, "I was watching through the wall of the break room."

"Oh I see," Nick grinned, "Well I just wanted to tell you the good news, though I guess you already know. I'm headed out on a case with Catherine so I'll see you later."

Greg gave him another hug, "See you later Nicky." Nick turned around to leave and as he opened the door Greg called, "Wait!" He turned back around. Greg came up to him and leaned in close, lowering his voice. "Since you've been such a good boy, maybe I can break out my handcuffs after shift."

Nick flushed from what felt like head to toe. Greg gave him a wicked smile and moved away, "Isn't Catherine waiting for you Nick?"

Nick cleared his throat, "Yeah, I'd better go."

As he walked out of the lab and down the hallway to the parking lot the only thought running through his head was that Greg Sanders would surely be the death of him. His lips curved into a smile and he knew he was more than okay with that.

The End