DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!
WARNING: LANGUAGE AND RAPE
A.N: Hey! I write this for dakotawind. I was browsing the forums and I saw his challenge and I couldn't get the idea out of my head. I really should be writing for some of my other Fics, but I had to do it! I had to! Hope you like it! Review Damnit!
:
"Nick, Nick! Hey wait up!"
Nick was on his way to ballistics to see if there were any hits on the nine millimeter shell they found at his crime scene when Greg stopped him.
"What, I'm kind of busy right now."
Lately Greg and him had been hanging out more, they were getting to be really good friends, but Greg looked up to in a kind of hero worship way which meant that he need Nick's advice, a lot. Nick didn't mind that much though, he looked at Greg like a little brother.
"This'll only take a sec; I need a little man to man advice."
Nick looked towards the ballistics then back at the lab tech.
"Please man. I swear only one second."
The problem was one Sanders second usually took ten regular person minutes.
"I don't know man, if I don't get to ballistics soon Grissom will be all over my ass."
"Come on, it's really important," pleaded Greg.
"Okay," Nick said, "but, only one second."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Greg led Nick into the CSI lunch room, where he and Nick always had their private chats.
"You know how I like Sara?" Greg said in a hushed voice.
"Greg, the whole lab knows that," Nick said in his regular tone.
"Shhh," Greg hissed. Nick rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, I got her something, and I don't know how to give it to her."
"What kind of something?" Nick asked, curiosity obvious in his tone.
"A plant."
"A plant?"
"A peace lily."
"What the hell is a peace lily?"
"It's a plant, hence why I said, 'A plant.'"
"A plant?"
"Yes! A fucking plant! What's wrong with that?!"
Nick shook his head.
"Nothing, I just expected you to say jewelry or lingerie or something like that."
"Sara isn't that kind of girl. She likes living things so I got her a plant."
"I didn't expect you to think it all the way through, that's all."
Greg looked annoyed.
"Thanks. Anyway, how am I supposed to give it to her?"
"'Here Sara, I got you a peace lily. Hope you like it,' usually works."
Greg looked slightly embarrassed.
"I don't… I don't want her to know it's from me."
Greg was fuchsia by the time he had finished talking.
"Why not?"
Greg shifted uncomfortably.
"She won't take it if she knows it's from me."
Nick was shocked.
"What? Why?"
"I don't know! I tried before, I gave her a book about illegal poaching and she told me she couldn't accept it!"
Nick cringed. Ouch, that was cold.
"Well… do you know her address?"
"Yeah."
Nick just looked at Greg.
"What?"
"Stalker."
"What?!"
"You heard me. Anyway, why don't you leave it on her doorstep?"
Greg smiled.
"Thanks!"
At that he bounded back to his lab where Catherine waited impatiently. Nick shook his head. Ahh, puppy love. He headed towards ballistics where Grissom already was, looking annoyed.
"Damnit Sanders!" Nick swore under his breathe.
;
Greg glanced down at the piece of paper in his hands that had Sara's address written on it, then to the street sign. He had thought that he had taken a wrong turn somewhere but the street sign said he was in the right place, but he couldn't believe it. He knew that CSI's didn't get paid much, but Sara couldn't live on this side of town! It was the shady side, not safe for a single woman as pretty as Sara was. There were tons of apartment buildings that lined the streets and there were a total of three street lamps on this block, and one of them was burnt out. It reminded Greg of Gotham city. He parked his car on the side of the road and got out.
'It should be around here somewhere…'
Greg constantly checked the paper so he was unaware of the figures behind him moving closer.
'Not this one… or this one… that one's it!'
Greg smiled and hurried towards the apartment building, peace lily in hand. Just then a hand reached out and grabbed Greg by the shoulder.
"Where you going?"
Greg turned around to see four thugs. They were all a lot bigger than he was. The one who had grabbed him was white and a full head taller than Greg, but stood just far enough out of the light that his facial features were obscured, the same went for the other three men. Greg knew that he should turn around and walk into Sara's apartment building, but he was a nervous talker, and these guys certainly made him nervous.
"It's my girl's birthday, I'm dropping by to give her present," he lied.
'Turn around, turn around and walk away. Don't engage them,' Greg told himself but his legs weren't listening to him.
"What'cha get her?"
'Don't talk to them. Leave.' But Greg didn't.
