Okay, kinda nervous about this. Wrote it in about an hour and it's super angsty. Unbetaed, so all mistakes? Mine. Characters and the CSI franchise? Yeah, those I can't lay claim to (sigh). But I can claim Allison!
WARNING: While predominately Greg/(female) OC, mentions of Greg/ other male. Don't want to ruin the story, but I'm stating it ahead of time, so please, don't flame me for the slash. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
A Fool In Love
Allison didn't see herself as a genius, but she liked to think that she wasn't stupid. She got an almost perfect score on her SAT's and was admitted to a prestigious college where she graduated with honors. The young New York native was far from dumb. So how, she wondered to herself, does a woman who's smart in her career life make such a fool of herself in her love life?
When Allison first met Greg Sanders, she was smitten. The lab-tech-turned-CSI intrigued her more than she would ever admit. How could someone who dresses so unique look sexier than a male model? How could a Marilyn Manson fan (she was more of a light rock fan herself) be such a romantic? And how could someone who sees violence and death for a living be so optimistic and cheerful?
Perhaps it was this initial infatuation that clouded the truth from her. Maybe it was the fluttering of excitement in her heart she felt whenever Greg smiled that she labeled as love that deluded her from reality.
Now, six months later, her heart felt the same, but her brain, the more intelligent organ, was starting to have second thoughts.
So here she was, on this hot Las Vegas night, facing the problem head on.
You don't know me but I know who you are
Mind
if I sit down
Do I look familiar if I don't well I should
I'm
sure you've seen me around
I know you've probably heard my
name
Though we've not been introduced
I'm the fool in love with
the fool
Who's still in love with you
Taking a deep breath and steeling herself against the 'enemy', Allison walked purposefully across the bar to where a tall, dark-haired man sat. He was chatting up some red head when Allison tapped pointedly on his shoulder. He turned and gave her a charming smile. "Can I help you with something?" He queried in an accent rich voice.
"Are you Nick Stokes?"
A suspicious look crossed his face. "Yeah, why?"
She gave a small smile. "I know this must seem really odd, but we could we talk? I'm Allison, by the way, Allison Winther. I'm sure you've heard of me at one point or another."
"Allison . . ." His dark eyes bore into her blue ones, but she didn't look away. "Allison Winther . . . . . Wait, you're- You're Ally, aren't you? Greg's girlfriend?" She blushed slightly at the moniker, always going by Allison until Greg, and nodded. He gave a jovial grin and held out his hand. Allison noted the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Man, its nice to meet the girl that G is always raving about."
"Thanks, he speaks highly of you as well." She shifted nervously from foot to foot. She was starting to like Nick. He was obviously very charming and amicable, just as Greg described him.
But she wasn't here to make friends. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you . . . about Greg, actually." She motioned to the bar. "Buy you a drink?"
Slightly suspicious again (she supposed it came with the job, as Greg got suspicious of her often as well) he nodded. Drinks ordered and paid for, the duo made their way to a more secluded corner of the room.
If you've got a minute I'll buy you a
drink
I've got something to say
It might sound crazy but last
night in his sleep
I heard him call out your name
This ain't
the first time he's done it before
And it's hard to face the
truth
I'm the fool in love with the fool
Who's still in love
with you
"So, why'd you come looking for me? I'm sure one of your friends could help you through any relationship problems you and Greggo might be having better than I could."
Allison gave a half-hearted smile as she stirred her drink. "Actually, I think it might be more productive to speak to someone who knows Greg well, specifically you." She lifted her gaze and stared into his dark eyes. "It's kinda funny isn't it? I've always gone by Allison; I used to hate the name Ally. But when he called me Ally, it just felt so right, with the love and caring in his voice. . . . . . . He called you Nicky, didn't he?"
Nick choked slightly and sputtered beer onto the table. Wiping his chin, he fiddled with the wet paper on his bottle. "What do you mean? I mean,- . . . lots of people- . . . even Grissom's called me- . . . ."
She continued on as if she didn't even hear his stammered explanation. "He said your name yesterday. Your name. We have a fabulous night of making love to celebrate our six month anniversary and he says your name in his sleep." Tears started to stream down her face as her strong facade started to crack. "Not my name, yours."
"Allison, aren't you jumping to conclusions here? I mean, maybe Greg was just having a bad dream-"
"Don't belittle me, Nick!" She yelled, lowering her voice as others peered over in curiosity. "Don't you think I've tried to tell myself that?" She laughed slightly and gave the Texan a watery smile. "When it's the fourth time in three weeks, you know it's not just 'a bad dream'." Taking a deep breath, she finally voiced the heartbreaking conclusion she had reached several weeks prior. "He's still in love with you, Nick."
I know love is a fragile thing
And I'm
trying hard to make it last
But it ain't easy holding on to my
dream
When he's holding on to the past
Just
one more thing before I go
I'm not here to put you down
You
don't love him and that's a fact
I've seen you around
But you
hold his heart in the palm of your hand
And it's breaking mine in
two
'Cause I'm the fool in love with the fool
Who's still in
love with you
The Texan stared at the table for quite some time. When he finally looked up, his eyes were misty and his voice slightly choked. "Why- why are telling me this, Allison?"
"Because I have to know - do you still love Greg?"
"What! No, no. Greg and I dated for about a year, then broke up. It just- it didn't work out. None of friends knew, so we just went back to the way things were before. That's it, period, end of story. It happened years ago. I'm over him and he's over me." Nick stated defensively.
"But he's not!" The desperation and sadness were evident in her voice. "He may say he is, but he's not and its killing me." She grabbed his hand and clung to it. "I love Greg Sanders with all my heart Nick, but his heart still belongs to you. With one word, just one tiny word, you could shatter my heart. Because he would go back to you, god, he would crawl back to you if you asked."
Abruptly, Nick stood and disentangled his hand from Allison's. "I gotta go, Allison . . . I mean . . . I just- . . . I gotta go."
"Nick, don't!" She pleaded.
Never one to able to ignore a crying girl, Nick stopped and sat back down. Angrily, he hissed, "Why did you tell me this! Am I supposed to make it magically better?"
"I didn't come here to upset you. I'm just- . . . You have to look at this from my point of view, Nick. You might not have feelings for Greg - which I'm sure you'll try to prove by pointing out a string of girls like that red head earlier- but I do. As long as you keep acting all buddy-buddy with him, you'll break my heart right along side of his. Why do you think he used to make such a presentation of his lab results? With the attention you gave him he could pretend he still had a chance, like you still loved him."
"Allison, I don't know what to say." Nick was flabbergasted at this speech. He never thought about the consequences he's friendly touches and smiles would have after the breakup. He and Greg had always been touchy-feely and if he was going to act like nothing had changed . . . . How could he have been so blind? "Are you gonna be okay?"
She gave him a grim smile. "Don't worry about me, I'll make it work. After all, I'm the fool in love with the guy who's still head over heels for you." She looked at the table briefly. "Just make me one promise: Whatever you decide to do, don't hurt him again. Neither of our hearts couldn't take it."
I'm the fool in love with the fool
Who's
still in love with you
