Title: The Very Ecstasy of Love

Summary: Greg's learned a lot of things in Vegas, from a lot of people. But he's learnt the most from Nick, and he's learned the most about love.

Rating: T

Pairing: Greg/Nick

Genre: Romance

Spoilers (Chapter One): Pilot, Who Are You?, Unfriendly Skies

Disclaimer: I do naatt own anything.

Author's note: This story is a WIP based around canon moments in CSI. It's a little series on the things Greg's learnt about love through his scenes with Nick on the show. Each chapter represents one year for the CSIs. Note: a year, NOT a season. So this chapter, year 2000, is actually only the first half of season one. Chapter two, 2001, will be the second half of season one (January to May), and the first half of season two (September to December). It's not my fault CSI is all wonky with their air dates =P Also, this story is kinda going to be an inbetween of all my other stories. So this isn't my first priority, and I haven't given up on my other WIP, which I am now going to shamelessly promote. Chapter Four of It Ends Tonight is up, and I ONLY HAVE TWO REVIEWS. Please save me, and review. Oh, and review this too, please =)

What I've learnt, is that Love sneaks up on you. It slips around corners, slinking into the locker room behind you. It stares at you, and your head's buried so deep inside your locker than you don't even see It. And when you finally find your lab coat amongst the mess in your locker, It hides before you can turn around and spot It. It hides behind another locker, or under the bench that you sit on to tie your shoelaces, and you never ever see It.

And you don't notice It's there, except when you feel that little nagging at the back of your mind that makes the air feel heavy with something other than you. Then Nick walks in, and while you're not looking, the Love disappears into his body. It's not in the air anymore, and the heaviness is gone; you chalk up the strange feeling to too many hours spent alone. Because Nick's here now, and you're not alone, and the heaviness is gone. Well, It's not gone, not really; but since you're not looking at Nick, since you barely even notice him, (after all, he's just another one of those guys who have been working at the lab longer than you have, and think you're just some kid) you don't see how his shoulders seem to sag under the weight of It.

And when you leave the locker room, your shoulder brushes against Nick's but you don't even notice. And Love laughs at you, as you're walking away, because there, for that millisecond, you were touching Love and you didn't even know it.

Love creeps back out of Nick, and follows you around all day, still hiding, inside a vial, or behind the GCMS, but mostly, It hides in Nick. Nick where you'd never think of looking. And It keeps hiding there, laughing at you and sometimes crying (not that you would know).

And then It gets tired, and decides it's time for you to laugh and to cry instead. So It slips into Nick while It knows you're watching, and that you see It and then everything starts.

October 2000

So Love decided to show Its face for the first time one night when Nick was working a 415. Some Laferty guy was drugged and robbed by a prostitute. He was married. Serves him right, I guess. Karma's not really a bitch though, cause Nick got all of Laferty's stuff back anyway.

It was Nick's 100th solved case. The night he was promoted to CSI Level Three. Maybe that's why he had my attention, because he was radiating the kind of energy you only ever have when a promotion's due (definitely going to have to remind Griss that my promotion is now over due. I could do with the extra vacation time). Anyway, that's the logical explanation, but really it was just because Love decided it was time to let Itself be seen.

And I saw It through anal swabs.

But, hey, I've always been weird.

November 2000

Once It's there, It doesn't go away. That's what I've learned. It's always there, in the air between Nick and I, so it's like watching him through a glass, or, or a bubble or something, so he's always distorted, and so is everything he does.

Everything is new, different. And so there are a now a series of firsts: like the first time Nick said my name with the elongated vowel that makes it sound so sexy; like the first time he stopped by the lab just to chat; like the first time he actually bothered to listen to one of my DNA presentations rather than just snatching the results out of my hand.

But they're not really firsts, because I'm sure they've happened before. They have to have happened before. But it's the first time I've noticed, first time I've seen them through the distorted glass of Love.

And that's what Love does, it makes you see everything through a glass, like at a museum, and you can't help but pay attention. And you finally see everything, and you finally notice, and God, there's a lot to notice.

With Nick, there's so much to notice.

And today, I noticed the way he touched me. Not for the first time, probably, but it definitely felt like it.

I had a dream last night, about surfing. And I really, really wanted to go to Hawaii, which is why I brought it up when Nick and Grissom found sand in that skeleton's ear. I guess I was just hoping he'd ask me if I'd ever been to Hawaii, so i could talk about it. Talk about the wind in my face, and the salt on my breath, and the feeling of flying, between the waves, and then crashing underneath them. God, I miss that feeling: waking up the next morning aching with bruises, but feeling better than ever.

He didn't ask, and I didn't get to tell, but it's okay, because he touched me. He held onto my shoulder so tight that I could feel all the strength in his hand, and there are a lot of things I want him to do with that hand. I felt his cool fingertips on my chest, underneath my open collar, and I just wanted him to undo the rest of my shirt buttons and touch me all over.

He touched me. He touched me. He touched me. He touched me.

And I'm going to go jerk off now.

December 2000

Love can make you feel good about everything and everyone. Sure, I'm in love with Nick, but things he does make me love everyone at the lab just a little bit. Even Grissom's bugs.

Okay, maybe not. But you get the point.

So when Nick called me Einstein (another first), it made me feel like it was the first time anyone at the lab was appreciating my intelligence. I've been working at the lab for two years now, and I'm finally beginning to settle in. Griss lets me play my music now, as loud as I want, and Catherine lets me call her Cath. Even Sara's pretty cool, and Jacqui and I, we're friends now.

And Nick calls me Einstein. Sure, he was joking. Sure, he was actually pointing out one of my mistakes, not my incredibly sexy intellect. Sure, he still takes me for granted most of the time, just like the other CSIs. Sure, it's probably not a nickname, and it probably won't stick, but hey, it might.

Things are good. Things are brilliant.

And maybe that's another thing about Love. It knows you want to be happy, so It makes everything feel good, because It wants you to be happy too.

I can't wait till the new year.