"A peace lily."
"A peace lily?"
"It's a plant."
That seemed to anger the figure. He grabbed Greg's collar and said, "I can see that. You trying to make fun of me, is that it? Think I'm stupid, huh?"
"No, no, no! I didn't mean it like that!"
The man grabbed the peace lily out of Greg's hands and threw it on to the pavement. The pot shattered.
"I think we need to teach this punk a lesson, what do you guys think," the man said to his friends. A chorus of grunts and yeahs came from the small pack of men.
"Hey, wait! Stop it!" Greg yelled as the group shoved him into an alleyway between two buildings. "Help! Somebody help me!"
One of the men punched Greg in the face to shut him up while another one pulled down Greg's pants. Greg punched someone in the face and someone else gagged him with what Greg guessed was part of his assailants shirt. Greg swung out and caught someone in the chin with his fist, but that some one grabbed his arm and another grabbed his other arm. They pressed him in the wall and Greg heard the single scariest noise he had ever heard; a zipper being undone. Greg struggled as much as he could, but the people who were holding him against the wall were much stronger than he was.
Everything that happened next was a blur:
Someone pulled down Greg's boxers.
The pain when one of his assailants thrust into him.
How he wished he could die already.
What seemed like hours but was probably about three minutes.
When his rapist came, releasing his seed deep within Greg.
How Greg thought it was over, but was horribly mistaken.
When he was passed around like a party favor. Everyone got there turn.
How by the third person he could feel himself tear inside.
How much it hurt then.
When he stopped struggling.
When they stopped raping him and started beating him.
When they did it all over again.
When someone honked a horn and his assailants scrambled away.
Someone saying his name.
Sirens.
Fading to black…
:'
Greg woke up but didn't open his eyes. He knew that when he'd open them he'd be in the hospital and that would mean everything that happened was real and not just a bad dream. He couldn't do that. Not yet. Even if it was just for a second Greg wanted to believe, believe that when he opened his eyes he'd be back at the lab, he would've fallen asleep waiting for some results to come back. Grissom would walk in soon and wake him up, he'd apologize profusely and Grissom would threaten to fire him, but he'd never do that, and then Sara would walk by the lab and Greg would drool like the love sick puppy he is. Greg took a minute and believed, but then he knew he had to face reality, so he prepared himself and opened his eyes. He was surprised at what he found. Warrick was in a chair next to him, eyes closed, hands together, praying. Nick was sitting across from him, his head in his hands and Catherine was sitting next to him, rubbing his back and comforting him. Sara was with Grissom outside talking to a doctor, kit in hand.
"Where's the party?" Greg asked, he was surprised at how hoarse his voice was.
Nick sat up, Warrick looked up and so did Catherine. Catherine got up and ran over to Greg and hugged him. Greg winced as his chest screamed in pain. Catherine let go quickly.
"Sorry, you have a broken rib. I forgot."
Her eyes were filled with tears. She knew what happened to him. Greg looked over at Nick who averted eye contact. He knew too. Greg looked at Warrick who was approaching tentatively.
"Hey man. How you holding up?"
He knew.
"I'm really thirsty," Greg half whispered. It was strange, all of them knowing.
'Guess that's the way it works in law enforcement. Everyone knows everything. No secrets here.'
"I'll grab you something to drink, water okay?" Warrick asked.
"Yeah, that's fine."
Warrick left to get Greg some water, on his way he stopped and told Grissom and Sara that Greg was awake. They politely excused themselves from the doctor and went to check up on him.
"Hey," Greg said to Sara with a half smile on his face. She came to see him.
"Hey yourself," she replied. Her voice cracked.
Damnit. She knew too.
"Wh-what happened?" Greg asked.
Sara shifted uncomfortably, "You were-"
"I know that part!" Greg cut her off. Everyone was surprised at his tone, but he couldn't help it. He was angry. Angry at whomever told everyone, angry at the men who did this to him, and angry at himself for letting it happen.
"Sorry," Greg said softly, "I meant, how did I get here?"
"I was coming home on the way from work and I heard something going on in the alley by my apartment and honked my horn. Then I went to investigate, and I found you," Sara said softly looking at her hands.
Damnit… she was the one who found him. Tears began falling out of Greg's eyes and he wiped them away angrily.
"If it's okay," Grissom said, "we need to ask you a few questions."
