Title: Sing Me To Sleep
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: Un-themed 8, mission_insane
Prompt: 5, Croon
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 rolled over and sat up, frowning as he looked at Greg. His boyfriend had been tossing and turning, keeping Nick awake with the constant movement. He didn't want to go sleep on the couch, but he was wondering if that might be the best thing for him to do.

"What's the matter, babe?" he asked, keeping his voice soft. He wasn't angry at Greg, but he didn't want to lose sleep. And he didn't want his boyfriend to toss and turn all night, either. He knew that Greg needed his rest, just as much as he himself did.

"Can't sleep," Greg said with a sigh, sitting up and facing Nick. "I'm sorry. I should go sleep in the other room," he said, kicking back the covers and preparing to get out of bed. "I didn't mean to wake you up, Nicky. Go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

Nick shook his head, reaching out to place a hand on Greg's shoulder. "Do you really think I can fall asleep without you being here beside me?" he asked, his voice very soft. "No way are you sleeping in the other room, Greg. I need to have you right here, so I know you're safe."

"How do you put up with me?" Greg asked, his eyes filling with tears as he turned his head to look at Nick. "I'm more trouble than you should have to deal with, Nicky. I don't know why you didn't kick me out of here a long time ago and give up on me."

"Because I love you," Nick answered, his voice equally soft. He pulled Greg into his arms, holding him close and moving a hand soothingly up and down Greg's back. "Shhh, baby, it's okay. You know there's no way I'm going to let you go, or let anything bad happen to you."

He hadn't done such a good job of protecting Greg when he was in the hospital, Nick thought, wincing as the memory came back to him. Maybe that was why he was so protective of Greg now -- he was trying to make up for that mistake as best he could.

"I know you won't, Nicky," Greg murmured, resting his forehead against Nick's shoulder. "But you shouldn't have to take all the responsibility for me. I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself -- or at least, I should be able to," he finished, his voice very low.

"We can't always take care of ourselves," Nick pointed out, pressing a kiss to Greg's hair. "Sometimes we all need help with that, Greggo. And that's part of what being in a relationship is -- not being afraid to ask for that help from the person you love when you need it."

Greg nodded, not speaking, just wrapping his arms around Nick's waist and holding on to him. Nick could feel his boyfriend trembling, and he knew that Greg was thinking about his past with Shane, and all the things that his abusive ex hadn't done for him.

A wave of anger swept over him at the thought of the abuse that Greg had endured for so long; he wanted nothing so much as to eradicate Shane from existence, and take away all of Greg's bad memories as well. Greg deserved so much better than what that bastard had put him through.

Well, now he did have better, a voice piped up in the back of Nick's mind. Greg had him; he was safe and protected, and more loved than he could have ever been in a lifetime spent with Shane. He would make up for all that Greg had suffered, and make him happy for the rest of his life.

"I love you, sweetheart," he whispered, wishing that he could think of something else to say, something that was eloquent and romantic, something that sounded like poetry. There were times when he hated his inability to come up with words like that.

But Greg didn't need those words all the time, he told himself. Greg needed to see his feelings in his actions; the words were reinforcements, but the important thing was that he show Greg how he felt. And he definitely had no problem expressing those emotions.

Nick leaned back against the pillows, pulling Greg down beside him and letting the younger man settle into his arms comfortably. "Can you fall asleep like this?" he asked, a little worried that they were too close for Greg's comfort. "With me holding you, I mean?"

"It's easier for me to fall asleep when you're holding me than when you're not," Greg said, sounding a little sheepish. "I know it's not usually the way you like to fall asleep, but I like being in your arms. I like falling asleep there -- and waking up there, too."

"Then you will -- every night and every morning," Nick murmured with a smile. "I'll even sing you to sleep," he offered, starting to hum the melody of "Rock A Bye Baby," then crooning the words, his voice getting louder until Greg shook with laughter in his arms.

"What? You don't like my singing?" he asked in mock outrage, holding back a smile. This was what he had wanted -- to make Greg smile, even laugh, to have him relaxed and happy. Now, hopefully he would be able to put his worries and fears aside and fall asleep.

"I love your singing," Greg told him, his voice soft and husky. "And I love that you're trying to make me feel better and sing me to sleep to help me relax. It's working, Nicky. But you don't have to croon a lullaby to me. All you have to do is hold me. I just need to know that you're close."

"I always will be, Greg," Nick said, touched by his boyfriend's words. "I'm always going to be right here by your side, whenever you need me. I wish I could have been there when you needed me most -- but I didn't know at the time that you were in so much danger."

"That wasn't your fault," Greg insisted, shaking his head. "I knew how much trouble Shane was, and I knew he was bad news. I just didn't have the balls to leave -- until he didn't want me any more." He sighed, closing his eyes. "Let's not talk about that now. It's in the past."

Nick couldn't have agreed more; he didn't want to discuss Shane, or anything that would make Greg tense and uneasy. He wanted his boyfriend to be able to fall asleep, here in his arms, all of his cares and worries washed away for at least the next few hours.

With that thought, he began to croon another lullaby, encouraged by the soft smile that curved Greg's lips when he heard the words. Nick kept on singing, almost feeling as though he was rocking a baby to sleep, even though Greg was definitely no child.

No, not a child, or a baby -- but Greg was the person who was closest to his heart. No, scratch that, Nick told himself with an inward smile. Greg was his heart. Greg was everything to him; he could do anything for this man. He wanted nothing more than to make Greg happy.

And really, it made him happy to be lying here with Greg in his arms, crooning the words of an old love song softly to him. It felt more right than anything he'd ever done before -- and just holding Greg soothed a part of his soul that had always been restless.

It didn't take long for Greg to fall asleep; Nick could tell that his boyfriend was slumbering by the measured, quiet sound of his breathing. He himself breathed a sigh of relief; he'd managed to relieve some of that tension that seemed to be so much a part of Greg these days.

He hoped that he would always be able to do so; he didn't want the man he loved to carry around the weight of the past forever. He hoped that once Shane was caught and put behind bars, that burden would slip away, and Greg would be able to put it behind him once and for all.

Closing his eyes, Nick allowed himself to relax as well, hoping that he would soon be able to join Greg in the land of dreams. They both needed to relax more, and if crooning a love song to his boyfriend would help them to do so, then he'd be singing like a canary each and every night.

***