Title: Spark of Anger
Author: Dee
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1406
Pairing: Gil/Nick
Characters: Gil Grissom and Nick Stokes
Warnings: V.fluffy and AU.
Spoilers: For S.5.E19 and 25. 'Spark Of Life' and 'Grave Danger'
Disclaimer: In my dreams they are like, totally mine!
Unbeta-ed: All mistakes will be mine.
A/N 1: I saw epi on the telly last night ...Nick had v.v.little to do in it and I was seriously aggrieved! So I wrote this little fic to redress the balance!

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Nick didn't suffer from headaches but he could feel one now; it felt as if a weight was pressing down on his forehead and forcing his eyebrows downwards. He'd been doing lab work for four or more hours...maybe he needed to get his eyes checked out.

But he finished what he was doing and downloaded the report, signed it and smiled down at the printed papers. Ecklie's new, okay it was only borrowed, machine was a good tool but it was still laborious work to set it up, get the programme running and decipher the results.

But the results were significant. The body had been moved; in all probability the original blood pool had been obliterated by the blood from the wound after the body had been moved. So it was very unlikely that the guy could had murdered his wife and then committed suicide. It was too early to hypothesise but the case was not straightforward.

He picked up the folder containing his report and went in search of Catherine to impart the information. He never reached her office because as he approached the small conference room, there she was with Warrick, Grissom and, of course, Sara...sometimes her smugness was overwhelming and he seriously wanted to slap her and today was definitely one of those days.

He went to the door and heard that they were discussing the case and he had quite plainly been excluded from the meeting. For the first time? Like hell.

"Here's the report; the body was moved after the fatal shot." He didn't deliberately sling the file at Catherine but it slithered angrily across the table to rest in front of her.

"It seems our cases are linked. The burned woman had sex with the deceased in his bed."

"Right. Catherine I have to go home, I'm about dead on my feet. I've worked a double and a half straight off."

"So have Warrick and I..."

"...no, you haven't, you done a shift and a half but I was in early to help days on the Petersen case."

"Oh, yes. If you need to rest then you should go." Not only did he wish he could slap Sara but he just added Catherine to the short list. She couldn't have spoken with a more disdainful tone if she'd tried.

Nick's headache was pounding through his temple and he was so angry that he could have launched himself at her but very luckily said nothing and turned and left immediately. Fuck, Sofia had said that even Grissom has sent Greg home to rest up and Catherine was behaving like some hifalutin lab boss.

If they noticed that the normally polite and accommodating Nick Stokes had left in a temper they didn't remark on it as they continued their discussion of their now related cases...adding Nick's discovery to the evidence they already possessed.

Nick got home in one piece and without a ticket and he was surprised given some erratic driving. He'd spent years being a second class citizen on Grissom's team and despite Grissom's recommendation he didn't get the lead CSI job. He'd hoped he would fare better with Catherine but that had fizzled out. While she thought Nick was a nice boy and a baby brother type, Warrick was a stud and she was quite plainly making a play for him. Nick knew Warrick wasn't keen or they'd have already done the deed.

But what was it with these women? Sara salivating over Grissom and Catherine thrusting her cleavage at Warrick. He could tell Sara a thing or two about Grissom and how useless it was for her to get her knickers wet waiting for him...and that Warrick was hot and heavy with a nurse at Desert Palm...but he wouldn't. He wasn't a snitch.

He undressed wearily, took out his lenses and then took a shower, towelled himself almost dry, cleaned his teeth and threw himself under his blankets. He hoped he wouldn't need any painkillers for his still pounding head and he didn't...he was asleep in seconds. He slept for ten hours and was groggy when his bladder forced him out of bed. He'd had too much sleep and he smiled at the irony. He spent most of his life getting not quite enough sleep and when he had a good sleep he always regretted it.

He threw some sweats on and went to the kitchen to make coffee. A couple of mugs of hot and strong Hawaiian blend and he'd be okay. He'd just sat down with his first mug still steaming and switched on his TV to a news channel when the doorbell rang.

He had a good idea who it was. He opened the door and Grissom walked past him into his living room.

"You okay after a good sleep? You looked like death warmed over when you left last night."

"I had a bad head."

Grissom looked surprised. "Are you okay? You don't have headaches do you?"

"No, I don't. But it was a twenty hours...plus...day; maybe my prescription needs checking."

"You should get it checked we depend on good eyesight." Grissom was standing opposite Nick and was smiling at him quite benevolently. Nick hadn't offered his a seat or a coffee and suddenly he had a thought...

This thought came at exactly the same moment that Gil ran a finger down the centre of Nick's bare chest to his navel and stopped just above it rubbing the skin gently.

Nick looked down at the finger and then the hand and then deliberately took Gil's hand and moved it from his body.

"This is over." Nick had never intended this but it suddenly seemed the right thing to do, even if he was no longer his supervisor, it was still a sordid affair. Secret. Only when Grissom wanted him. They didn't do much. Fucked. Watched TV. Fucked. Ate together at their homes. Fucked. That was about the sum total of it. Maybe it suited him once upon a time. But not now. He was over Grissom. He was over Catherine. Maybe he was over Las Vegas too.

He saw Grissom swallow and he knew he was shocked...as much a Grissom was ever shocked by anything.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I am."

"I said if either one of us decided it was over...then..."

"Yeah. I decided. It's over."

Grissom stood there for a full minute just staring at Nick. Perhaps he was more shocked than Nick had given him credit for.

"I have had...a...good time...yes, a good time, Nick. I'm sorry it's over." And just like that Grissom was back to his normal self. "If I can do anything for you, or you need me...you know my number." Grissom hovered for a few moments longer obviously undecided whether to just leave, shake his hand, kiss him...or ask for a final fuck.

He left. Just nodded and left.

Nick was sad. If he pushed himself to answer truthfully to his shaving mirror, he was pissed that Grissom hadn't put up a fight, or argued...or anything. It had been the best part of three years and he'd just walked out. When he'd had a couple of beers, on his own, he would admit to be lonely and missing him. When he had had a couple, or more shots of tequila just the once...two weeks after he'd dismissed Grissom, he sobbed himself to sleep.

ooOoo

The very next time his doorbell rang, he jumped out of his skin. It was seven weeks later and he'd been out of hospital for four days; his family had gone home but he'd decided to stay although he was wavering now about going home to Texas. He looked through his spy hole and saw Grissom staring at him. He undid the security chain and then unlocked the two locks. He opened the door and stood aside.

Grissom walked in and shut the door behind him taking it out of Nick's hands to do so. He then stepped up to Nick and hugged him so tight it hurt. After a few minutes he pulled back and through his tears he spoke

"I will never leave you again, I promise."

Nick nodded and leaned back into the hug, his tears wetting Grissom's jacket. He wanted to feel safe again and he knew it would take time and that these were just baby steps but they were the right steps to take with the man he loved.

The End

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