Greg shook his head, "Not right now, please."
Grissom looked guilty for asking, but said, "It's better if we get the details while they're fresh in your mind."
"I don't think I'll be forgetting anytime soon Gris."
Nick shook his head and stood up and said, "I'm sorry, I just, I can't," and left.
Greg was hurt. He needed Nick right now, he was his friend, he need his support, but he left.
:o
It was two weeks after 'the incident' as Greg was referring to it, and they had caught the bad guys, but the fear didn't go away. Greg returned to work, he needed normalcy in his life then more than ever. Nobody looked at Greg the same way after that. They looked at him like he was broken, and he was, but that didn't give them the right to look at him like that. He still didn't let anyone touch him, especially men. Even it was a pat on the back for a job well done, he couldn't handle it. Nick still couldn't look at him in the eye. They hadn't hung out or really talked since then. Greg didn't know why, and didn't really care. He needed Nick to be by his side right now. The others were there, even if Greg didn't want them to be. They were all so careful not to be to close or to far. Everyone was, except Nick. He could barely stand being in the same room as Greg!
Grissom had asked Greg to come into his office and now they sat across from each other in silence.
"The trial's coming up pretty soon," Grissom finally said.
"Already?" Greg asked surprised. Usually it took years.
Grissom shrugged, "I guess they wanted to get it over with."
"How soon is soon?"
"Two weeks."
"Two weeks!"
That was too soon.
"The good news is that I don't think you'll have to testify."
"Really?" Greg had never heard of rape trial where the victim didn't testify.
"The evidence speaks for itself. Their DNA was found in you, and was on record for priors. Their shoe prints match the ones on your clothes. You sustained injuries so they can't say it was consensual. It's a slam dunk."
"What if… what if I want to testify?"
"Do you?"
There was a pause.
"I don't know."
"I can arrange it. I think you should. It'll help."
Greg wasn't so sure. He didn't want to open wounds that he had desperately trying to heal, but he wanted to make sure they were put away.
"You really think I should?"
"Yes. I do."
"… Okay."
: /
Greg sat at his desk, thinking about what he'd just agreed to. What if he couldn't do it? What if he broke down on the stand? He thanked God that at least they were all being tried at the same time, that way he didn't have to testify more than once. What if he said something wrong and they got off? What if –
"Yo! Sanders!"
"Huh?!"
Greg looked up to see Nick staring down at him. Nick quickly averted his eyes, looking at his case file.
"Anything come back on those samples I gave you?"
"Sorry, haven't processed them yet. If you hang on a second I can give you the results now."
"Okay."
Greg busied himself with work in the awkward silence.
After a minutes or two Nick said, "What you day dreaming about anyway?"
"Just thinking… the trial's in two weeks."
"Two weeks?!"
"Yeah… I'm going to testify."
"…"
"I want you to be there for me."
"…Oh…"
They lapsed back into an awkward silence again. Greg continued working angrily, what the fuck was Nick's problem? He stopped what he was doing.
"What's wrong with you?" Greg practically yelled at Nick, who continued to study his notes.
"I don't know what you mean."
"One of your best friends tells you he's going to testify at his rape trial into weeks and wants you to be there for him and all you can say is oh! Or at least I thought we were friends."
Nick didn't say anything. He just kept reading.
Greg was pissed. He grabbed the file out of Nick's hands and threw it on the floor.
"Why won't you look at me?!" Now Greg was screaming.
Nick stared Greg in the eye but had to look away.
"God damnit Nick! Do you hate me that much?!"
Nick looked back at Greg angrily, this time he held the eye contact.
"You want to know what's wrong with me?! I told you to go to Sara's apartment. I'm the one who sent you there, and then you got raped. It's my fault damnit! I feel guilt as hell, that's my problem! I feel so bad I can barely look you in the eye! The worst part is that you're not even mad at me for it!"
Tears started streaming down Nick's cheeks.
"I'm so, so sorry. I'm so sorry."
Greg was shocked. He never knew that's how Nick felt, how hurt he was.
"It's not your fault. It's okay," Greg said as soothingly as he could. He started crying to. "It's okay, it wasn't your fault. I forgive you."
The two grown men stood in the DNA lab crying, making a scene, but they didn't care. Finally Greg knew everything was going to be okay, after all he had his best friend by his side now.