Author's Note: So my friend and I always seem to be talking about The Love, and sometimes we come up with crazy scenarios involving Nick and Greg.
This is one of them.
As always, all mistakes are mine because I like to meddle, and I am not perfect.
Oneshot. Slight romance. Extreme silliness. Nick/Greg. Nick's POV. Slash.
Disclaimer: Ah, if only I could say I owned Nick and Greg, but alas … I do not. I also do not own Harlinview, seeing as how Amanda made it up.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Amanda for proofreading and editing.
Warning: This story completely mixes reality with fantasy. So for those of you out there who like both of them to be separate, I suggest not reading this story. I think the term "fourth wall breakerage" could be applied here. Or just downright insanity. Your choice.
Let me just say you have been warned …
Summary: Nick and Greg take a vacation to a small town in Alberta, just looking for peace and quiet. What they end up with is confusion, screaming, squeeing, and a high-speed pursuit. Oh, and throw in a couple of fangirls to start the ball rollin'.
A Night on the Town
Nick Stokes took a deep breath and slowly let it out, savoring the fading light of the sun as it sank behind the vast, flat horizon. When they said the prairies of Alberta were flat, they really were.
"So where do you want to go?" Greg Sanders asked, coming out from their hotel room. He stood beside Nick, facing the blood red sunset that was still lowering way off in the distance, across the highway and across the vast canola fields.
"I dunno. I just feel like taking a walk. We're going to be here for a while, might as well know where we're going," Nick replied easily. He turned to lock their room, and they went down the metal steps towards the parking lot.
They strolled along Main Street hand in hand as they took in the sights. There was an IGA, a Dairy Queen, a KFC, an A&W …
"This could almost pass for a city, seeing as how they already have a lot of fast food places," Greg remarked softly as they turned right at the end of Main Street. They had come upon a quieter street filled with small houses and also upon a decision: should they go straight down the lane or turn left?
Almost at the same time, both men answered.
"Keep going straight."
"Let's turn left?"
Nick and Greg stared at each other, smiles lighting up their faces.
"Well, since you brought me to this little town, you might as well decide which way we're going. Your choice," Greg offered, grinning at Nick. It was the smile that made the Texan fall for Greg. The way it almost seemed to radiate sunshine, the way it lit up a room, even if there was no other light source.
Realizing that Nick had been staring at Greg for a moment without speaking, he quickly said, "Let's go left, then."
Greg obliged and they crossed the street to get on to the sidewalk. In front of them was a dense forest, and to their left they could see a trailer park.
Greg barely even noticed the sights on the ground; he couldn't seem to take his eyes off the sky. Tendrils of red, gold, and magenta were streaked across the sky, highlighting the fluffy clouds. They didn't get sunsets like this back in Las Vegas, that's for sure.
The couple followed the sidewalk until it banked to the right, and then they crossed the street, setting off down an asphalt trail that followed the curves of the forest.
"It's so beautiful here," Nick commented softly. "I haven't seen anyone out getting fresh air besides us."
"Yeah, kind of weird. I wonder if they get lots of nights like this."
"Probably. I think it's a bit cold myself," Nick confessed.
"Aren't you glad you're wearing a turtleneck, then?" Greg laughed, leaning his left shoulder against Nick's right arm. "Still, I do agree about the beauty of this place."
Slowly they carried on, the trail gently turning right, then left, then straight. The two men kept walking, basking in each other's company and the still, sweet air.
"I have a question for you, Nick," Greg suddenly said, stopping short.
"Hmm?"
"Why did you want to come to Harlinview?"
"Oh, well I got an email highlighting all the tourist attractions this place has. Despite its small number of people, there's still a lot to do around here."
"An email told you all of this?"
"Yeah, something wrong with that?" Nick questioned as Greg observed him with narrowed eyes.
Abruptly the younger man's expression cleared, and he beamed at the Texan.
"Nope, I guess not."
Nick grinned too, holding back the instinct to tell the truth. He didn't even know the sender of the email, but it had looked professional. What wasn't to trust?
"I wonder how many people this place has, anyways …" Greg mused aloud, his footsteps echoing in the silence.
Nick shrugged.
"I guess a few. Not like we could tell tonight …"
They passed by a solitary garbage can on the edge of the path in silence, still reveling in the feeling of being together … the feeling of almost being the only people on the earth at the moment.
'Well, that moment didn't last long,' Greg thought to himself when he spotted two girls sitting on swings that were perched on the edge of the forest. A park was situated half on one side of the trail, half on the other. In the background he could see a fenced in baseball diamond.
"I guess we're passing by some of the residents now," Nick muttered, glancing at the two girls. They looked to be about fifteen, possibly sixteen, but it was hard to tell. All Nick knew was that one of them had glasses, shoulder length brown hair and was wearing a purple hoodie with blue jeans. The other girl had her hair pulled back into a long ponytail and she was wearing a green tank top with black jeans.
An extremely uneasy silence fell over the park when Nick and Greg passed by. Nick could feel the girls' eyes follow them as they walked by, and he started to wonder if they were homophobic. Maybe people were less understanding in such a little community …
A crazy thought flashed through Nick's mind. It seemed as if the girls had been expecting them, but that was insane, right?
"Nick," Greg muttered in an undertone, breaking into the older man's thoughts, "they're following us!"
Nick threw a glance over his shoulder and saw that Greg was right. Both girls were about three meters behind them, whispering to each other.
"Maybe they just need to go this way," Nick suggested lamely.
Greg didn't answer.
A few minutes passed by as the couple followed the blacktop trail as it made a sharp turn to the left, closer to the trees and shrubs of the forest. Nick looked back over his shoulder, and to his dismay the girls were still following them.
A loud laugh floated up to Nick's ears, and he stopped abruptly. Were those girls laughing at them?
"Nick, what're you-"
"Can we help you, ladies?" the Texan asked as he spun around on his heel, just five feet away from the teens. He saw looks of complete and utter delight on both of the girls' faces, and he saw the shorter girl blush furiously, but her eyes never strayed from his face.
"Amanda, it's them! It's actually Nick and Greg!" the shorter girl choked out, her hands hanging limply at her sides.
"What?" Greg asked, and Nick could hear the confusion in his voice.
"SQUEE! GREGGO!" the taller girl, who's name was obviously Amanda, exclaimed.
Nick turned quickly to Greg, his eyes wide with shock. What was going on?
"Amanda, where's your camera? This is TOTALLY proof that The Love exists!" the shorter girl screamed, her eyes never leaving Nick's face.
"Sorry?" The Texan said, starting to feel extremely uncomfortable, but he couldn't figure out what was happening. It was if these girls knew them personally or something …
"It's in my bag, lemme get it," Amanda muttered, frantically scrambling through the purple purse she was clutching.
"This'll show all those CatNip, Snickers, and Sandle shippers!" the tinier girl shouted, her dark eyes shining in the fading sunlight.
Nick felt his mouth work furiously to find some words, any words. He seriously wanted out of this whole situation. This was just way too weird.
"Alison, I can't find it! Where the heck is it?" Amanda shrieked, pulling all the objects out of her purse and throwing them pell-mell onto the trail. Alison swiftly reached over and aided her friend in the anxious search, her back turned to the two older men.
Another look was exchanged between Nick and Greg, and within a second they were gone, both of them sprinting away as fast as they could from the two girls.
"They're escaping!"
"GET THEM!"
A few yards behind them, Nick could hear their rapid footfalls as the girls took up the chase, and to his discomfort he heard one of them catching up as he and Greg fled.
"Come on," Nick growled, urging Greg on. An opening in the forest loomed in front of them, and the Texan grabbed the younger man's arm and dove into the foliage.
Nick strained his ears furiously as he tried to control his erratic breathing. His heart was hammering loudly in his ears, and he could feel his chest shuddering with each heartbeat. He turned to Greg and held a finger to his lips, signaling for the other man to be silent.
They waited.
Within seconds the two teens were on the scene, stopping right at the break in the trees.
"Where'd they go?"
"I never got a picture for The Fort. I couldn't hold the camera steady as we ran."
Nick put a trembling hand over his mouth, trying to quiet his rapid breathing. He heard the girls rustle a few leaves, standing just two feet from them. The older man leaned his head a little bit to the right, and he could see the backs of both the girls. They were facing the street.
"We'll find them eventually. We have to. No one's ever gonna believe this happened."
Alison turned around, surveying the forest, her eyes narrowed. "I don't think anyone would believe us even if we had a picture, actually."
Amanda sighed and started to walk away slowly, a white and silver camera in her hand. "I wonder if Nick will figure out that it was us who sent him the email. I still can't get believe that they're actually here!"
Alison matched her stride to her friend's and answered, "I'm surprised that they came here only a few months after Warrick died."
"Um … technically he hasn't died yet. We just know he's dead. We'll have to wait till October for Warrick to officially kick the bucket."
Alison sighed, and her voice was faint when she replied, "I guess we'll just have to live with rerun eyesex for now. I wonder if a boy-touching episode is coming up soon …"
Nick and Greg didn't say a word to each other until both the girls had rounded a corner and were out of sight. Finally Greg stirred and turned to the older man, his face flushed.
"What the hell is eyesex?"
Nick snorted derisively.
"More like what the hell just happened, and what was that bit about Warrick dying …?"
The younger man shook his head as he slowly stood up and helped Nick to his feet. They both stepped out of the trees and back onto the path, straining their eyes and ears for any sign of the teens.
"I don't think I've ever been more confused in my life," Nick mumbled, wiping a bead of sweat off his face. The younger man didn't even respond. Greg just stood there staring off into the distance, a look of concentration in his dark chocolate eyes.
"You know …" Greg started, his heavy eyebrows contracting, "I think I read about them once."
Nick felt his jaw drop.
"Those two girls?"
"No, their type."
The Texan scowled.
"You mean psychos?"
"I think they prefer the term 'fangirls', actually."